HB 1346: Georgia Maternal Mental Health Improvement Act; enact

HB 1346, called the Georgia Maternal Mental Health Improvement Act, addresses postpartum depression and other mood and anxiety disorders that can occur during and after pregnancy. It requires private health insurance policies issued or renewed in Georgia to cover medically necessary maternal mental health screenings from pregnancy through 12 months after birth, along with treatment for anything the screenings find, whether delivered in person or by telehealth. That insurance requirement applies to policies starting January 1, 2027. Separately, the bill adds a new Medicaid-related law setting out specific points, such as the first prenatal visit and the six week postpartum checkup, when doctors may screen pregnant and postpartum women for perinatal mood and anxiety disorders, and requires the Department of Community Health to track quality metrics, run a three-year pilot program for remote screening, and report yearly to legislative health committees from 2027 through 2029. The whole act only takes effect if the General Assembly specifically appropriates money for it in a future budget bill.

• Requires private health insurance plans in Georgia to cover medically necessary maternal mental health screenings from pregnancy through 12 months postpartum, plus treatment, starting January 1, 2027.
• Sets specific checkpoints, such as the first prenatal visit, 28 to 32 weeks gestation, and the six week postpartum visit, when doctors may screen women for perinatal mood and anxiety disorders.
• Directs the Department of Community Health to build a quality metrics program tracking screening rates, referral follow-through, and disparities by race, ethnicity, and geography.
• Creates a three-year pilot program for remote (telehealth) maternal mental health screening, prioritizing high-risk populations and rural communities, to start by January 1, 2027.
• Requires the department to report annually to legislative health committees from July 2027 through July 2029 on how the new screening rules are working.
• Makes the entire act contingent on the General Assembly separately appropriating money for it in a future budget bill.

Pregnant and postpartum women in Georgia and their families, private health insurers and the policies they issue, physicians and other licensed healthcare providers (including nurse practitioners, social workers, and counselors), the Department of Community Health, and rural or underserved communities targeted by the new pilot program.

If funded and enacted, more Georgia women would get routine screening and covered treatment for postpartum depression and anxiety, conditions linked to worse outcomes for mothers and children when left untreated. Insurance coverage and a rural telehealth pilot could expand access, particularly in areas with fewer mental health providers.

• Section 1 lists legislative findings on the prevalence and impact of untreated maternal mental health conditions, citing that one in five perinatal women experience mood or anxiety disorders.
• Section 3 adds O.C.G.A. § 33-1-28, requiring insurance coverage for maternal mental health screening and follow-up care, in person or via telehealth, for policies issued or renewed on or after January 1, 2027.
• Section 4 adds O.C.G.A. § 49-4-159.5, listing six specific points in pregnancy and after birth when screening for perinatal mood and anxiety disorders may occur, and allows patients to refuse screening unless found mentally incompetent.
• Section 4 also requires the Department of Community Health to build quality metrics covering process, outcomes, equity, and patient experience, and to launch a three-year remote screening pilot program by January 1, 2027.
• Section 4 requires annual reports to the Senate Health and Human Services Committee and House Health and Public Health Committees from July 2027 through July 2029.
• Section 5 makes the entire act's effective date, January 1, 2027, contingent on the General Assembly specifically appropriating funds for it.

1. 2026-02-26House Committee Favorably Reported By Substitute (House)
2. 2026-02-19House Second Readers (House)
3. 2026-02-18House First Readers (House)
4. 2026-02-17House Hopper (House)

• Anissa Jones (D, HD-143)Primary sponsor
• Carolyn Hugley (D, HD-141)
• Tangie Herring (D, HD-145)
• Todd Jones (R, HD-025)

• maternal mental health
• postpartum depression
• health insurance coverage
• Medicaid
• perinatal care