What's happening
This bill requires New York health insurance policies to cover doula services as part of maternity care.
Why it matters
Expands access to doula care. , which has been linked to improved birth outcomes, reduced rates of C-sections, and higher satisfaction among birthing individuals—potentially helping to address disparities in maternal and infant health, especially among marginalized communities.
Mandates insurance coverage across all major policy types. (individual, group, and nonprofit health plans), ensuring that doula services are not an out-of-pocket luxury but a standard part of maternity care for more New Yorkers.
Clarifies that insurers are not required to pay for duplicate routine services. if provided by both a midwife and a physician, which aims to prevent unnecessary costs while still encouraging collaborative care.
Establishes a uniform implementation timeline. , requiring all affected insurance policies to include doula coverage within 180 days, likely leading to a rapid increase in demand for and availability of doula services statewide.
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Who cares
Health insurers
The bill would require covered policies and contracts to include doula services as part of maternity care coverage.
Doulas
Their services would become a required maternity benefit under the insurance policies and contracts covered by the bill.
Pregnant policyholders
Those covered by affected policies and contracts would gain insurance coverage for doula services.
Headline styles
Cover Doulas in Health Insurance
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
1 Co-sponsor
History
- Referred to insurance
- Referred to insurance
Full text
2 pagesUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
2344
2019-2020 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY
January 22, 2019
Introduced by M. of A. SOLAGES, THIELE -- 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
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD05348-01-9
A. 2344 2
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 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 and completed on or before such date.
Reflowed for reading: line numbers and page breaks removed. Cite the official text.
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