Shown verbatim: the complete text as captured from the official PDF posted by the Arkansas General Assembly, fetched 2026-07-23. Page and line markers are part of the official record; nothing is edited or removed. The official bill page.
Stricken language would be deleted from and underlined language would be added to present law.
1 State of Arkansas A Bill
2 95th General Assembly
3 Regular Session, 2025 SENATE BILL 213
4
5 By: Senators Irvin, B. Davis
6 By: Representatives Pilkington, Wardlaw, Hudson, L. Johnson, Bentley
7
8 For An Act To Be Entitled
9 AN ACT TO CREATE THE HEALTHY MOMS, HEALTHY BABIES
10 ACT; TO AMEND ARKANSAS LAW TO IMPROVE MATERNAL HEALTH
11 IN THIS STATE; AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES.
12
13
14 Subtitle
15 TO CREATE THE HEALTHY MOMS, HEALTHY
16 BABIES ACT; AND TO AMEND ARKANSAS LAW TO
17 IMPROVE MATERNAL HEALTH IN THIS STATE.
18
19 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ARKANSAS:
20
21 SECTION 1. DO NOT CODIFY. Title.
22 This act shall be known and may be cited as the "Healthy Moms, Healthy
23 Babies Act".
24
25 SECTION 2. Arkansas Code � 20-77-151 is repealed to be reenacted and
26 transferred to another subchapter of the Arkansas Code.
27 20-77-151. Depression screening for pregnant women.
28 (a) The Arkansas Medicaid Program shall reimburse for depression
29 screening of a pregnant woman.
30 (b) The Department of Human Services shall apply for any federal
31 waiver, Medicaid state plan amendments, or other authority necessary to
32 implement this section.
33
34 SECTION 3. Arkansas Code Title 20, Chapter 77, is amended to add an
35 additional subchapter to read as follows:
36 Subchapter 29 -- Maternal Health
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1
2 20-77-2901. Depression screening for pregnant women.
3 (a) The Arkansas Medicaid Program shall reimburse for depression
4 screening of a pregnant woman.
5 (b) The Department of Human Services shall apply for any federal
6 waiver, Medicaid state plan amendments, or other authority necessary to
7 implement this section.
8
9 20-77-2902. Coverage of prenatal, delivery, and postpartum services.
10 (a) The Arkansas Medicaid Program shall reimburse for prenatal,
11 delivery, and postpartum services separately in lieu of a global payment or
12 an all-inclusive payment methodology for maternity services.
13 (b) Prenatal, delivery, and postpartum services include without
14 limitation:
15 (1) Office visits;
16 (2) Laboratory fees;
17 (3) Physician ordered testing;
18 (4) Blood work;
19 (5) Remote monitoring;
20 (6) Fetal nonstress tests; and
21 (7) Continuous glucose monitors or other services for
22 gestational diabetes when medically necessary.
23 (c) This section does not alter coverage provided through the Arkansas
24 Health and Opportunity for Me Program or a risk-based provider organization
25 under the Medicaid Provider-Led Organized Care Act, � 20-77-2701 et seq.
26
27 20-77-2903. Presumptive eligibility for pregnant women.
28 (a) The Arkansas Medicaid Program shall make presumptive eligibility
29 determinations for pregnant women who are applying for the program to improve
30 access to prenatal care and allow prenatal care to be delivered immediately
31 while waiting for a full application to be processed.
32 (b) The program may designate one (1) or more qualified entities to
33 screen for eligibility and immediately enroll pregnant women into the
34 program.
35
36 20-77-2904. Blood pressure monitoring for pregnant and postpartum
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1 women.
2 (a) The Arkansas Medicaid Program shall provide coverage and
3 reimbursement for self-measurement blood pressure monitoring services for
4 pregnant women and postpartum women.
5 (b) Self-measurement blood pressure monitoring services shall include:
6 (1) Validated blood pressure monitoring devices, such as a blood
7 pressure cuff and replacement cuffs, as medically necessary, to diagnose or
8 treat hypertension;
9 (2) Patient education and training on the set-up and use of a
10 self-measurement blood pressure measurement device that is validated for
11 clinical accuracy, device calibration, and the procedure for obtaining self-
12 measurement readings; and
13 (3) Collection of data reports by the patient or caregiver for
14 submission to a healthcare provider to communicate blood pressure readings
15 and create or modify treatment plans.
16
17 20-77-2905. Reimbursement for remote ultrasound procedures.
18 (a)(1) The Arkansas Medicaid Program shall reimburse for medically
19 necessary remote ultrasound procedures utilizing established Current
20 Procedural Terminology codes for remote ultrasound procedures when the
21 patient is in a residence or other off-site location from the healthcare
22 provider of the patient and the same standard of care is met.
23 (2) Subdivision (a)(1) of this section shall apply to the fee-
24 for-service categories of the program and any managed care plan within the
25 program.
26 (b) A remote ultrasound procedure shall be reimbursable when the
27 healthcare provider uses digital technology that:
28 (1) Collects medical and other forms of health data from a
29 patient and electronically transmits the information securely to a healthcare
30 provider in a different location for interpretation and recommendation;
31 (2) Is compliant with the Health Insurance Portability and
32 Accountability Act of 1996, 42 U.S.C. � 1320d et seq., as it existed on
33 January 1, 2025; and
34 (3) Is approved by the United States Food and Drug
35 Administration.
36
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1 20-77-2906. Coverage for certain services provided by doulas and
2 community health workers.
3 The Arkansas Medicaid Program shall reimburse doulas and community
4 health workers for home visitation related to prenatal care and postpartum
5 care.
6
7 20-77-2907. Implementation and rules.
8 The Department of Human Services shall:
9 (1) Apply for any federal waiver, Medicaid state plan
10 amendments, or other authority necessary to implement this subchapter; and
11 (2) Adopt rules to implement this subchapter.
12
13 SECTION 4. Arkansas Code � 16-114-203(c), concerning the statute of
14 limitations, is amended to read as follows:
15 (c)(1) If Except as otherwise provided in this subsection, if an
16 individual is nine (9) years of age or younger at the time of the act,
17 omission, or failure complained of, the minor or person claiming on behalf of
18 the minor shall have until the later of the minor's eleventh birthday or two
19 (2) years from the act, omission, or failure in which to commence an action.
20 (2) However, if If no medical injury is known and could not
21 reasonably have been discovered prior to the minor's eleventh birthday, then
22 the minor or his or her representative shall have until two (2) years after
23 the medical injury is known or reasonably could have been discovered, or
24 until the minor's nineteenth birthday, whichever is earlier, in which to
25 commence an action.
26 (3) If an alleged medical injury occurred during childbirth, the
27 minor or his or her representative shall have until the minor's fifth
28 birthday to commence an action.
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4 02/06/2025 12:24:18 PM MBM133Every fact on this page links to its source, starting with the official bill record.