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The 51st: D.C. doulas are struggling to serve low-income families despite landmark legislation
Sam Delgado of The 51st examines ongoing issues with the District’s implementation of legislation that made doula care a Medicaid-covered service. The story features the experiences of members of the DC Learning and Action Collaborative, which is co-led by Leah Castelaz, Senior Policy Attorney at Children’s Law Center.
Some doulas have struggled to even enroll as Medicaid providers at all, thanks to what Jackson describes as “paperwork purgatory.”
To work with Medicaid families, all providers must enroll in DC Medicaid. Once their application is accepted, they then need to get credentialed with D.C.’s Medicaid plans.
Through her work with the D.C. Doula Learning Action Collaborative, Jackson has helped facilitate multiple trainings for doulas to navigate the first step of the process. Of the roughly 40 doulas that went through those trainings earlier this year, Jackson says that around five were able to successfully get enrolled. Even for Jackson herself, it took around a year just to enroll as a provider with DC Medicaid.