Democrats Sound Alarm on OBBBA’s Impact on Maternal Health Care

Earlier this month, certain Democrat ranking members of the U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee and Senate Finance Committee released a report, claiming that the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) – which they dubbed the “Big Ugly Bill” – has triggered the closing of hospital maternity care units and other maternity care providers throughout the country. According to the report, the planned OBBBA cuts to state-directed Medicaid payment programs are already hurting rural hospitals that rely on such funding to keep labor and delivery services operating, as they are being forced to budget and plan for those losses now, prompting closures and service reductions. Even before the OBBBA went into effect, the U.S. was experiencing a national maternal health crisis, with more than one-third of all U.S. counties lacking a single birthing center or obstetrics clinician. The report argues that the OBBBA has only exacerbated the situation, including by halting all federal Medicaid funding for certain clinics affiliated with abortion care providers, including those clinics that provide prenatal care services women rely upon to maintain healthy pregnancies.