,i  #aaith ,,congress  #ast ,session    
,h4 ,r4 #ehii  ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of  
,,representatives  ,october #ca1        
#bjbe,ms4 ,van ,duyne introduced the    
following bill2 which was referred to   
the ,committee on ,energy and ,commerce 
,a ,,bill  ,to amend title ,,xxvii of   
the ,public ,health ,service ,act to    
increase health insurance access for    
individuals placing their newborns for  
adoption4  #a4 ,short title ,this ,act  
may be cited as the ,caring for ,mothers
 ,act of #bjbe4  #b4 ,increasing health 
insurance access for individuals placing
 their newborns for adoption  7a7 ,in   
general ,subpart ,,ii of part ,a of     
title ,,xxvii of the ,public ,health    
,service ,act 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #cjj;gg-#aa
 et seq47 is amended by adding at the   
end the following new section3  #bgcj4  
,availability of coverage for           
individuals placing their newborns for  
adoption  7a7 ,in general ,in the case  
of an individual enrolled in a group    
health plan or group or individual      

health insurance coverage who intends to
 adopt 7or has already adopted7 a child 
of a qualifying individual and who      
submits to such plan or coverage 7as    
applicable7 a request described in      
subsection 7b7 with respect to such     
qualifying individual1 such plan or     
coverage shall enroll such qualifying   
individual under such plan or coverage  
and provide benefits under such plan or 
coverage in accordance with subsection  
7c74  7b7 ,request ,for purposes of     
subsection 7a71 a request described in  
this subsection is a request submitted  
to a group health plan or group or      
individual health insurance coverage by 
an individual who is enrolled in such   
plan or coverage who intends to adopt   
7or has already adopted7 a biological   
child of a qualifying individual that-- 
7#a7 requests that such qualifying      
individual receive benefits under such  
plan or coverage in accordance with     
subsection 7c72  7#b7 contains an       
attestation that such individual intends

 to adopt 7or already has adopted7 such 
child2  7#c7 in the case such child has 
not been so adopted at the time of the  
submission of such request1 contains an 
attestation from such qualifying        
individual that such qualifying         
individual intends to have such         
individual adopt such child2 and  7#d7  
is signed by such individual and such   
qualifying individual4  7c7 ,coverage   
7#a7 ,scope ,notwithstanding any other  
provisions of law1 benefits provided    
under a group health plan or group or   
individual health insurance coverage to 
a qualifying individual enrolled        
pursuant to a request described in      
subsection 7b7 shall consist only of--  
7,a7 pregnancy-related and postpartum   
care2 and  7,b7 mental health and       
substance use disorder services4  7#b7  
,coverage period ,coverage provided     
under a group health plan or group or   
individual health insurance coverage to 
a qualifying individual pursuant to a   
request described in subsection 7b7     

shall begin on the first day of the     
first month beginning after the date    
such plan or coverage receives such     
request and shall end on the earliest of
 the following3  7,a7 ,the date the     
individual who submitted such request   
notifies such plan or coverage of such  
individual's intent to terminate such   
coverage4  7,b7 ,the date on which      
coverage of such individual under such  
plan or group or individual health      
insurance coverage is terminated4  7,c7 
,the date such qualifying individual    
notifies such plan or coverage of such  
qualifying individual's intent to       
terminate such coverage4  7,d7 ,the date
 that is #a year after the date of the  
birth of the child that is the subject  
of the adoption described in subsection 
7a74  7d7 ,clarification on scope of    
requirement ,the requirement on a group 
health plan or group or individual      
health insurance coverage under         
subsection 7a7 to provide benefits to a 
qualifying individual pursuant to a     

request described in subsection 7b7     
shall apply only with respect to        
benefits described in subsection 7c77#a7
 furnished with respect to the pregnancy
 that is the subject of the adoption    
described in subsection 7b74  7e7       
,qualifying individual defined ,in this 
section1 the term qualifying individual 
means an individual who--  7#a7 is      
pregnant or who has given birth in the  
last #f months2 and  7#b7 is a citizen  
or national of the ,united ,states or an
 alien lawfully present in the ,united  
,states4  7f7 ,rule of construction     
,nothing in this section may be         
construed to-- 7#a7 require a qualifying
 individual who enrolls in a group      
health plan or group or individual      
health insurance coverage pursuant to   
this section1 or an individual who      
requests enrollment of such qualifying  
individual in such plan or coverage1 to 
effectuate any adoption2 or  7#b7 allow 
for the imposition of any penalty on    
such a qualifying individual or         

individual requesting such enrollment if
 such an adoption is not effectuated4  4
  7b7 ,effective date ,the amendment    
made by subsection 7a7 shall apply with 
respect to plan years beginning on or   
after ,january #a1 #bjbf4