2027 Substrate Maternity Resource Center

Global billing for maternity is ending.

Today, maternity care is largely billed using a "global" code. Beginning January 1, 2027, CPT revisions will allow care to be reported more granularly at the service level. January 1 is the CPT effective date, but each payer might choose to transition billing on their own timeline.

The 2027 Substrate Maternity Resource Center tracks which of your payers are moving off global maternity billing, so you can adapt proactively. For more background, see the AMA CPT 2027 maternity care services update.

161Tracked Payers
28confirmed 2027 guidance
41proposed but not final
16pending payer guidance
14awareness notice only
62policies unchanged

Current As Of September 2026

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State results include exact state records and clearly labeled national commercial guidance. National guidance does not confirm a state-plan, Medicaid, or Medicare Advantage policy.

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Confirmed 2027 guidance

Aetna

NATIONALTransition starts September 1, 2026

National commercial guidance — verify the member's plan applicability.

For Aetna commercial and Medicare members, the announced CPT framework replaces global maternity codes with service-level coding across antepartum, labor management, delivery and postpartum care beginning 2027-01-01; operational and claims-processing details remain forthcoming. For qualifying patients expected to deliver in 2027, bill preventive prenatal visits on or after 2026-09-01 with the applicable E/M code, modifier TH and pregnancy diagnosis code(s), subject to the stated visit-count rule.

Published
2026-09
Transition starts
September 1, 2026
Billing starts
January 1, 2027
Evidence checked
2026-08-28
Billing notes and scope

Scope: Aetna commercial and Medicare medical maternity services. This article does not establish applicability to Medicaid, dental, vision or separately identified affiliates and products.

Transition: For patients expected to deliver in 2027, preventive prenatal visits on or after 2026-09-01 should be billed with the applicable E/M code, TH and pregnancy diagnosis code(s) when three or fewer visits are provided before 2027-01-01. Once four prenatal visits have occurred in 2026, follow current antepartum coding guidelines. The article does not specify a preventive E/M code family.

Global billing: The article directs current antepartum coding once four prenatal visits occur in 2026; it does not grant blanket permission to continue global maternity billing. Global maternity codes are announced for retirement on 2027-01-01, with implementation details forthcoming.

For fully insured plans written in Texas, the maternity changes apply only if consistent with applicable regulatory requirements; other plans follow the article. Routine prenatal and postpartum office E&M visits are described as preventive with no member cost-share and require TH plus an appropriate diagnosis; TH alone does not establish preventive status. Non-routine visits should not use TH and should be billed for the medical reason for the encounter.

Frequently asked questions

What you need to know

Is global billing for maternity ending everywhere at once?

No. CPT revisions take effect January 1, 2027, but that is not each payer's billing date. Search tracked payers to see who published a transition date, whose guidance is still proposed, and whose policies are unchanged.

What is changing about maternity billing in 2027?

Today, maternity care is largely reported using a global code. Beginning January 1, 2027, CPT revisions will allow care to be reported more granularly at the service level. Whether and when a payer moves off global billing depends on that payer's own policy.

How do I see what’s changing by payer in my market?

Search the 2027 Substrate Maternity Resource Center by payer, then open the primary policy. Confirm the transition and billing dates, and recheck the source before submitting claims. This is policy intelligence, not coding or legal advice.

Can I download policies for multiple payers?

Yes. Select payer cards and download an offline source packet containing the policy summary plus links to the maternity policy and the payer policy homepage. The source documents remain on each payer's website.

Disclaimer

The information provided on this page is for general informational purposes only and does not constitute billing, coding, or reimbursement advice. Nothing on this page should be relied upon as a substitute for clinician assessment, professional billing guidance, or as a definitive statement of any payor's billing requirements or policies.

Payor agreements, fee schedules, and billing policies vary and are subject to change. Before submitting any claims related to maternity care services — including claims affected by the 2027 CPT code revisions — providers should consult the applicable payor agreements, coverage policies, and billing guidelines to confirm current requirements for their specific payor contracts.

Substrate makes no representation or warranty regarding the accuracy, completeness, or timeliness of the payor-specific information presented here. Providers are solely responsible for ensuring that all claims are submitted in accordance with applicable payor requirements, and Substrate assumes no liability for claim denials, underpayments, or other adverse outcomes arising from reliance on this information.