US EditionA Northern Cheyenne Doula Was About to Start Getting Paid — Then Medicaid Cuts Hit
The delay leaves doulas without reimbursement as officials cite a projected $146.3 million Medicaid funding gap.
- Montana's Department of Public Health and Human Services postponed implementing doula services in its Medicaid program in late March, citing a budget shortfall driven by higher-than-expected costs.
- Health officials projected a $146.3 million shortfall this year as states grapple with the federal One Big Beautiful Bill Act, projected to reduce Medicaid spending by nearly $1 trillion over 10 years.
- Misty Pipe, a doula on the Northern Cheyenne Indian Reservation, provides free care to expectant parents in Lame Deer, roughly 100 miles from the nearest hospital that delivers babies.
- Department spokesperson Holly Matkin told KFF Health News, "DPHHS will not be moving forward with the implementation of doula services in the Montana Medicaid benefit package at this time."
- Despite the setback, Pipe remains committed to training new birth workers, while advocates warn the decision limits access for rural patients already facing significant travel distances to care.
12 Articles
12 Articles
Montana Standard
A Northern Cheyenne doula was about to start getting paid — then Medicaid cuts hit
Montana was on track to start reimbursing doulas, who support new and expectant parents, through Medicaid this year. But state officials halted that plan amid a budget shortfall.
kffhealthnews.org
This Northern Cheyenne Doula Was About To Start Getting Paid — Then Medicaid Cuts Hit
LAME DEER, Mont. — Misty Pipe had about an hour before her shift began at the post office. She used that time to check in on a new mom who lives a few miles outside this town at the heart of the Northern Cheyenne Indian Reservation. A mom of seven, Pipe is a doula on the reservation who supports new and expectant parents. She does that work free, around her day job. That’s because in this town of about 2,000 people, the closest hospital that del…
Bracing for federal cuts, some states are already paring back Medicaid services
Paying for doulas to help birthing moms in maternity care deserts was a priority for Montana. But it halted the plan amid a budget shortfall and fears over coming federal Medicaid cuts.
Bracing for federal cuts, some states are already paring back Medicaid services - TPR: The Public's Radio
Paying for doulas to help birthing moms in maternity care deserts was a priority for Montana. But it halted the plan amid a budget shortfall and fears over coming federal Medicaid cuts. The post Bracing for federal cuts, some states are already paring back Medicaid services appeared first on TPR: The Public's Radio.
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