Committee reviews S.53 to certify community-based perinatal doulas and enable Medicaid reimbursement

The Government Operations & Military Affairs committee on Tuesday heard testimony on S.53, a bill to create a voluntary certification for community-based perinatal doulas and to require the Department of Vermont Health Access (DVHA) to reimburse certified doulas under Medicaid once any needed federal State Plan Amendment (SPA) is approved.

The bill matters because supporters say certified community-based doulas provide culturally competent, nonmedical support that improves maternal outcomes for under-resourced and marginalized birthing people and because roughly 38 percent of Vermont births are covered by Medicaid, a committee witness said.

Jen Harvey of the Office of Legislative Counsel introduced the draft language and told the panel the bill creates a new chapter for “community-based perinatal doulas,” defines the scope of the perinatal period and sets a certification pathway that is voluntary but required for Medicaid reimbursement. Harvey said perinatal means “the period of time encompassing pregnancy, childbirth, and up to 1 year postpartum.”

Jen Colon, general counsel for the Office of Professional Regulation (OPR), which performed a sunrise review last session, described why OPR recommended…