Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Maternal And Child Health topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Committee hears support for SB1568 to update doula and lactation coverage and establish Oregon Perinatal Collaborative
Summary
Witnesses, insurers and community groups strongly supported Senate Bill 1568, which would refine doula and lactation counselor coverage in Medicaid and private plans, establish the Oregon Perinatal Collaborative in statute, and delay implementation to 2028 for rulemaking; a dash-A3 technical amendment is available and will be considered on Thursday.
Senate Bill 1568 drew broad support from public-health advocates, insurers and community groups at a public hearing of the House Committee on Health Care.
Senator Lisa Reynolds, who carried the measure to the committee, said the bill continues maternal-child health work started in 2025 and makes technical changes while delaying implementation to 2028 to allow time for rulemaking after Oregon Health Authority hiring freezes. "This has been informed by stakeholders and acknowledging delays resulting from OHA's freezes," she told the committee.
Dana Hepner of the Children's Institute described the bill's practical changes: it updates doula requirements to create birth and postpartum doula types, shifts lactation counselor credentialing to the Traditional Health Worker Commission, clarifies benefit requirements, and makes technical fixes so currently operating providers can access the perinatal access fund. Hepner said the dash‑A3 amendment (on OLIS) corrects statutory references and removes duplicated text; the presenters urged the committee to adopt the amendment on Thursday.
Supporters included Mary Ann Cooper of Regence Blue Cross Blue Shield of Oregon, who said insurers who implemented the doula benefit during prior implementation learned lessons that SB1568 addresses; Roberta Suzette Hunt of Black Futures for Perinatal Health commended the amendment's inclusive drafting; and Silke Akerson, executive director of the Oregon Perinatal Collaborative, asked the committee to statutorily establish the Collaborative to enable full functionality for work touching roughly 39,000 births per year in Oregon.
Committee members asked about a letter from the National Lactation Consultant Alliance and whether concerns were resolved; panelists acknowledged the letter exists and said core stakeholders agree that lactation counselors are nonclinical, community‑education roles that should not undertake clinical lactation interventions. The chair closed the public hearing and scheduled the bill for work and possible amendment adoption on Thursday.
