Bill Text: NY S08967 | 2021-2022 | 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 4-0)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2022-06-03 - COMMITTED TO RULES [S08967 Detail]

Download: New_York-2021-S08967-Introduced.html

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                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________

                                          8967

                    IN SENATE

                                       May 2, 2022
                                       ___________

        Introduced  by  Sen.  BROUK  -- 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;
    24    b. five representatives who may either be practicing doulas, or doulas
    25  in  training,  or  individuals  with  expertise  in  the  field of doula
    26  services;
    27    c. one representative serving maternal health needs;

         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD15633-01-2
        S. 8967                             2

     1    d. one representative from the medical insurance industry;
     2    e.  and  six additional members, three appointed on the recommendation
     3  of the temporary president of the senate; and  three  appointed  on  the
     4  recommendation of the speaker of the assembly.
     5    §  4.  The governor shall designate the commissioner of the department
     6  of health or his, her, or their designee, as chair of the board. Members
     7  of the work group shall receive no compensation for their services,  but
     8  shall  be reimbursed for actual expenses incurred during the performance
     9  of their duties on the work group. Reimbursement shall allow for histor-
    10  ically excluded communities to participate wholly in the performance  of
    11  their  duties  on  the work group by providing, if necessary, reimburse-
    12  ments for reasonable expenses incurred that  may  include,  but  not  be
    13  limited to, travel, meals and lodging.
    14    §  5.  Appointments  shall be made within ninety days of the effective
    15  date of this act. Vacancies in the work group shall  be  filled  in  the
    16  same  manner provided for original appointments. The appointee makeup of
    17  the work group shall be majority doulas, as well  as  multi-disciplinary
    18  experts in the field of doula services and maternal health who serve and
    19  are  representative of the racial, ethnic, geographic, and socioeconomic
    20  diversity of birthing people in communities across the state.
    21    § 6. The work group shall conduct a study and evaluation of the costs,
    22  benefits and issues that may be associated with  Medicaid  reimbursement
    23  for doulas and for providing doula care to Medicaid recipients. The work
    24  group shall consider factors including but not limited to:
    25    a.  identifying evidence-based practices related to when and how doula
    26  care results in improvements to maternal and infant mortality rates;
    27    b. identifying successful Medicaid doula programs and  initiatives  in
    28  other states and recommend programs, tools, and funding sources that are
    29  needed to implement similar programs and initiatives in New York state;
    30    c.  establishing  a  criteria  for  adequate  and  equitable  Medicaid
    31  reimbursement rates for a primary doula;
    32    d.  establishing  a  criteria  for  adequate  and  equitable  Medicaid
    33  reimbursement  for a substitute doula, in the event the primary doula is
    34  unavailable to provide doula services to Medicaid patients during deliv-
    35  ery;
    36    e. considering the appropriate quantity and selection  of  antepartum,
    37  intrapartum,   or  postpartum  doula  visits  to  qualify  for  Medicaid
    38  reimbursement;
    39    f. examining the need for doula liability coverage and insurance;
    40    g. considering the need for continuing education for doulas; and
    41    h. recommending the state file an amendment to the Medicaid state plan
    42  to include payment for doula services rendered for antepartum, intrapar-
    43  tum, or postpartum doula services provided to a birthing person or to  a
    44  person at a reasonable time postpartum for labor and delivery support by
    45  a doula.
    46    §  7.  The  work group, on or before December 31, 2022, shall submit a
    47  final report containing all findings and recommendations to  the  gover-
    48  nor,  the  temporary  president  of  the  senate, and the speaker of the
    49  assembly.
    50    § 8. This act shall take effect on the ninetieth day  after  it  shall
    51  have become a law.