MassHealth officials are weighing whether to cover pregnancy and care by doulas.
Currently, the state's Medicaid and Children's Health Insurance Program
does not cover doula care. A proposed rule change would regulate and cover doulas as MassHealth providers.
Alli Rotenberg is a doula serving Berkshire County.
“It’s hard to find clientele that will pay you a fee that can make it so that you can provide for your family and live comfortably," Rotenberg said.
Rotenberg said her birth work could serve a wider population if insurance covered it.
Doula Karen Kurtigan has practiced in Franklin County for 12 years. Kurtigan said she s the proposed insurance expansion because it would take away the pay wall that keeps some potential clients away.
"It does become a challenge for families," Kurtigan said. "We don't want to put that barrier on them. It's no added stress for us to do that extra paperwork."
A public hearing on expanding MassHealth to cover doula services will be held Friday.
If approved, the earliest the regulation could take effect is October.
