- House Minority Leader Sen. Escamilla has introduced a bill that would add doulas to the Utah Medicaid plan.
- Doulas offer physical and emotional support and advice to expecting parents.
- Supporters on both sides of the political aisle agree that adding doulas to the state Medicaid plan would reduce health care costs in the long run.
Utah Senate Minority Leader Luz Escamilla, D-Salt. Lake City, has championed children and health this legislative session — her initiatives ranging from universal school lunches to expanded child care facilities.
SB284, or “Medicaid Doula Services,” would add doula services to that docket. The bill went before the Senate Health and Human Services Committee last Thursday, where it passed unanimously.
Doulas provide information and support to parents before and after birth.
Adding doula services to health care
If SB284 is enacted, Utah would need to apply to amend the state Medicaid plan before Oct. 1, 2025, to cover doula services.
As described by the bill, covered doula services would include:
- Training and registration requirements for doulas paid by Medicaid.
- Non-medical advice and information provided by the doula.
- Emotional support provided by the doula.
- Physical comfort provided by the doula.
- Medicaid-covered payments during an individual’s pregnancy, childbirth and postpartum time.
This is not Escamilla’s first experience with doulas and Medicaid — in 2023 and 2024 she released similar bills, neither of which was approved by both the House and the Senate.
Escamilla pointed to House Republicans’ budget concerns as an impediment to the bill’s passage. The fiscal note on the bill says it will cost the state $240,200.
SB284 has grown increasingly popular over time, however, she said, with growing Republican support for the Democrat legislator’s initiative. This year a Senate committee composed primarily of Republicans passed the bill with no argument. It still faces votes by the full Senate and House.
Is hiring a doula cost-effective?
Per Doulas of Utah, which matches expecting parents with doulas, a Utah birth doula can cost anywhere between $1,200-$1,500.
Doulas are not necessarily replacements for midwives or hospitals; they do not offer medical care, like the latter do, but they offer emotional and physical support in addition to advice. Nevertheless, doulas can reduce the ultimate cost paid by expecting parents.
As Lara Salahi with the Association of Health Care Journalists shared, having a doula on hand reduces the likelihood of medical emergencies, thereby reducing the strain on Medicaid coverage.
“Women who received doula care had significantly improved outcomes compared to those who did not,” she said. “The benefits included reduced rates of Cesarean sections, lower rats of preterm births and fewer complications during childbirth.”
Adding doula care to Medicaid may, for Utah women, be especially be worth it. Utah’s fertility rate is the fourth highest in the nation, with an average of 1.92 births per woman, per research from the University of Utah.
“We are a family friendly state, and I think we should invest on practices that help women be more successful when raising their families and their children,” said Escamilla.
Correction: An earlier version of this story said doulas aren’t trained. Most doulas do receive formal training.