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Vermont regulators back certification for community doulas, cite Medicaid coverage and potential cost savings
Summary
State Office of Professional Regulation told a Senate committee it supports S 53 to certify community-based doulas so they can be covered by Medicaid, while stakeholders raised questions about federal reimbursement rules and implementation details.
The Office of Professional Regulation told the Senate Health committee on Wednesday that it supports S 53, a bill to establish certification for community-based doulas in Vermont and to enable Medicaid coverage for certified doulas.
Jennifer Cohen, general counsel for the Office of Professional Regulation, told the committee that “OPR fully supports this bill” and that the office favors certification — a credential that requires proof of qualifications but is not a mandatory license for everyone who practices as a doula.
The testimony framed the proposal as a targeted regulatory approach intended to improve birth outcomes among marginalized communities while avoiding overregulation. Cohen and Lauren Hibbert, Deputy Secretary of State, said the Sunrise review conducted by OPR found evidence that doula support can reduce use of epidurals, cesarean deliveries and postpartum depression — outcomes that can lower both human and fiscal costs to Medicaid…
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