The WELLS Act (Women Expansion of Learning and Labor Safety Act) requires hospitals that participate in Medicare to create detailed discharge plans for pregnant patients who are showing signs of labor but are being sent home before delivery. Starting January 1, 2027, any hospital, critical access hospital, or rural emergency hospital must develop these plans as a condition of receiving Medicare payments.

These discharge plans must include several key pieces of information: a medical reason for why the patient is being discharged, how far the patient lives from the hospital and how long travel takes, confirmation that the patient has reliable transportation back to the hospital, identification of another hospital nearby where the patient can go for labor and delivery services, and verification that a nurse or social worker reviewed the plan. The hospital must discuss the plan with the patient before discharge and provide all information in the patient's primary language, with confirmation that the patient understands what's happening.

The bill also creates new training programs for healthcare workers in rural areas who handle pregnancy and childbirth care. It requires the federal government to track which hospitals are receiving these training grants, how many staff members are being trained, and whether the training is working by measuring patient outcomes and reducing racial disparities in maternal health. The government must report these findings to Congress starting in 2027.