Medicaid doula coverage in South Carolina
The number
Healthy Connections runs a Medicaid doula pilot reimbursing up to $1,000 per full perinatal package.
What the doula benefit looks like in practice
Healthy Connections runs a Medicaid doula pilot program reimbursing up to $1,000 per full perinatal package. The pilot is geographically limited and time-limited — check the state Medicaid portal for the current covered region and sunset date. Coverage took effect 2024-09-01.
Pilot participation for doulas requires state credentialing, an NPI, and Medicaid enrollment. Pilot participation for pregnant enrollees is generally automatic if you live in the covered region and are Medicaid-enrolled — your managed-care plan will authorize doula visits against the pilot billing codes.
Because pilots operate on sunset timelines, the program's long-term continuity depends on the state Medicaid agency filing a State Plan Amendment (SPA) to CMS to make the benefit permanent. Advocacy around that SPA usually runs through the state's Black maternal health coalition.
South Carolina launched a 24-month Medicaid doula pilot in September 2024 under H 3592 (2023), reimbursing up to $1,000 per package in the Upstate, Midlands, and Lowcountry regions. Charleston Birth Place and Reaching Our Sisters Everywhere (ROSE) coordinate Black birth worker training.
For Black families
For Black pregnant people, a Medicaid-covered doula removes the cost barrier that has made doula care an out-of-pocket privilege. National studies (Thomas et al., AJPH 2017; Kozhimannil et al., Birth 2016) find Black people who work with a doula have lower preterm birth and lower c-section rates and report higher satisfaction with care. South Carolina launched a 24-month Medicaid doula pilot in September 2024 under H 3592 (2023), reimbursing up to $1,000 per package in the Upstate, Midlands, and Lowcountry regions. Charleston Birth Place and Reaching Our Sisters Everywhere (ROSE) coordinate Black birth worker training.
Where to get help in South Carolina
- Federally Qualified Health Centers in South Carolina: every FQHC accepts Medicaid, charges on a sliding scale for the uninsured, and has certified application counselors who can help you apply or renew. See our FQHC directory for this state at /clinics/sc/.
- Medicaid-accepting providers in South Carolina: our provider directory lets you filter to providers in this state. See /providers/sc/.
- State health profile for South Carolina: for state-level health outcomes context (maternal mortality, infant mortality, life expectancy, uninsured rate) by race, see /health/south-carolina/.
- Healthy Connections consumer help line: 1-888-549-0820 for application help, renewal questions, and general Medicaid inquiries. Ask for an interpreter if you need one; language access is required under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act.
- Black Mamas Matter Alliance maintains a national directory of Black perinatal organizations at blackmamasmatter.org. Filter to programs serving South Carolina.
- National Health Law Program (NHeLP) doula tracker: up-to-date Medicaid doula coverage map at healthlaw.org/doulamedicaidproject.
References & primary sources
- Healthy Connections, state Medicaid portal: https://www.scdhhs.gov/.
- KFF State Health Facts: kff.org/statedata. Medicaid income eligibility + enrollment.
- Medicaid.gov: medicaid.gov. Federal program guidance + state plan amendments.
- National Health Law Program doula tracker: healthlaw.org/doulamedicaidproject.
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