Bill Text: NY A10333 | 2021-2022 | General Assembly | Introduced
Bill Title: Requires the department of health to establish and maintain the New York state community doula directory for doulas on such department's website for the purposes of Medicaid reimbursement and promoting doula services to Medicaid recipients; establishes criteria for admittance into the New York state community doula directory; makes related provisions.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2022-05-13 - referred to health [A10333 Detail]
Download: New_York-2021-A10333-Introduced.html
STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 10333 IN ASSEMBLY May 13, 2022 ___________ Introduced by COMMITTEE ON RULES -- (at request of M. of A. Solages) -- read once and referred to the Committee on Health AN ACT to amend the public health law, in relation to establishing the New York state community doula directory for doulas serving Medicaid patients The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem- bly, do enact as follows: 1 Section 1. Legislative findings and declarations. The legislature 2 hereby finds and declares that poor maternal and infant health outcomes 3 and disparities are a public health crisis that pose a threat to the 4 health, welfare, and quality of life of child bearing people, infants 5 and their families. The legislature acknowledges the imbalances of how 6 doula care is treated in different communities. Between the rising costs 7 of reproductive care, the absence of a federal doula Medicaid framework, 8 and the existing barriers to equitable prenatal, intranatal, and post- 9 partum care services, the legislature hereby finds the importance in 10 establishing a community doula directory to increase access to care. 11 Having doula services in an accessible and centralized location that is 12 open to the public without an economic barrier, will help connect birth- 13 ing persons with the doula care services they need. 14 § 2. Article 25 of the public health law is amended by adding a new 15 title 6-A to read as follows: 16 TITLE VI-A 17 DOULAS FOR MEDICAID 18 Section 2594-a. Definitions. 19 2594-b. New York state community doula directory. 20 2594-c. Criteria for admittance into the New York state communi- 21 ty doula directory. 22 § 2594-a. Definitions. 1. For the purposes of this title, "doula" 23 means a trained person who provides continuous physical, emotional, and 24 informational support to a pregnant person and the family of such preg- 25 nant person before, during or a reasonable time after childbirth. EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [] is old law to be omitted. LBD15634-02-2A. 10333 2 1 2. A doula may provide services in hospitals, birthing centers, at 2 home deliveries and other community settings. 3 § 2594-b. New York state community doula directory. 1. The department 4 shall establish and maintain a community doula directory for doulas on 5 the department's internet website for the purposes of Medicaid 6 reimbursement and promoting doula services to Medicaid recipients. 7 2. The directory shall include the following information concerning 8 doulas such as: 9 (a) the name of the doula who provides doula services; 10 (b) the address and location of where the doula provides doula 11 services; 12 (c) the name of each Medicaid provider that employs or contracts with 13 a doula to provide doula services to eligible Medicaid recipients; 14 (d) the doula's national provider identification number; and 15 (e) all documentation of criteria pursuant to section twenty-five 16 hundred ninety-four-c of this title. 17 3. The department shall determine the method of registration and the 18 documentation required to verify such criteria has been met. 19 4. Each doula shall be responsible for completing the requirements 20 pursuant to section twenty-five hundred ninety-four-c of this title. 21 5. The department shall not impose any fee on any doula to register 22 for admittance into the New York state community doula directory. 23 6. The community doula directory shall be publicly accessible at no 24 cost to the doula or birthing person looking to hire a doula in their 25 community. 26 § 2594-c. Criteria for admittance into the New York state community 27 doula directory. 1. Each doula seeking Medicaid reimbursement shall 28 apply to be registered in the New York state community doula directory. 29 2. A doula shall submit to the department a certified copy of such 30 doula's certification from a doula educational organization or by demon- 31 stration of satisfactory proficiency pursuant to this section, and his, 32 her, or their full name, address, phone number, email address, and 33 national provider identification number. 34 3. In lieu of certification, a doula shall submit proof of the follow- 35 ing to the department attesting that such doula has: 36 (a) Attended at least twenty-four contact hours of education that 37 includes any combination of childbirth education, birth doula training, 38 antepartum doula training, and postpartum doula training; 39 (b) Attended at least one breastfeeding class; 40 (c) Attended at least two childbirth classes; 41 (d) Attended at least two live childbirths; 42 (e) Completed cultural competency training; 43 (f) Completed a doula proficiency exam; and 44 (g) Completed training pursuant to the Health Insurance Portability 45 and Accountability Act or client confidentiality training. 46 § 3. This act shall take effect six months after it shall have become 47 a law.