Committee approves bill to unbundle prenatal, postpartum payments to expand rural access

Senator Fricks presented House Bill 3,904, telling the Senate Health and Human Services committee the measure "simply changes prenatal delivery and postpartum services from being a global payment to individualized." Supporters said the change will help rural Oklahoma by allowing patients to get smaller services — such as blood tests or other prenatal care — from local providers rather than travel long distances to the primary provider.

In questions, Senator Hicks noted the state's designation under a federal program (referred to in the hearing as the TMAH program) and asked what the committee expects or hopes to achieve by unbundling labor and delivery payments. Senator Fricks said the change is intended to increase access to local community resources and make it easier for patients to complete appointments that would otherwise be missed because of travel burdens.

The sponsor also told the committee the bill is budget neutral in its fiscal impact but could pave the way for future funding tied to hospital designations that support lactation accommodation and other services under CMS programs.

Committee debate included testimony from Senator Coleman in support of measures to improve prenatal care in the state. After discussion, the committee recorded a 9–0 vote to advance the bill.

The bill now heads to the next legislative stage; the sponsor committed to follow up on implementation questions and coordination with the health authority.