South Dakota Medicaid to reimburse doula services starting Jan 1

South Dakota Medicaid will soon cover birth and postpartum doula services. Doulas can support families as part of a broader healthcare team during pregnancy and through the year following birth.

South Dakota Medicaid will directly reimburse doulas as Type 1 healthcare providers starting in the new year. Kelsie Thomas is board president for South Dakota Doulas, the nonprofit that worked with the state Department of Social Services to add this new coverage. She said doula services can include gathering personalized resources for families, patient advocacy and home-visits after birth.

“The doula role is special in this sense that it’s hired by families as an advocate, as a resource position, as a voice for you in the process,” Thomas said.

The most recent Medicaid Report from the state Department of Social Services notes around 40% of South Dakota children rely on Medicaid or the Children’s Health Insurance Program in their first year of life. Thomas hopes partnering with the state Medicaid program will make doula services more accessible, thereby improving postpartum outcomes.

“We haven’t had that kind of financial support, and families have had to make room for that,” Thomas said. “Now being able to have that, add that insurance—which is trending nationwide. Insurance is covering birth and postpartum work just due to the impact we’re seeing and statistics for labor and birth and the proactive measures that it’s creating in lives.”

Various studies suggest doulas can help improve birth experiences for mothers and reduce the likelihood of postpartum depression, among other potential benefits.

Thomas said doulas are not a replacement for the clinical care provided by obstetricians or midwives, but instead serve as part of a pregnancy care team.

South Dakota Medicaid coverage of doula services begins January 1.