Building A Successful Program for Medi-Cal Coverage For Doula Care: Findings From A Survey of Doulas in California

The National Health Law Program’s Doula Medicaid Project seeks to improve health outcomes for pregnant Medicaid enrollees by ensuring that all pregnant individuals enrolled in Medicaid who want access to a doula will have one.

As part of this project, the National Health Law Program is proud to publish our report Building A Successful Program For Medi-Cal Coverage For Doula Care: Findings From A Survey of Doulas in California. This report is the distillation of a survey of doulas across California, as well as a series of focus groups held at four locations across the state. Based on the input of the doulas who responded to the survey and participated in the focus groups, the report concludes with a series of recommendations for how to go about creating an equitable, inclusive, and sustainable program for Medi-Cal coverage for doula care here in California.

As states across the country have moved to introduce legislation relating to Medicaid coverage for doula care, we want to make sure that any such efforts prioritize the input of doulas and their experience. We hope that this report provides doulas, advocates, agencies, and other stakeholders with the information and insight needed to expand access to doula care in an equitable, inclusive, and sustainable way, both in California and across the nation.