Doula support is a proven strategy to improve the quality of maternity care – leading to better health outcomes and a more satisfying experience of care. But too many women still cannot afford doula support, despite its proven benefits.

Choices in Childbirth and Childbirth Connection, a program of the National Partnership for Women & Families, have been working together on a joint issue brief, “Overdue: Medicaid and Private Insurance Coverage of Doula Care.” The brief documents how widespread access to doula support would improve outcomes for women and babies, enhance women’s experience of care, and reduce the cost of care. Doula support is a high-value form of care that warrants widespread Medicaid and private insurance coverage and the brief identifies a variety of strategies to achieve this. These range from pregnant women and advocates making the case to individual insurance plans, to new pathways to obtain Medicaid coverage of doulas as non-licensed practitioners, to designation as a recommended preventive service by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, and asking Congress to act to ensure that doula care is a universally covered service under Medicaid.

Our Toolkit

Read our issue brief and take a look at our other resources to learn more about the issue.

Overdue: Medicaid and Private Insurance Coverage of Doula Care
Executive Summary (including our Key Recommendations)
Infographic, Overdue: Medicaid and Private Insurance of Doula Care
Press Release for Overdue: Medicaid & Private Insurance Coverage of Doula Care
Sample tweets and Facebook posts
Childbirth Connections’s Cochrane Review, “Continuous support for women during childbirth”