Bill Text: NY S01876 | 2023-2024 | General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: Establishes a 14 member doula Medicaid reimbursement work group within the department of health to set reimbursement rates for doulas in the state Medicaid program and address other criteria related to their practice; requires the work group to conduct a study and evaluate the costs, benefits and issues that may be associated with Medicaid reimbursement for doulas and for providing doula care to Medicaid recipients; makes related provisions.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 5-0)

Status: (Introduced) 2024-01-03 - REFERRED TO HEALTH [S01876 Detail]

Download: New_York-2023-S01876-Introduced.html

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                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________

                                          1876

                               2023-2024 Regular Sessions

                    IN SENATE

                                    January 17, 2023
                                       ___________

        Introduced  by  Sens.  BROUK,  CLEARE,  KENNEDY, RAMOS -- read twice and
          ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee  on
          Health

        AN  ACT  to establish a work group to set reimbursement rates for doulas
          in the state Medicaid program and address other  criteria  related  to
          their practice

          The  People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-
        bly, do enact as follows:

     1    Section 1. The legislature  acknowledges  the  excluded  history  that
     2  healthcare  workers  and doulas have as members of historically excluded
     3  communities, and acknowledges the exclusionary forces these  professions
     4  have  had  in  gaining  the  recognition,  certification,  and equitable
     5  compensation for the  critical  work  they  do  in  pregnancy,  maternal
     6  health,  maternal mental health, and childcare. The legislature declares
     7  that it is the purpose of this work group to examine and  recommend  the
     8  best  practices  for  integrating  doulas into New York state's Medicaid
     9  healthcare system and ensuring  the  state  is  prepared  and  ready  to
    10  elevate  the  critical  work doulas perform across historically excluded
    11  communities across the state of New York.
    12    § 2. There is hereby established in  the  department  of  health,  the
    13  doula  Medicaid reimbursement work group, hereinafter referred to as the
    14  "work group." The majority of the members of the  work  group  shall  be
    15  composed  of  doulas, as well as multi-disciplinary experts in the field
    16  of doula services and maternal health who serve and  are  representative
    17  of  the racial, ethnic, geographic and socioeconomic diversity of birth-
    18  ing people in communities across the state served by the  state's  Medi-
    19  caid program.
    20    § 3. The work group shall be composed of fourteen members, which shall
    21  include eight members to be appointed by the governor as follows:
    22    a.  the commissioner of the department of health or his, her, or their
    23  designee;

         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD04570-01-3
        S. 1876                             2

     1    b. five representatives who may either be practicing doulas, or doulas
     2  in training, or  individuals  with  expertise  in  the  field  of  doula
     3  services;
     4    c. one representative serving maternal health needs;
     5    d. one representative from the medical insurance industry;
     6    e.  and  six additional members, three appointed on the recommendation
     7  of the temporary president of the senate; and  three  appointed  on  the
     8  recommendation of the speaker of the assembly.
     9    §  4.  The governor shall designate the commissioner of the department
    10  of health or his, her, or their designee, as chair of the board. Members
    11  of the work group shall receive no compensation for their services,  but
    12  shall  be reimbursed for actual expenses incurred during the performance
    13  of their duties on the work group. Reimbursement shall allow for histor-
    14  ically excluded communities to participate wholly in the performance  of
    15  their  duties  on  the work group by providing, if necessary, reimburse-
    16  ments for reasonable expenses incurred that  may  include,  but  not  be
    17  limited to, travel, meals and lodging.
    18    §  5.  Appointments  shall be made within ninety days of the effective
    19  date of this act. Vacancies in the work group shall  be  filled  in  the
    20  same  manner provided for original appointments. The appointee makeup of
    21  the work group shall be majority doulas, as well  as  multi-disciplinary
    22  experts in the field of doula services and maternal health who serve and
    23  are  representative of the racial, ethnic, geographic, and socioeconomic
    24  diversity of birthing people in communities across the state.
    25    § 6. The work group shall conduct a study and evaluation of the costs,
    26  benefits and issues that may be associated with  Medicaid  reimbursement
    27  for doulas and for providing doula care to Medicaid recipients. The work
    28  group shall consider factors including but not limited to:
    29    a.  identifying evidence-based practices related to when and how doula
    30  care results in improvements to maternal and infant mortality rates;
    31    b. identifying successful Medicaid doula programs and  initiatives  in
    32  other states and recommend programs, tools, and funding sources that are
    33  needed to implement similar programs and initiatives in New York state;
    34    c.  establishing  a  criteria  for  adequate  and  equitable  Medicaid
    35  reimbursement rates for a primary doula;
    36    d.  establishing  a  criteria  for  adequate  and  equitable  Medicaid
    37  reimbursement  for a substitute doula, in the event the primary doula is
    38  unavailable to provide doula services to Medicaid patients during deliv-
    39  ery;
    40    e. considering the appropriate quantity and selection  of  antepartum,
    41  intrapartum,   or  postpartum  doula  visits  to  qualify  for  Medicaid
    42  reimbursement;
    43    f. examining the need for doula liability coverage and insurance;
    44    g. considering the need for continuing education for doulas; and
    45    h. recommending the state file an amendment to the Medicaid state plan
    46  to include payment for doula services rendered for antepartum, intrapar-
    47  tum, or postpartum doula services provided to a birthing person or to  a
    48  person at a reasonable time postpartum for labor and delivery support by
    49  a doula.
    50    §  7.  The  work group, on or before December 31, 2023, shall submit a
    51  final report containing all findings and recommendations to  the  gover-
    52  nor,  the  temporary  president  of  the  senate, and the speaker of the
    53  assembly.
    54    § 8. This act shall take effect on the ninetieth day  after  it  shall
    55  have become a law.