PREGNANCY & FAMILY CARE ACT

HB 424, the "Pregnancy and Family Care Act," requires health care providers to screen pregnant patients for substance use disorder during initial visits (with consent) and develop voluntary "family care plans" addressing treatment, mental health, parenting, and child development needs. It mandates hospitals and birthing centers to provide postpartum patients with information about family care plans and establishes a new state system for reporting substance-exposed infant births (using anonymized data like zip code and substance type), separate from child abuse reporting. The bill prohibits health care providers from billing patients for substance use treatment covered by insurance and ensures pregnant/postpartum patients receive priority for treatment, including those in correctional facilities. It directly affects pregnant patients with substance use disorders, health care providers, hospitals, and the Department of Health, which must create training materials and advisory councils to implement the law.