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House committee pauses doula reimbursement bill after hours of testimony and questions over verification, fees
Summary
House Bill 295, which would create a verification process for doulas and pave a path toward insurance reimbursement, was rolled one week after testimony from doulas and questions about certification, verification, fees and program details.
Lawmakers on the Tennessee House Insurance Committee paused consideration of House Bill 295 on March 19 after more than an hour of public testimony and extended questioning about how a proposed verification process would work and whether it would be mandatory for doulas who do not seek insurance reimbursement.
Representative Love, sponsor of HB 295, told the committee the measure builds on a prior law that created a Doula Services Advisory Committee and would establish a verification process for doulas who choose to be reimbursed by insurance. "The committee recommends that doulas who do not choose to work with TennCare or other health insurance plans are not required to go through the verification process," he read from the advisory committee report and told members that a waiver could be created for fees in cases of economic hardship.
Three witnesses testified. Angela Williams, identifying herself as a Nashville resident and public health advocate, urged the committee to give the bill full and fair consideration and said doula care "saves lives and reduces health care costs." Rebecca Porter, president of the Tennessee Doulas Association and a doula for 30 years, said doulas support verification but raised concerns that a state-run board and associated fees would impose financial barriers. "We do believe in equitable access to doula care," Porter told the committee, but she said many doulas operate on low incomes and a $400 state verification fee — mentioned in committee discussion as an assumed figure — could discourage participation.
Porter described existing certification pathways and said other states have used third-party verification models or limited lists of accepted programs (for example, TRICARE’s approach) rather than a state board. She said doulas currently can be reimbursed by some payers without a state board, citing her own experience being recognized by TRICARE through a portal.
Angela Mitchell Hill, a perinatal patient navigator and doula, urged alignment between policy and practice and said doulas deserve policies that help them earn livable wages while expanding access.
Committee members asked for clarity on whether verification would be mandatory for doulas generally or only for those seeking TennCare reimbursement, who would fund a state board and how fee waivers or vouchers would be administered. Representative Love and other members cited an advisory committee report adopted by that committee and said the report language supports a dual path: verification for those seeking insurer reimbursement and continued practice for others who choose not to verify.
After extended questioning and concerns about members not yet having the full advisory report in hand, Representative Hale moved to roll the bill one week. The committee approved the motion and postponed further action on HB 295 for one week to allow time for review and clarification.
