National Trends in Expanding Access to Doula Care
Includes a Live Web Event on 10/26/2026 at 12:45 PM (EDT)
Over half of states have implemented Medicaid coverage for doula care, and additional states are currently in the process of implementation. Meanwhile, a growing number of states have passed legislation for private insurance coverage of doula care. This session will provide an overview of national trends in Medicaid and private insurance coverage of doula care, and how doulas and state advocates can continue to advocate for expanding access in spite of ongoing challenges to Medicaid and the health care system more broadly.
Amy Chen
Esq.
Amy Chen is a Senior Attorney in the National Health Law Program’s California office, where she works on sexual and reproductive health law and policy. Her California work includes improving access to pregnancy coverage and services, and supporting implementation of California’s doula Medi-Cal benefit. Her national work includes leading NHeLP’s efforts to reduce maternal health disparities and address systemic barriers to comprehensive pregnancy care. She also leads NHeLP’s Doula Medicaid Project, which works to expand access to full spectrum doula care for all pregnant, postpartum, and post-pregnancy people.
Before joining NHeLP, Amy worked at Bay Area Legal Aid in Oakland, California for eight years, where she provided direct legal services to individuals and families across the San Francisco Bay Area, and advocated on a wide range of issues including health care reform, Medi-Cal, Covered California, and private health insurance.
Amy received her B.A. from Stanford University, where she majored in International Relations and wrote an honors thesis on U.S. policy towards Rwanda during the 1994 genocide and immediate aftermath. She received her J.D. from Harvard Law School, where she was Co-Editor-in-Chief of the Harvard Human Rights Journal.