MassLive: MassHealth to cover doula services for pregnant, birthing, postpartum people

By Alvin Buyinza

Originally published in MassLive

MassHealth, Massachusetts’ Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program, will offer doula services for pregnant, birthing and postpartum people next spring.

Doulas offer emotional, mental and physical support to people during and after pregnancy. Studies have shown that pregnant people who have access to doula services are less likely to suffer from birthing complications than those without doulas.

Doulas can also help reduce racial disparities and inequalities that families with low incomes and families of color suffer from, according to the governor’s office.

“Making doula care accessible to MassHealth members is an important part of our efforts to improve maternal health and advance health equity in Massachusetts,” Secretary of Health and Human Services Kate Walsh said in a statement. “Findings from the Department of Public Health’s Review of Maternal Health Services earlier this year and from the Special Commission on Racial Inequities in Maternal Health in 2022 point to doula care as an important means of improving maternal and infant health outcomes, especially for people of color.”

MassHealth’s doula coverage will include labor and delivery support and visits during pregnancy and the postpartum period, according to the governor’s office.

If doulas apply to enroll as a MassHealth provider, they can earn payment for serving MassHealth members, the governor’s office said.

“Affordable and equitable doula care can be an essential tool to reduce racial health disparities and combat the Black maternal morbidity crisis,” Rebecca Hart Holder, president of Reproductive Equity Now, a Boston nonprofit that advocates for equitable reproductive services, said in a statement. “But often, insurmountable costs pose a major barrier to accessing doula care for many birthing people who may benefit the most. That’s why we’re thrilled that Massachusetts is taking steps to remove cost barriers and expand access to doula care for MassHealth members by making it possible for doulas to now enroll as MassHealth providers. We now must continue to invest in doula workforce development to ensure doula care is available to all who want it.”