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Read. Follow. Verify.Georgia House Bill 263 Establishes Medicaid Coverage for Doula Care in Pilot Program
Last action · February 6, 2025: House Second ReadersSponsors: Karen Bennett and 5 others
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What This Bill Proposed
Georgia House Bill 263 directs the state department to create a pilot program providing Medicaid coverage and reimbursement for up to five doula visits for pregnant Medicaid recipients. The pilot program requires participating doulas to complete department-determined training, mandates a progress report by December 31, 2027, and repeals the program on January 1, 2028. Implementation is contingent upon specific appropriations of funds in a General Appropriations Act.
Who It Would Have Affected
Groups the bill's text would have affected, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.
pregnant Medicaid recipients
Eligible individuals may receive state-funded Medicaid coverage for up to five doula visits across prepartum, labor, and postpartum care.
doulas
Practitioners who complete department-determined training become eligible for state reimbursement for care provided to Medicaid recipients.
Key Facts
- The department must develop and implement a pilot program providing Medicaid coverage for doula care for pregnant Medicaid recipients.
- The pilot program provides reimbursement for up to five doula visits per pregnant Medicaid recipient, covering prepartum, labor and delivery, and postpartum care.
- Participating doulas must complete appropriate training determined by the department.
- A detailed written report on implementation, effectiveness, health outcomes, and expansion recommendations is due by December 31, 2027.
Show all 6 facts
- The pilot program terminates on January 1, 2028, and the Code section is automatically repealed on that date.
- The Act becomes effective only upon the effective date of a specific appropriation of funds in a General Appropriations Act.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many doula visits are covered under the pilot program?
When does the doula pilot program expire?
What requirements must participating doulas meet?
What else do you want to know?
News Coverage
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Votes, people, money & the original sourceWhere This Stands
This bill did not become law - Died at adjournment · introduced in the House.
Procedural history
3 actions- Feb 6, 2025HouseHouse Second Readers
- Feb 5, 2025HouseIntroducedHouse First Readers
- Feb 4, 2025HouseIntroducedHouse Hopper
Version history
Only one version on file - nothing to compare yet. As later stages (committee substitute, engrossed, enrolled) are captured, the redline appears here.
View official text →Lobbying Activity
No state lobbying filings in our records match this bill. Federal lobbying reports (LDA) cover Congress, so they are not listed on state bills.
Full breakdown
Who this bill affects and the strongest case for and against it, written only from the bill’s own text.
Sponsors
Show 1 more sponsor
Discoveries
Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.
Medicaid Expansion into Doula Services
The bill introduces state-level Medicaid coverage for non-traditional perinatal support services via a time-limited pilot program.
Connected Entities
Sources
www.legis.ga.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance20Lowered because this bill did not pass (its text scored 55)
- Controversy20Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment5Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz30Current news / social attention level
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