North Dakota hearing on postpartum doula certification and Medicaid coverage highlights training, cost and program questions

House Human Services Committee opened a hearing on House Bill 14-64, which would create a postpartum doula certification process and add postpartum doula services to Medicaid coverage in North Dakota. Representative Gretchen Dobrevitch (D-11, Fargo), sponsor of the bill, told the committee it “recognizes the critical role doulas play in supporting parents and newborns during the postpartum period, the first 6 months after birth.”

The bill would require certification through Doulas of North America or another reputable doula organization determined by the North Dakota Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) by administrative rule, and would add postpartum doula services to medical assistance benefits. Representative Dobrevitch said the fiscal note estimates $280,800 for the…