Signed by Governor Tina Kotek

Vote Smart's Synopsis:

Vote to pass a bill that requires health insurance plans that cover pregnancy and childbirth expenses to cover doula services in Oregon.

Highlights:

• Specifies that “community-based services during the perinatal period” includes but is not limited to services provided by a doula, lactation counselor, or lactation educator (Sec. 1).

• Requires the Oregon Health Authority to establish a community-based perinatal services access program to increase access to culturally specific and competent community-based services during the perinatal period (Sec. 1).

• Requires the Oregon Health Authority to issue grants to eligible entities under the program which may be used for the following purposes (Sec. 1):

• Paying for costs of required training and education to provide community-based services during the perinatal period;

• Providing wages and benefits for individuals who are training to provide such services;

• Outreach and recruitment to attract individuals to training programs to provide such services; and

• Funding for culturally specific organizations and programs to provide or expand their ability to provide such services.

• Specifies that grantees under this Section may use the grant to provide funding to partner entities for purposes of the program (Sec. 1).

• Specifies that the Oregon Health Authority may administer the program directly or contract with a third party to administer the program (Sec. 1).

• Establishes the Community-Based Perinatal Services Access Fund in the State Treasury (Sec. 2).

• Defines “doula” as a trained professional who provides continuous physical, emotional, and informational support to an individual during pregnancy, labor, and delivery or the postpartum period (Sec. 3-4).

• Requires the Oregon Health Authority to include access to doula services, lactation counselors, and lactation educators in the care provided to medical assistance recipients, and specifies that these services must be provided by a member of the community of the recipient or someone who has received cultural competency training (Sec. 7).

• Requires the Authority to bi-annually review and revise reimbursement rates for lactation counselors and lactation educators to ensure that a career as such is financially sustainable (Sec. 8).

• Requires the Authority to bi-annually report on the status of doulas in Oregon, including the following information (Sec. 10):

• The number of claims for reimbursement of doulas and the percentage of those claims that are reimbursed;

• Any barriers experienced by doulas to accessing the claims process;

• The annual change in the number of doulas registered by the Authority;

• The demographics of the registry of doulas managed by the Authority;

• Doula training or certification programs offered in Oregon;

• The relationship between the registry of doulas and the perceived doula workforce needed;

• Recommendations on achieving cultural specificity goals for doula services; and

• Birth outcomes for patients with and without doula support.

• Requires the Health Licensing Office to adopt rules to regulate the practice of lactation counselors and lactation educators (Sec. 14).

• Requires that health benefit plans which reimburse the cost of pregnancy and childbirth include coverage for services provided by doulas, lactation counselors, and lactation educators (Sec. 17).

Full Bill Text

Vote Smart's Synopsis:

Vote to pass a bill that requires health insurance plans that cover pregnancy and childbirth expenses to cover doula services in Oregon.

Highlights:

• Specifies that “community-based services during the perinatal period” includes but is not limited to services provided by a doula, lactation counselor, or lactation educator (Sec. 1).

• Requires the Oregon Health Authority to establish a community-based perinatal services access program to increase access to culturally specific and competent community-based services during the perinatal period (Sec. 1).

• Requires the Oregon Health Authority to issue grants to eligible entities under the program which may be used for the following purposes (Sec. 1):

• Paying for costs of required training and education to provide community-based services during the perinatal period;

• Providing wages and benefits for individuals who are training to provide such services;

• Outreach and recruitment to attract individuals to training programs to provide such services; and

• Funding for culturally specific organizations and programs to provide or expand their ability to provide such services.

• Specifies that grantees under this Section may use the grant to provide funding to partner entities for purposes of the program (Sec. 1).

• Specifies that the Oregon Health Authority may administer the program directly or contract with a third party to administer the program (Sec. 1).

• Establishes the Community-Based Perinatal Services Access Fund in the State Treasury (Sec. 2).

• Defines “doula” as a trained professional who provides continuous physical, emotional, and informational support to an individual during pregnancy, labor, and delivery or the postpartum period (Sec. 3-4).

• Requires the Oregon Health Authority to include access to doula services, lactation counselors, and lactation educators in the care provided to medical assistance recipients, and specifies that these services must be provided by a member of the community of the recipient or someone who has received cultural competency training (Sec. 7).

• Requires the Authority to bi-annually review and revise reimbursement rates for lactation counselors and lactation educators to ensure that a career as such is financially sustainable (Sec. 8).

• Requires the Authority to bi-annually report on the status of doulas in Oregon, including the following information (Sec. 10):

• The number of claims for reimbursement of doulas and the percentage of those claims that are reimbursed;

• Any barriers experienced by doulas to accessing the claims process;

• The annual change in the number of doulas registered by the Authority;

• The demographics of the registry of doulas managed by the Authority;

• Doula training or certification programs offered in Oregon;

• The relationship between the registry of doulas and the perceived doula workforce needed;

• Recommendations on achieving cultural specificity goals for doula services; and

• Birth outcomes for patients with and without doula support.

• Requires the Health Licensing Office to adopt rules to regulate the practice of lactation counselors and lactation educators (Sec. 14).

• Requires that health benefit plans which reimburse the cost of pregnancy and childbirth include coverage for services provided by doulas, lactation counselors, and lactation educators (Sec. 17).

Full Bill Text