Tech to Save Moms Act Funds Telehealth Pilot Programs, Mandates Study on Bias in Maternity Care Tech

The new Tech to Save Moms Act is basically a major push to use digital tools and telehealth to tackle the crisis in maternal health, especially in areas where care is hard to get. The bill starts by amending the Social Security Act to allow states to run Medicaid pilot programs that specifically use telehealth for screening, monitoring, and managing health issues for pregnant people. Crucially, this coverage extends for the entire pregnancy and up to one full year after the baby is born—a huge step toward continuous care. However, don’t expect this to start tomorrow; this change won’t take effect until one year after the Act becomes law.

The Digital Lifeline: Telehealth for New Parents

Think about what this means for a new parent living 45 minutes from the nearest clinic. Right now, a lot of follow-up care is missed because of the logistics of travel, childcare, and time off work. Under this bill, states can use federal funding to test out programs where a new mother could monitor her blood pressure or blood sugar at home using a connected device, with the results immediately shared with her provider via telehealth. This continuous monitoring, especially in the critical year after birth, could catch complications like postpartum depression or preeclampsia before they become emergencies. This is a direct benefit for people in rural or underserved areas who often face the worst maternal health outcomes. The bill is trying to make sure that geographical distance doesn't mean a gap in essential care.

Training the Caregivers, Fixing the System

Beyond direct patient care, the Act sets up two new, highly focused grant programs. The first, under Section 3, establishes grants to expand technology-enabled learning models. The goal here is to train healthcare providers and students on how to deliver safer, higher-quality care. A big part of this training must focus on implicit bias, racism, and discrimination in care, which are known drivers of poor maternal health outcomes for women of color. The funds also cover training on maternal mental health, substance use disorders, and how to screen for social factors (like housing or food insecurity) that affect health. This is a direct investment in fixing the systemic issues within the healthcare delivery system itself.

The Catch: High Stakes, Limited Winners

Here’s where things get interesting: both major grant programs (Section 3 for training and Section 4 for digital equity tools like early warning systems) are extremely limited. The Secretary of Health and Human Services can only award one grant under each section, and each grant lasts for five years. While this concentrates resources on a single, high-impact project for each goal, it also means that hundreds of eligible organizations across the country—who are already on the front lines of this crisis—will be competing for just two awards. This structure puts a lot of pressure on the selection process and means that the immediate, widespread impact might be limited to the geographic areas served by those two winning entities.

Checking the Tech for Bias

Finally, the Act recognizes that technology isn't automatically a cure-all. Section 5 mandates that the Secretary of HHS contract with the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine to conduct a major study. This study must look at how new technology and patient monitoring devices are being used in maternal care and, critically, whether they are accidentally creating or exacerbating racial or ethnic bias. This is a necessary piece of due diligence, ensuring that the push for digital solutions doesn't just automate existing inequities. The study will also look at best practices for protecting patient data, which is essential as more sensitive health information moves online.