What's happening
This bill requires health insurance policies in New York to cover doula services as part of mandatory maternity care coverage.
Why it matters
Addresses maternal health equity and outcomes. By requiring insurance plans to cover doula services, this bill aims to improve birth outcomes and address disparities, as research shows doula support can lead to lower rates of complications, cesarean deliveries, and better maternal and infant health, especially for marginalized communities.
Reduces financial barriers for expectant families. The inclusion of doula services as a covered benefit ensures that more individuals can access non-medical emotional and physical support during pregnancy and childbirth, which was previously often paid for out-of-pocket and thus unavailable to many.
Expands the scope of maternity care. The bill explicitly adds doulas to the list of professionals whose services must be covered alongside midwives and physicians, signaling a broader, more holistic approach to perinatal care that recognizes the value of continuous, non-clinical support.
May drive broader changes in maternity care standards. Mandating insurance coverage for doulas could encourage hospitals and birth centers to better integrate doulas into care teams, potentially setting a precedent for other states and influencing national maternity care policies.
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Who cares
Pregnant people with covered health insurance
The bill would add doula services to their required maternity care coverage.
Doulas
Their services would become a required maternity benefit under the policies and contracts covered by the bill.
Health insurers and health service corporations
They would have to include doula coverage in covered policies and contracts issued, renewed, modified, altered or amended starting 180 days after the bill becomes law.
Headline styles
Cover Doula Services Statewide
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
1 Co-sponsor
History
- Referred to insurance
Full text
2 pagesUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
10505
IN ASSEMBLY
May 1, 2018
Introduced by M. of A. SOLAGES -- read once and referred to the Committee on Insurance
AN ACT to amend the insurance law, in relation to requiring health insurance policies to include coverage for doula services as required coverage for maternity care
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. Item (i) of subparagraph (A) of paragraph 10 of subsection (i) of section 3216 of the insurance law, as amended by chapter 238 of the laws of 2010, is amended to read as follows:
(i) Every policy which provides hospital, surgical or medical coverage shall provide coverage for maternity care, including hospital, surgical or medical care to the same extent that hospital, surgical or medical coverage is provided for illness or disease under the policy. Such maternity care coverage, other than coverage for perinatal complications, shall include inpatient hospital coverage for mother and for newborn for at least forty-eight hours after childbirth for any delivery other than a caesarean section, and for at least ninety-six hours after a caesarean section. Such coverage for maternity care shall include the services of a doula and the services of a midwife licensed pursuant to article one hundred forty of the education law, practicing consistent with section sixty-nine hundred fifty-one of the education law and affiliated or practicing in conjunction with a facility licensed pursuant to article twenty-eight of the public health law, but no insurer shall be required to pay for duplicative routine services actually provided by both a licensed midwife and a physician.
§ 2. Item (i) of subparagraph (A) of paragraph 5 of subsection (k) of section 3221 of the insurance law, as amended by chapter 238 of the laws of 2010, is amended to read as follows:
(i) Every group or blanket policy delivered or issued for delivery in this state which provides hospital, surgical or medical coverage shall include coverage for maternity care, including hospital, surgical or medical care to the same extent that coverage is provided for illness or disease under the policy. Such maternity care coverage, other than
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD15553-01-8
A. 10505 2
coverage for perinatal complications, shall include inpatient hospital coverage for mother and newborn for at least forty-eight hours after childbirth for any delivery other than a caesarean section, and for at least ninety-six hours after a caesarean section. Such coverage for maternity care shall include the services of a doula and the services of a midwife licensed pursuant to article one hundred forty of the education law, practicing consistent with section sixty-nine hundred fiftyone of the education law and affiliated or practicing in conjunction with a facility licensed pursuant to article twenty-eight of the public health law, but no insurer shall be required to pay for duplicative routine services actually provided by both a licensed midwife and a physician.
§ 3. Subparagraph (A) of paragraph 1 of subsection (c) of section 4303 of the insurance law, as amended by chapter 238 of the laws of 2010, is amended to read as follows:
(A) Every contract issued by a corporation subject to the provisions of this article which provides hospital service, medical expense indemnity or both shall provide coverage for maternity care including hospital, surgical or medical care to the same extent that hospital service, medical expense indemnity or both are provided for illness or disease under the contract. Such maternity care coverage, other than coverage for perinatal complications, shall include inpatient hospital coverage for mother and for newborn for at least forty-eight hours after childbirth for any delivery other than a caesarean section, and for at least ninety-six hours following a caesarean section. Such coverage for maternity care shall include the services of a doula and the services of a midwife licensed pursuant to article one hundred forty of the education law, practicing consistent with section sixty-nine hundred fifty-one of the education law and affiliated or practicing in conjunction with a facility licensed pursuant to article twenty-eight of the public health law, but no insurer shall be required to pay for duplicative routine services actually provided by both a licensed midwife and a physician.
§ 4. This act shall take effect on the one hundred eightieth day after it shall have become a law and shall apply to all policies and contracts issued, renewed, modified, altered or amended on or after such date. Effective immediately the addition, amendment or repeal of any rule or regulation necessary for the implementation of this act on its effective date are authorized to be made on or before such date.
Reflowed for reading: line numbers and page breaks removed. Cite the official text.
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.