Pregnant and Postpartum Women Treatment Reauthorization Act
This bill, the Pregnant and Postpartum Women Treatment Reauthorization Act, would reauthorize and expand the federal program that supports residential treatment facilities for pregnant and postpartum women with substance use disorders. It updates some language to emphasize health care services, requires applicants to include an outreach plan (including potential targeting of outreach to populations disproportionately affected by maternal substance use disorder), and increases the annual funding authorization for the program from the 2019–2023 level to a higher level for 2025–2029. The changes are focused on ensuring continued federal support for residential treatment options for pregnant and new mothers and on promoting equity in outreach and access to services.
Key Points
- 1Reauthorizes the program under Section 508 of the Public Health Service Act to support residential treatment programs for pregnant and postpartum women.
- 2Language update: changes “providing health services” to “providing health care services” in the statute, clarifying the scope to include medical care as part of the program.
- 3Outreach planning: adds a requirement that the applicant’s plan describe how it will provide services and may include describing how outreach will target women disproportionately impacted by maternal substance use disorder.
- 4Funding increase: raises the authorized funding to $38,931,000 per fiscal year for 2025–2029, up from $29,931,000 per year for 2019–2023.
- 5Scope of authorization: the bill specifies funding for the 2025–2029 period, signaling a continued federal role beyond the prior authorization window.