Opportunities to Support Mothers and Deliver Children Act
This bill, titled the Opportunities to Support Mothers and Deliver Children Act, would create a new demonstration project authority under the Health Profession Opportunity Grant Program (HPGGP) in the Social Security Act. The goal is to fund education and training programs that help eligible individuals enter and advance along a career pathway in pregnancy, childbirth, or postpartum care—specifically in states that recognize doulas or midwives and pay for their services through health insurance. Grants would last at least three years and would require rigorous evaluation to identify successful models for building sustainable, higher-wquality career paths for low-income workers in this field. Eligible entities include a wide range of organizations (from local workforce boards to hospitals and tribal groups), and eligible individuals are those with household incomes at or below 138% of the federal poverty level. The bill authorizes $10 million for fiscal year 2026 and takes effect October 1, 2025. In short, the bill aims to expand, systematize, and fund training pathways that prepare people—especially low-income individuals—to work as doulas, midwives, or related roles, within states that already support or reimburse such services.
Key Points
- 1New demonstration project authority: Establishes a formal grant program under the Social Security Act to fund education/training programs for a pregnancy, childbirth, or postpartum workforce, with a focus on career pathways.
- 2State eligibility condition: Projects may be conducted only in states (or areas within states) that recognize doulas or midwives and provide payment for these services through private or public insurance.
- 3Minimum project duration and evaluation: Demonstration projects must run for at least 3 years and include rigorous evaluations to identify scalable, wage-enhancing, and benefit-responsive career pathways that are accessible to low-income workers.
- 4Broad eligibility for funding entities: Eligible entities include local workforce development boards, state or tribal agencies, Indian tribes and tribal colleges, institutions of higher education, hospitals, skilled nursing facilities, Federally qualified health centers, nonprofits or labor organizations with a history of health profession training, or other qualified training entities.
- 5Definitions and scope: The bill defines eligible individuals (income ≤138% of federal poverty level), midwives (aligned with international standards), tribally-recognized midwives, and doulas (training requirements or local government authorization). It also specifies the types of organizations and credentials that would count toward eligibility for the projects.
- 6Funding and effective date: Sets aside $10,000,000 for FY2026 to implement the subsection, with the act taking effect October 1, 2025.