CMS Oks Medicaid Coverage for Doula Services

HAP-supported bill expanded coverage to vital service to improve maternal health care

May 04, 2026

CMS has approved Medicaid coverage for doula services, the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services announced last week.

The approval is retroactive to January 1, 2025 and stems from the passage of Act 115 of 2024. The HAP-supported bill:

• Ensured Medicaid coverage for doula services for beneficiaries during pregnancy, labor and delivery, and up to one year postpartum.
• Established the creation of the Doula Advisory Board to advise on best practices, doula participation in Medicaid, and racial and geographic disparities in the provision of maternal health services.

“Doulas extend the health care workforce into areas that may otherwise lack access to comprehensive maternity care,” HAP noted in a letter of support of the legislation. “Doulas complement the care provided by and collaborate with other members of the health care team—including obstetricians, midwives, nurses, lactation consultants, mental health professionals, and others—to coordinate comprehensive care for pregnant and postpartum patients and their families.”

HAP and Pennsylvania’s hospitals are dedicated to improving maternal health care across the commonwealth. See more in our Action Plan for Maternal Health.

The details of the CMS approval are in this Pennsylvania Bulletin.