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HB1468 • 2026

Health insurance; coverage for doula care services.

<p class=ldtitle>A BILL to amend and reenact § 38.2-4319 of the Code of Virginia and to amend the Code of Virginia by adding a section numbered 38.2-3414.2, relating to health insurance; coverage for doula care services.</p>

Healthcare
Enacted

This bill passed the Legislature and reached final enactment based on the latest official action.

Sponsor
LeVere Bolling
Last action
2026-02-18
Official status
Failed
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The official source material does not provide specific details about the number of visits or exact support during labor and delivery, but it specifies that at least eight visits must be covered.

Health Insurance Coverage for Doula Care Services

This law requires health insurance plans that cover obstetric services to also provide coverage for doula care services.

What This Bill Does

  • Requires health insurers, corporations providing health care subscription contracts, and health maintenance organizations (HMOs) with obstetric coverage to include doula care services in their policies.
  • Specifies that the insurance must cover at least eight visits during pregnancy or after birth and support during labor and delivery.
  • Prohibits insurers from requiring supervision, signature, or referral by another healthcare provider as a condition for reimbursement of doula care services, except when such requirements apply to other categories of providers.
  • Exempts certain types of policies like short-term travel insurance or limited disease coverage from this requirement.

Who It Names or Affects

  • People with health insurance plans that cover obstetric services
  • Health insurers and HMOs providing these plans

Terms To Know

Doula care services
Support provided by a state-certified doula to pregnant individuals, new mothers, and families during pregnancy, labor, delivery, and the postpartum period.
State-certified doula
A professional who is certified by the state to provide doula care services.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The law applies only to policies delivered, issued for delivery, or renewed in Virginia on and after January 1, 2027.
  • Certain types of insurance like short-term travel coverage are not required to cover doula care services under this law.

Bill History

  1. 2026-02-18 House

    Left in Labor and Commerce

  2. 2026-02-10 Subcommittee #1

    Subcommittee recommends striking from the docket (9-Y 0-N)

  3. 2026-02-02 House

    Fiscal Impact Statement from Department of Planning and Budget (HB1468)

  4. 2026-01-28 Subcommittee #1

    Assigned HCL sub: Subcommittee #1

  5. 2026-01-23 House

    Presented and ordered printed 26105422D

  6. 2026-01-23 Labor and Commerce

    Referred to Committee on Labor and Commerce

Official Summary Text

Health insurance; coverage for doula care services.
Requires health insurers, corporations providing health care subscription contracts, and health maintenance organizations whose policy, contract, or plan includes coverage for obstetrical services to provide coverage for doula care services provided by a state-certified doula. The bill requires such coverage to include coverage for at least eight visits during the antepartum or postpartum period and support during labor and delivery. The bill provides that health insurance carriers are (i) not required to pay for duplicate services actually rendered by both a state-certified doula and another health care provider and (ii) prohibited from requiring supervision, signature, or referral by any other health care provider as a condition of reimbursement for doula care services, except when those requirements are also applicable to other categories of health care providers.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
A BILL to amend and reenact §
38.2-4319
of the Code of Virginia and to amend the Code of Virginia by adding a section numbered
38.2-3414.2
, relating to health insurance; coverage for doula care services.

Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia:

1. That §
38.2-4319
of the Code of Virginia is amended and reenacted and that the Code of Virginia is amended by adding a section numbered
38.2-3414.2
as follows:

§
38.2-3414.2
. Obstetrical benefits; coverage for doula
care
services.

A. Notwithstanding the provisions of §
38.2-3419
, each insurer proposing to issue individual or group accident and sickness insurance policies providing hospital, medical and surgical, or major medical coverage on an expense-incurred basis; each corporation providing individual or group accident and sickness subscription contracts; and each health maintenance organization providing a health care plan for health care services whose policy, contract, or plan

includes coverage for
obstetrical services shall provide coverage for doula
care
services
provided by a state-certified doula.
Such coverage shall include coverage
for
at least
eight visits during the antepartum or postpartum period
and support during labor and delivery
.

B. As used in this section:

"Doula care
services
" means
(i) services to support pregnant individuals, improve birth outcomes, and support new mothers and families with cultural
ly
specific antepartum, intrapartum, and postpartum services, referrals, and advocacy; (ii) advocating for and supporting physiological birth, breastfeeding, and parenting for client
s
; (iii) supporting the antepartum, intrapartum, and postpartum period
s
with traditional comfort measures and educational materials, as well as assistance during the transition to parenthood in the initial postpartum period through home visits; (iv) empowering individuals and families with evidence-based information to choose best practices for birth, breastfeeding, and infant care; (v) providing continuous support to the laboring individual until the birth of the baby at any location of delivery; (vi) referring clients to their appropriate provider for medical advice for care outside of the doula scope of practice; (vii) working as a member of the individual's multidisciplinary team; and (viii) offering evidence-based information on newborn and infant feeding, emotional and physical recovery from childbirth, and other issues related to the antepartum, intrapartum, and postpartum period
s
.

"
State-certified d
oula"
has the same meaning as provided in
§
32.1-77.1
.

C. No insurer, corporation, or health maintenance organization shall
be required to
pay for duplicate services
actually
rendered by both a state-certified doula and another health care provider.

D.

No insurer, corporation, or health maintenance organization shall
require supervision, signature, or referral by any other health care provider

as a condition of reimbursement
for doula care services
, except when those requirements are also applicable to other categories of health care providers.

E. The provisions of this section shall apply to any policy, contract, or plan delivered, issued for delivery, or renewed in the Commonwealth on and after January 1, 202
7
.

F. The provisions of this section shall not apply to short-term travel, accident-only, or limited or specified disease policies, contracts designed for issuance to persons eligible for coverage under Title XVIII of the Social Security Act, known as Medicare, or any other similar coverage under state or federal governmental plans, or short-term nonrenewable policies of not more than six months' duration.

§
38.2-4319
. Statutory construction and relationship to other laws.

A. No provisions of this title except this chapter and, insofar as they are not inconsistent with this chapter, §§
38.2-100
,
38.2-136
,
38.2-200
,
38.2-203
,
38.2-209
through
38.2-213
,
38.2-216
,
38.2-218
through
38.2-225
,
38.2-229
,
38.2-232
,
38.2-305
,
38.2-316
,
38.2-316.1
,
38.2-316.2
,
38.2-322
,
38.2-325
,
38.2-326
,
38.2-400
,
38.2-402
through
38.2-413
,
38.2-500
through
38.2-515
,
38.2-600
through
38.2-629
, Chapter 9 (§
38.2-900
et seq.), §§
38.2-1016.1
through
38.2-1023
,
38.2-1057
, and
38.2-1306.1
, Article 2 (§
38.2-1306.2
et seq.), §
38.2-1315.1
, and Articles 3.1 (§
38.2-1316.1
et seq.), 4 (§
38.2-1317
et seq.), 5 (§
38.2-1322
et seq.), 5.1 (§
38.2-1334.3
et seq.), and 5.2 (§
38.2-1334.11
et seq.) of Chapter 13, Articles 1 (§
38.2-1400
et seq.), 2 (§
38.2-1412
et seq.), and 4 (§
38.2-1446
et seq.) of Chapter 14, Chapter 15 (§
38.2-1500
et seq.), Chapter 17 (§
38.2-1700
et seq.), §§
38.2-1800
through
38.2-1836
,
38.2-3401
,
38.2-3405
,
38.2-3405.1
,
38.2-3406.1
,
38.2-3407.2
through
38.2-3407.6:1
,
38.2-3407.9
through
38.2-3407.20
,
38.2-3411
,
38.2-3411.2
,
38.2-3411.3
,
38.2-3411.4
,
38.2-3412.1
,
38.2-3414.1
,

38.2-3414.2
,

38.2-3418.1
through
38.2-3418.19
,
38.2-3418.21
,
38.2-3418.22
,
38.2-3419.1
, and
38.2-3430.1
through
38.2-3454
, Articles 8 (§
38.2-3461
et seq.) and 9 (§
38.2-3465
et seq.) of Chapter 34, §
38.2-3500
, subdivision 13 of §
38.2-3503
, subdivision 8 of §
38.2-3504
, §§
38.2-3514.1
,
38.2-3514.2
,
38.2-3522.1
through
38.2-3523.4
,
38.2-3525
,
38.2-3540.1
,
38.2-3540.2
,
38.2-3541.2
,
38.2-3542
, and
38.2-3543.2
, Article 5 (§
38.2-3551
et seq.) of Chapter 35, Chapter 35.1 (§
38.2-3556
et seq.), §
38.2-3610
, Chapter 52 (§
38.2-5200
et seq.), Chapter 55 (§
38.2-5500
et seq.), Chapter 58 (§
38.2-5800
et seq.), Chapter 65 (§
38.2-6500
et seq.), and Chapter 66 (§
38.2-6600
et seq.) shall be applicable to any health maintenance organization granted a license under this chapter. This chapter shall not apply to an insurer or health services plan licensed and regulated in conformance with the insurance laws or Chapter 42 (§
38.2-4200
et seq.) except with respect to the activities of its health maintenance organization.

B. For plans administered by the Department of Medical Assistance Services that provide benefits pursuant to Title XIX or Title XXI of the Social Security Act, as amended, no provisions of this title except this chapter and, insofar as they are not inconsistent with this chapter, §§
38.2-100
,
38.2-136
,
38.2-200
,
38.2-203
,
38.2-209
through
38.2-213
,
38.2-216
,
38.2-218
through
38.2-225
,
38.2-229
,
38.2-232
,
38.2-322
,
38.2-325
,
38.2-400
,
38.2-402
through
38.2-413
,
38.2-500
through
38.2-515
, and
38.2-600
through
38.2-629
, Chapter 9 (§
38.2-900
et seq.), §§
38.2-1016.1
through
38.2-1023
,
38.2-1057
, and
38.2-1306.1
, Article 2 (§
38.2-1306.2
et seq.), §
38.2-1315.1
, Articles 3.1 (§
38.2-1316.1
et seq.), 4 (§
38.2-1317
et seq.), 5 (§
38.2-1322
et seq.), 5.1 (§
38.2-1334.3
et seq.), and 5.2 (§
38.2-1334.11
et seq.) of Chapter 13, Articles 1 (§
38.2-1400
et seq.), 2 (§
38.2-1412
et seq.), and 4 (§
38.2-1446
et seq.) of Chapter 14, §§
38.2-3401
,
38.2-3405
,
38.2-3407.2
through
38.2-3407.5
,
38.2-3407.6
,
38.2-3407.6:1
,
38.2-3407.9
,
38.2-3407.9:01
, and
38.2-3407.9:02
, subsection E of §
38.2-3407.10
, §§
38.2-3407.10:1
,
38.2-3407.11
,
38.2-3407.11:3
,
38.2-3407.13
,
38.2-3407.13:1
,
38.2-3407.14
,
38.2-3411.2
,
38.2-3418.1
,
38.2-3418.2
,
38.2-3418.16
,
38.2-3419.1
,
38.2-3430.1
through
38.2-3437
, and
38.2-3500
, subdivision 13 of §
38.2-3503
, subdivision 8 of §
38.2-3504
, §§
38.2-3514.1
,
38.2-3514.2
,
38.2-3522.1
through
38.2-3523.4
,
38.2-3525
,
38.2-3540.1
,
38.2-3540.2
,
38.2-3541.2
,
38.2-3542
, and
38.2-3543.2
, Chapter 52 (§
38.2-5200
et seq.), Chapter 55 (§
38.2-5500
et seq.), Chapter 58 (§
38.2-5800
et seq.), Chapter 65 (§
38.2-6500
et seq.), and Chapter 66 (§
38.2-6600
et seq.) shall be applicable to any health maintenance organization granted a license under this chapter. This chapter shall not apply to an insurer or health services plan licensed and regulated in conformance with the insurance laws or Chapter 42 (§
38.2-4200
et seq.) except with respect to the activities of its health maintenance organization.

C. Solicitation of enrollees by a licensed health maintenance organization or by its representatives shall not be construed to violate any provisions of law relating to solicitation or advertising by health professionals.

D. A licensed health maintenance organization shall not be deemed to be engaged in the unlawful practice of medicine. All health care providers associated with a health maintenance organization shall be subject to all provisions of law.

E. Notwithstanding the definition of an eligible employee as set forth in §
38.2-3431
, a health maintenance organization providing health care plans pursuant to §
38.2-3431
shall not be required to offer coverage to or accept applications from an employee who does not reside within the health maintenance organization's service area.

F. For purposes of applying this section, "insurer" when used in a section cited in subsections A and B shall be construed to mean and include "health maintenance organizations" unless the section cited clearly applies to health maintenance organizations without such construction.