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​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​Doula Services as a Medi-Cal Benefit

​The Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) has added doula services to the list​​​​​​​​ of preventive services covered under the Medi-Cal program. Doula services include personal support to women and families throughout a woman's pregnancy, childbirth, and postpartum experience. This includes emotional and physical support, provided during pregnancy, labor, birth, and the postpartum period. Pur​su​ant to federal regulations, doula services must be recommended by a physician or other licensed practitioner. 

DHCS added doula services as a covered benefit on January 1, 2023. DHCS submitted State Plan Amendment (SPA) 22-0002 to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and received federal approval for SPA 22-0002​ on January 26, 2023. DHCS published the Medi-Cal Provider Manual for doula services on December 16, 2022. 

Doula services will be available in fee-for-service Medi-Cal and through Medi-Cal managed care plans. Beneficiaries in a Medi-Cal managed care plan will receive doula services from their plan.

Updates to the Provider Application and Validation for Enrollment (PAVE) portal​ have been completed ahead of schedule, and doulas may now access PAVE and submit their Medi-Cal Fee-For-Service enrollment application. Doulas interested in providing services to beneficiaries in managed care plans will also need to submit an application in PAVE and contract with a managed care plan. Please see the Doula Application Information webpage​ for more information. ​

Senate Bill 65 Doula Implementation Workgroup

DHCS will convene a new doula stakeholder workgroup to review the Department's implementation of the doula benefit. The Doula Implementation Workgroup is required by Senate Bill (SB) 65, which added section 14132.24 to the Welfare and Institutions Code (WIC). DHCS is looking to recruit a diverse set of stakeholders who can meaningfully contribute to the discussion by providing input on the following:

  • Ensuring that doula services are available to Medi-Cal beneficiaries who are eligible for and want doula services.
  • Minimizing barriers and delays in payments to a Medi-Cal doula or in reimbursement to Medi-Cal recipients for doula services received.
  • Making recommendations for outreach efforts so that all Medi-Cal recipients within the eligible and other target populations are aware of the option to use doula services.

Workgroup recommendations will also help inform a report to the Legislature to reduce any identified barriers, as required by WIC section 14132.24(c).

DHCS sent applications for the workgroup to current doula stakeholders and informed interested parties through a stakeholder update. 

​Workgroup membership is limited to ensure a productive discussion environment. DHCS notified all applicants on January 13, 2023, of workgroup participants. We anticipate that each meeting will last between one and two hours and that the group will meet every two to three months in 2023 and 2024. The first meeting of the new group will be from 12:00 to 2:00 p.m. on Thursday, March 30.

Stakeholders who were not selected to the workgroup will still have the opportunity to listen to meetings as attendees, comment using the chat function during meetings, and submit written comments. DHCS will review all comments submitted.​

Stakeholders may send written comments via email to DoulaBenefit@dhcs.ca.gov. 

DHCS will also engage with stakeholders to make recommendations on outreach efforts to notify Medi-Cal beneficiaries about doula services, among other topics. ​

Stakeholder Meetings

​​Future Stakeholder Meetings*

  • ​March 30, 2023, 12:00 to 2:00 p.m.​

*meetings are subject to change ​​

Resources: ​​

Contact Us

For questions regarding the doula services benefit, please contact DoulaBenefit@dhcs.ca.gov.

Last modified date: 3/20/2023 11:40 AM