Sponsors (10)
The bill extends no-cost Medicaid coverage for doulas, midwives, tribal midwives, and lactation support—likely improving maternal outcomes and lowering out-of-pocket costs for many low-income and tribal beneficiaries—but implementation will be uneven across states, may strain state budgets, and could face short-term provider-supply and funding gaps.
Medicaid-covered pregnant people will receive no-cost coverage for prenatal, labor, postpartum, doula, midwifery, tribal-midwifery, and lactation-support services beginning Jan 1, 2027, increasing access to these services for low-income beneficiaries.
Pregnant people — particularly Black, Indigenous, and other birthing people of color — could experience fewer birth complications, lower rates of preterm and low-birth-weight babies, and reduced maternal morbidity and mortality if doula and midwifery care are expanded and used.
States' required Medicaid coverage for these services (including tribal midwives) and allowance for community-based care and telehealth can increase local availability of childbirth and breastfeeding supports, improving culturally congruent care in tribal and underserved areas.
Access will be uneven and potentially delayed across states because of the bill's state-level compliance window and allowance for state law to limit scope (e.g., telehealth or provider authorization), leaving some beneficiaries without timely or full access.
Expanding mandatory Medicaid benefits is likely to increase state Medicaid spending, creating budgetary pressure on states that could lead to trade-offs, offsets, or slower program rollouts.
Certification and training requirements (e.g., continuing education, specific WHO/UNICEF training hours) could limit the immediate supply of eligible doulas/midwives, slowing real-world access in rural and underserved areas.
Based on analysis of 3 sections of legislative text.
Makes Medicaid coverage mandatory for doula, midwife (including tribal midwives), and lactation support services for prenatal, labor, and postpartum care and bans cost-sharing.
Adds doulas, midwives (including tribal midwives), and lactation support providers to services Medicaid must cover for prenatal, labor, and postpartum care, including in-home, community, clinic, birth center, hospital, and telehealth settings as allowed by state law. Establishes minimum training/authorization standards for those providers, bars cost-sharing for the services, and makes coverage mandatory for Medicaid beginning January 1, 2027, with a standard state-law safe-harbor for implementation timing. The change inserts definitions and certification/recognition criteria into Medicaid law, requires states to include the new benefit in their state plans, and prohibits beneficiaries from being charged cost-sharing for these services. The law explicitly includes tribal midwives and provides pathways for states to recognize varied certification systems and minimal training for lactation providers consistent with WHO/UNICEF guidance.
Official title: To amend title XIX of the Social Security Act to provide coverage under the Medicaid program for services provided by doulas, midwives, and lactation support providers, and for other purposes.
Introduced July 15, 2026 by Gwendolynne S. Moore · Last progress July 15, 2026