ERIE COUNTY, N.Y. - New York state's health department is launching a pilot program expanding Medicaid coverage to doula services in an effort to reduce childbirth complications for women and babies.
The pilot will launch in March in Erie County and parts of Brooklyn. This month, health officials will launch training and education efforts. The clinical side of things, such as check ups and exams, would still be done by an obstetrician or a midwife.
Doulas are non-medical birth coaches who assist women before, during and after childbirth with emotional, physical, and informational support.
2 On Your Side spoke with Shannon Johns, a certified doula in Buffalo, "[Doulas] keep [pregnant women] grounded and centered, and keep motivating them to know that they are doing exactly what they're supposed to be doing during labor to help bring that baby into this world in the brightest light possible."
Data shows a doula's involvement in the pregnancy and delivery process relates to positive health outcomes for both mother and baby.
"Some of the benefits of utilizing a doula is a lower rate of c-sections," Johns. "They don't feel as much pain when they have a doula present. Labor is shortened when they have a doula present. They have less need to request medication or pain medication during labor."
Erie County and Brooklyn were chosen for the pilot program because they have the state's highest number of Medicaid births and maternal and infant mortality rates.
"Specifically for the African American population, it's three times higher," adds Johns.
The doula project is part of Gov. Andrew Cuomo's initiative to reduce maternal mortality and reduce racial disparities in childbirth outcomes.
Shannon Johns owns Calming Nature Birth Doula Center and she says the non-profit arm of her company already offers doula services, on a scholarship basis, to those who can't afford it.
Her company works hand in hand with Buffalo Midwifery Services. BMS owner and certified nurse midwife, Eileen Stewart, tells 2 On Your Side the announcement of this new pilot program is happening at an opportune time. They are now launching a program called "Full Term" which also hopes to break down the racial disparities in prenatal, delivery, and postpartum care. They have open houses at their location at 289 Summer Street, from 2 - 4 p.m., the first Sunday of each month.
"This program and midwifery is designed to help women achieve that," said Stewart, "not to take the control from [pregnant women], but to help empower them to seek the behaviors and the lifestyles that are going to really help...both with healthy pregnancy a full term baby, but also to go into motherhood confident and strong."
Johns says hiring a doula can cost anywhere from $500 to upwards of $1200, "It depends on the experience of the doula. It also depends on the actual organization of that doula. Everyone sets their own prices."
Medicaid eligible pregnant women in "fee for service" or "Medicaid Managed Care," who live in Erie County, are eligible to participate.
Medicaid will begin accept applications on December 1, and New York State will launch the Medicaid Doula Pilot on March 1st.
Services covered by the pilot program:
- Up to and including 3 prenatal visits
- Support during labor and delivery
- Up to and including 4 postpartum visits
The total reimbursement for 7 visits plus labor and delivery is $510.
On November 29, Medicaid's Provider Enrollment team will conduct a webinar to assist doulas with the enrollment process. In order to participate, they must be enrolled as a provider in the NYS Medicaid program.
The plan to to survey the mothers and doulas postpartum to determine whether or not to expand the program to the rest of the state.