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Senate Finance committee gives due pass to doula credentialing bill to expand Medicaid access
Summary
House Bill 214, which creates a voluntary doula credentialing process and allows credentialed doulas to bill Medicaid, received a do-pass recommendation from the Senate Finance Committee after testimony from doula organizations, health departments and early-childhood advocates.
The Senate Finance Committee voted Oct. 12, 2025 to give House Bill 214 a do-pass recommendation. The bill would establish a voluntary doula credentialing process at the Department of Health, create a doula-advisory council, require hospitals and freestanding birth centers to develop policies allowing doulas to accompany patients in specified settings, and create a doula fund to support the credentialing infrastructure.
Committee presenters explained that credentialing would be voluntary; doulas who are not credentialed could continue to practice but would not be able to bill Medicaid. The committee heard that Medicaid covered roughly 70 percent of births in the state and that credentialing plus prior-year Medicaid funding for doula services would expand access for historically underserved families.
Supporters who testified at the hearing included Melissa Marie Lopez Sullivan, executive director of the New Mexico Doula Association; Jennifer Raphael Getz, executive director of the New Mexico Commission on the Status of Women; and representatives from Tewa Women United and the Early Childhood Education and Care Department (ECCD). Testimony emphasized maternal and infant health benefits, cultural congruence of community-based doulas, workforce development and cost effectiveness.
The Department of Health will administer the credentialing program and staff said the FY26 operating budget included $600,000 for administration in the current House Bill. The bill also creates a doula fund should other public or private contributions be made to support training, mentorship or implementation.
Senator DeMason moved a do-pass recommendation; the motion was seconded on the floor. The committee recorded an affirmative do-pass recommendation. Staff will prepare amendment language and the bill will advance for further consideration.
Direct quotes in this article are drawn from testimony and the committee record.
