Feenstra Introduces Legislation to Strengthen Rural Maternity Care
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Yesterday, U.S. Rep. Randy Feenstra (R-Hull) introduced the Rural Maternity Options for Medical Support (MOMS) Act of 2026, legislation to strengthen and stabilize maternal healthcare in rural communities nationwide.
The bill would ensure that beds used exclusively for labor and delivery are not counted toward the 25-bed limit required for Critical Access Hospital (CAH) designation under Medicare. This change would help rural hospitals maintain labor and delivery services while preserving critical federal support.
“Expecting mothers deserve access to high-quality, maternal healthcare, wherever they live,” said Rep. Feenstra. “Representing one of the most rural districts in the country, I regularly hear from Iowa mothers who drive sometimes over an hour just to access maternal care. I am proud to lead this commonsense legislation to support rural mothers, strengthen access to maternal care, and help ensure the best outcomes in rural communities across the country.”
Representatives Darin LaHood (IL-16), Jill Tokuda (HI-02), and Kim Schrier (WA-08) cosponsored this legislation.
“One of the most urgent challenges facing our rural communities is the diminishing access to maternal healthcare,” said Rep. LaHood. “Expecting mothers deserve access to high-quality care regardless of where they live, which is why I was proud to join my colleagues in introducing the bipartisan Rural MOMs Act. This legislation supports our critical access hospitals by allowing them to continue to provide labor and delivery services without jeopardizing their inpatient room capacity. I will continue my work to advance policies that strengthen and support mothers, children, and families in our rural communities.”
“No family should have to worry about how far they are from a delivery room or whether their local hospital can keep its maternity ward open. That’s why I am proud to join Rep. Feenstra on this effort to ensure expectant mothers in Hawaiʻi and across rural America can get the care they need closer to home,” said Rep. Tokuda. “By removing outdated regulatory requirements that currently limit how Critical Access Hospitals provide labor and delivery services, the Rural MOMS Act addresses a major barrier that has forced too many rural hospitals to scale back or discontinue maternity care. This legislation is about more than capacity—it’s about giving rural providers the flexibility they need to put the health and safety of families first.”
This legislation has received broad support from hospital associations across the country.
“For families across Iowa, access to safe, timely maternity care really comes down to having labor and delivery services close to home,” said Iowa Hospital Association's President/CEO, Chris Mitchell. “The Rural MOMS Act takes an important step by updating how Medicare defines and counts labor and delivery beds—something that may sound technical, but has real impact for community hospitals, many of them critical access hospitals. At the end of the day, this is about supporting local hospitals, strengthening rural health care, and making sure Iowa moms and babies can get the care they need, where they need it most.”
“New and expecting moms deserve access to high-quality labor and delivery services,” said Lisa Kidder Hrobsky, American Hospital Association’s Senior Vice President for Advocacy and Political Affairs. “The Rural Maternity Options for Medical Support Act of 2026 strengthens access to maternal health services for mothers in rural areas by ensuring that higher volume critical access hospitals have labor and delivery beds available, even if their other patient beds are full. The AHA appreciates Rep. Feenstra’s leadership to support critical access hospitals and families across the nation.
"The National Rural Health Association (NRHA) applauds the release of the Rural MOMS Act, led by Representatives Feenstra, LaHood, Tokuda, and Schrier,” said Alan Morgan, CEO, NRHA. “This bill excludes beds used solely for labor and delivery services from counting towards critical access hospitals' 25-bed total, providing more opportunities for rural hospitals to provide obstetric services. As rural labor and delivery units are closing at alarming rates nationwide, this legislation will help retain and expand access to these services."
Full text of the resolution is available HERE.
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