Legis Daily

WELLS Act

USA119th CongressS-4482| Senate 
| Updated: 5/11/2026
Lisa Blunt Rochester

Lisa Blunt Rochester

Democratic Senator

Delaware

Finance Committee

  • Introduced
  • In Committee
  • On Floor
  • Passed Chamber
  • Enacted
This bill amends the Social Security Act to require hospitals, critical access hospitals, and rural emergency hospitals participating in Medicare to develop comprehensive discharge plans for pregnant individuals . These plans are mandatory for those admitted with signs of labor but expected to be discharged prior to delivery, with an effective date of January 1, 2027. Each plan must include a clinical justification for discharge, an assessment of travel distance and transportation verification, and identification of a secondary facility for labor and delivery services. It also requires confirmation that the plan was reviewed by qualified personnel and understood by the patient in their primary language. The legislation further amends the Public Health Service Act by requiring the Secretary to establish minimum performance milestones for rural maternal and obstetric care training grant recipients, starting in fiscal year 2027. These milestones will include targets for the percentage of staff trained or receiving refresher training, alongside enhanced annual reporting to Congress. Additionally, the bill mandates the establishment of a multi-center implementation science initiative for maternal health to rigorously evaluate various healthcare professional training models and their impact on provider behavior, patient outcomes, and maternal health disparities. This initiative will also include an interagency maternal health dashboard to publicly display maternal health outcome metrics from Department of Health and Human Services agencies.
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Timeline
Mar 5, 2026

Latest Companion Bill Action

HR 119-7830
Introduced in House
May 11, 2026
Introduced in Senate
May 11, 2026
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
  • March 5, 2026

    Latest Companion Bill Action

    HR 119-7830
    Introduced in House


  • May 11, 2026
    Introduced in Senate


  • May 11, 2026
    Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.

Health

WELLS Act

USA119th CongressS-4482| Senate 
| Updated: 5/11/2026
This bill amends the Social Security Act to require hospitals, critical access hospitals, and rural emergency hospitals participating in Medicare to develop comprehensive discharge plans for pregnant individuals . These plans are mandatory for those admitted with signs of labor but expected to be discharged prior to delivery, with an effective date of January 1, 2027. Each plan must include a clinical justification for discharge, an assessment of travel distance and transportation verification, and identification of a secondary facility for labor and delivery services. It also requires confirmation that the plan was reviewed by qualified personnel and understood by the patient in their primary language. The legislation further amends the Public Health Service Act by requiring the Secretary to establish minimum performance milestones for rural maternal and obstetric care training grant recipients, starting in fiscal year 2027. These milestones will include targets for the percentage of staff trained or receiving refresher training, alongside enhanced annual reporting to Congress. Additionally, the bill mandates the establishment of a multi-center implementation science initiative for maternal health to rigorously evaluate various healthcare professional training models and their impact on provider behavior, patient outcomes, and maternal health disparities. This initiative will also include an interagency maternal health dashboard to publicly display maternal health outcome metrics from Department of Health and Human Services agencies.
View Full Text

Suggested Questions

Get AI-generated questions to help you understand this bill better

Timeline
Mar 5, 2026

Latest Companion Bill Action

HR 119-7830
Introduced in House
May 11, 2026
Introduced in Senate
May 11, 2026
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
  • March 5, 2026

    Latest Companion Bill Action

    HR 119-7830
    Introduced in House


  • May 11, 2026
    Introduced in Senate


  • May 11, 2026
    Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
Lisa Blunt Rochester

Lisa Blunt Rochester

Democratic Senator

Delaware

Finance Committee

Health

  • Introduced
  • In Committee
  • On Floor
  • Passed Chamber
  • Enacted