---
title: HB 263. Medical assistance; pilot program to provide coverage under Medicaid program for doula care for pregnant Medicaid recipients; provide
collection: bills
id: 2025-2026/hb263
cite_as: HB 263, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.)
canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb263
md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb263.md
text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb263/text
source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/69923
date: 2025-02-06
status: introduced
corpus_version: bills-2026-09-13
license: Public record of the Georgia General Assembly, via LegiScan; see about.md
publisher: Georgia Commons, an independent project of Georgia Civic Data. Not the State of Georgia. Not legal advice.
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omitted: votes and history
omitted_chars: 129
omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb263.md?full=1
bill_number: HB 263
session: 2025-2026 Regular Session
session_slug: 2025-2026
chamber: House
bill_type: bill
status_date: 2025-02-04
last_action: House Second Readers
sponsors:
- Karen Bennett
- Debbie Buckner
- Mekyah McQueen
- Carolyn Hugley
- Park Cannon
- Stacey Evans
text_version: Introduced
has_text: true
legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/HB263/2025
upstream_id: 1955702
summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5
topic_tags:
- Medicaid coverage
- doula care
- maternal health
- pregnancy support
- state funding
---
# HB 263. Medical assistance; pilot program to provide coverage under Medicaid program for doula care for pregnant Medicaid recipients; provide
## Text
House Bill 263
By: Representatives Bennett of the 94th, Buckner of the 137th, McQueen of the 61st, Hugley
of the 141st, Cannon of the 58th, and others
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
To amend Article 7 of Chapter 4 of Title 49 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated,
relating to medical assistance generally, so as to provide for a pilot program to provide
coverage under the Medicaid program for doula care for pregnant Medicaid recipients; to
provide for reimbursement; to provide for doula qualifications; to provide for a report; to
provide for termination of the pilot project and automatic repeal; to provide for related
matters; to provide for contingent effectiveness upon appropriation of funds; to repeal
conflicting laws; and for other purposes.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF GEORGIA:
SECTION 1.
Article 7 of Chapter 4 of Title 49 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to
medical assistance generally, is amended by adding a new Code section to read as follows:
"49-4-159.5.
(a) The department shall develop and implement a pilot program to provide Medicaid
coverage for doula care for pregnant Medicaid recipients. Such pilot program may provide
reimbursement for up to five doula visits for each pregnant Medicaid recipient, which may
include visits for prepartum care, labor and delivery, and postpartum care.
(b) All doulas participating in the pilot program shall have completed appropriate training,
as determined by the department.
(c) No later than December 31, 2027, the department shall submit a detailed written report
on the implementation and effectiveness of the pilot program to the Governor, the President
of the Senate, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, and the chairpersons of the
House Committee on Health, the Senate Health and Human Services Committee, the House
Committee on Appropriations, and the Senate Appropriations Committee. Such report
shall include the health outcomes of participants and recommendations on the best process
of reimbursing doulas to promote retention in the perinatal workforce. The report shall also
include recommendations as to expansion of the pilot program state wide.
(d) The pilot program created by this Code section shall terminate on January 1, 2028, and
this Code section shall be repealed by operation of law on such date."
SECTION 2.
This Act shall become effective only upon the effective date of a specific appropriation of
funds for purposes of this Act, as expressed in a line item making specific reference to such
Act in a General Appropriations Act enacted by the General Assembly.
SECTION 3.
All laws and parts of laws in conflict with this Act are repealed.
## Summaries written by Georgia Commons
The following was written by claude-sonnet-5 from the text above and is not part of the bill. Quote the text, not the summary.
A Georgia House bill would create a pilot program letting Medicaid cover doula care for pregnant recipients, paying for up to five visits before, during, and after childbirth, but only if lawmakers set aside specific funding for it.
### Plain-language summary
Georgia's Medicaid program does not currently pay for doula care, the nonmedical labor and childbirth support some pregnant people hire. This bill would add a new section to Georgia law (O.C.G.A. § 49-4-159.5) directing the Department of Community Health to set up a pilot program covering up to five doula visits per pregnant Medicaid recipient, covering prepartum, labor and delivery, and postpartum care.
Doulas would have to complete training the department sets before they can take part. By December 31, 2027, the department must send a detailed report on the program's results, including health outcomes and recommendations on paying doulas and expanding the program statewide, to the Governor and several legislative committees. The pilot would automatically end and the law would be repealed on January 1, 2028. The whole bill only takes effect if the General Assembly specifically appropriates money for it in a budget bill.
### What it does
- Creates a Medicaid pilot program covering up to five doula visits per pregnant Medicaid recipient for prepartum, labor and delivery, and postpartum care.
- Requires doulas in the program to complete training approved by the Department of Community Health before participating.
- Requires a written report by December 31, 2027 to the Governor and key legislative committees on the program's health outcomes and reimbursement recommendations.
- Automatically ends the pilot program and repeals the new Code section on January 1, 2028.
- Makes the entire Act contingent on the General Assembly setting aside specific funding for it in a General Appropriations Act.
### Who it affects
Pregnant Georgians enrolled in Medicaid, doulas who provide labor and delivery support and would need state-approved training to participate, and the Department of Community Health, which would design, run, and report on the pilot program.
### Why it matters
If funded, Medicaid recipients could get doula support paid for during pregnancy and childbirth, a service currently unavailable through Georgia Medicaid. Because the law only takes effect with a specific budget appropriation, whether any of this happens depends on future funding decisions.
### Key provisions
- Section 1 adds O.C.G.A. § 49-4-159.5, directing the department to create a pilot program covering up to five doula visits per Medicaid recipient during pregnancy.
- Subsection (b) requires all participating doulas to complete training determined by the department.
- Subsection (c) requires a report by December 31, 2027 covering health outcomes, reimbursement recommendations, and statewide expansion options.
- Subsection (d) sets the pilot program and the Code section to terminate and repeal automatically on January 1, 2028.
- Section 2 makes the Act effective only if the General Assembly enacts a specific line-item appropriation for it.
- Section 3 repeals conflicting laws.
## Status
- Status: Introduced (2025-02-04)
- Last action: House Second Readers (2025-02-06)
- Sponsors: Karen Bennett, Debbie Buckner, Mekyah McQueen, Carolyn Hugley, Park Cannon, Stacey Evans
- Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/69923
> The history, votes, and amendments (129 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb263.md?full=1