2025 has been a banner year for introducing new bills about adoption in Congress. One is HR5899, the Caring for Mothers Act of 2025. People planning to adopt a baby often wonder if they could add the expectant mom to their group health insurance during her pregnancy and postpartum. After all, the baby will be eligible for that coverage as soon as he or she is born, so why not during the pregnancy? In fact, it’s usually impossible to do this. You generally can’t even buy her a health insurance policy of her own. HR 5899 would change that.
The Caring for Mothers Act of 2025 Not only covers care for the mom and the child, but also substance abuse support for as long as a year after the birth of the child.
The bill requires both the adoptive parent and the expectant mom sign a document attesting that they plan for the enrolled person to adopt the child. However, it also says that the bill is not intended to force the both mom to allow the adoption nor to penalize her if she changes her mind.
Will the Caring for Mothers Act of 2025 become law?
Only a small percentage of the bills introduced in Congress become laws. All elected legislators can introduce bills. Once they’re introduced, they are usually sent to a committee that specializes in the topic covered by the bill. HR5899, for example, was sent to Energy and Commerce. The committee may consider the bill, suggest changes, and send it back to the House with a recommendation to pass it or not to do so.
If the House passes the bill, it will still need to be introduced in the Senate. Bills passed in the House and Senate often are a bit different from each other, since each house of Congress can make amendments and additions. If a bill passes both the House and the Senate, then it must be harmonized — the two groups must negotiate until they get ne bill they can all agree on.
After it passes the House and the Senate, a bill must go to the President of the United States to be signed. Then it becomes a law.
HR5899 has not yet come back to the main floor of the House from the committee, and the committee has not yet met to discuss it, so there is little chance of passage this year. The sponsors of the bill may reintroduce it in the new year so it can begin the process again.
Could you encourage the bill?
If this sounds like a good idea to you, you could bring it to your congressman’s attention with a letter or email. The sponsors of the various adoption bills could also get together and work out a cooperative plan among them to combine their bills into one larger bill. Or the sponsors of the Caring for Mothers Act of 2025 could watch for a new bill they could work with, perhaps a bill about maternal healthcare, and try to add their idea into that law.
If you have questions about adoption, call Heimer Law. We specialize in adoption and have worked with hundreds of families to make their adoption journeys as smooth as possible.
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