Oregon Moves to Make Birth Doulas and Postpartum Care a Right for All Mothers

Oregon senators passed Senate Bill 692– which would require private health insurers to cover expanded health services for mothers and babies on the Oregon Health Plan on Monday, with broad bipartisan support.

Oregon Senate Bill 692 To Cover More Birth Services

Introduced by Sen. Lisa Reynolds, a pediatrician and Democrat from Portland, Senate Bill 692 would require private health insurers to cover the same expanded Oregon Health Plan coverage, including postpartum doula care, and set aside money to incentivize people to enter the maternal care workforce. The bill passed the Senate on Monday.

In the main, the bill seeks to expand insurance coverage to include doulas and lactation specialists- people who are trained to help with breastfeeding. The Oregon Health Plan covers labor and delivery services provided by a doula for expectant parents, but many private insurers exclude these services.

Medicaid currently only covers the services of a doula for the birth itself, but Senate Bill 692 would also expand paid access to doulas after birth when they can also improve outcomes.

The bill would also deliver $1 million to expand the doula workforce, and- given that Black and Indigenous women are much more likely than white parents to die in childbirth, the bill puts particular emphasis on training doulas who could best serve diverse populations.

As part of the so-called “Omnibus” package, which aims to provide a range of support for families before, during, and after childbirth, the doula bill is part of a package of five bills.

Another “Omnibus” bill, seeking to prevent low-income households with a child younger than one from being evicted and paying the landlord with public funds, is expected to pass this session, but the others are likely to end in committee.