AN ACT to require nc medicaid to cover doula services during pregnancy and the postpartum period and to provide funding for support services to the doula workforce.

The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:

SECTION 1.(a)  The Department of Health and Human Services, Division of Health Benefits (DHB), shall seek approval from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to implement Medicaid coverage of certain healthcare services provided by a doula. DHB shall develop the parameters of services to be covered, including updating applicable clinical coverage policies, developing appropriate reimbursement for covered services provided by a doula, and determining provider credentialing requirements for participation in the NC Medicaid program. In determining provider credentialing requirements, DHB shall consider education and experience in the following areas:

(1)        Basic newborn care.

(2)        Childbirth education.

(3)        Client self‑advocacy and empowerment techniques.

(4)        Common medical interventions, including risks, benefits, and decision making.

(5)        Coping strategies and nonmedical comfort measures during labor and birth.

(6)        Lactation support, education, and infant feeding.

(7)        Community resource referrals.

(8)        Cultural awareness and cross‑cultural communication.

SECTION 1.(b)  The coverage required by this section shall be implemented as soon as practicable upon approval by CMS. DHB shall report to the Joint Legislative Oversight Committee on Medicaid no later than March 1, 2026, regarding the details of the Medicaid coverage of healthcare services provided by a doula, the specific reimbursement for these services, and the estimated recurring cost to the State of providing this coverage.

SECTION 2.(a)  There is appropriated from the General Fund to the Department of Health and Human Services, Division of Health Benefits, the sum of one million dollars ($1,000,000) in recurring funds for each year of the 2025‑2027 fiscal biennium to implement the Medicaid‑related changes outlined in this act. These funds shall provide a State match for one million eight hundred twenty‑six thousand dollars ($1,826,000) in recurring federal funds for each year of the 2025‑2027 fiscal biennium, and those federal funds are appropriated to the Division of Health Benefits to pay for costs associated with the Medicaid‑related changes outlined in this act.

SECTION 2.(b)  There is appropriated from the General Fund to the Department of Health and Human Services, Division of Public Health, the sum of five hundred fifty thousand dollars ($550,000) in recurring funds for each year of the 2025‑2027 fiscal biennium to provide support services and technical assistance to the doula workforce.

SECTION 3.  Section 2 of this act is effective July 1, 2025. The remainder of this act is effective when it becomes law.