Mental Health and MAMA Act of 2026
Private health insurance plans and federal employee health plans would be prohibited from charging copays, deductibles, or coinsurance for in-network mental health and substance use care—including telehealth—during pregnancy and for one year after pregnancy ends. Starting two years after enactment, the bill also expands continuity-of-care protections for postpartum individuals. If a mental health or substance use provider leaves an insurer's network, a patient who was treated by them during pregnancy can continue their care at in-network rates for up to a full year postpartum.
What this bill touches.
Who it helps · who it burdens.
Who it helps
- Pregnant and postpartum health plan enrolleesEnrollees who are pregnant or up to one year postpartum will receive in-network mental health and substance use disorder services (including telehealth) with zero cost-sharing, and gain continuity-of-care protections to continue postpartum treatment with their existing providers at in-network rates (Sec. 2(a), 2(b), 2(c), 2(d)).
Who it burdens
- Health insurance issuers and group health plansMust cover in-network mental health and substance use disorder services without imposing copayments, deductibles, or other cost-sharing for enrollees from pregnancy diagnosis through one year postpartum, and must provide continuity-of-care coverage for postpartum mental health treatment (Sec. 2(a), 2(b), 2(c), 2(d)).
The provisions, in plain language.
Prohibits individual and group health insurance plans from charging copayments, deductibles, or other cost-sharing for in-network mental health and substance use disorder services (including telehealth) from pregnancy diagnosis through one year postpartum, starting two years after enactment.
Extends continuity-of-care protections under the Public Health Service Act to ensure postpartum patients receiving mental health or substance use disorder care can continue treatment with an out-of-network provider at in-network rates if they received care from that provider during pregnancy.
Applies the ban on cost-sharing for in-network mental health and substance use disorder services during pregnancy and up to one year postpartum to employer-sponsored group health plans governed by ERISA, starting two years after enactment.
Extends continuity-of-care protections for postpartum mental health and substance use disorder treatment under ERISA-regulated employer health plans.
Applies the ban on cost-sharing for in-network mental health and substance use disorder services during pregnancy and up to one year postpartum to group health plans governed by the Internal Revenue Code, starting two years after enactment.
Extends continuity-of-care protections for postpartum mental health and substance use disorder treatment under Internal Revenue Code-governed group health plans.
Requires Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB) program health plans to eliminate cost-sharing for perinatal and postpartum mental health and substance use disorder services, starting two years after enactment.