Providence Swedish’s Doula Program has long prioritized growth and expanded reach. The availability of this coverage also aligns closely with Providence Swedish’s commitment to reducing disparities in maternal health outcomes.
Medicaid’s decision to cover doula services in Washington state marks a significant step forward in improving maternal health outcomes and expanding access to culturally responsive, patient-centered care. As of January 1, 2025, Washington State’s Medicaid program (Apple Health) began reimbursing for doula services—up to $3,500 per birth, one of the highest reimbursement rates in the nation.
The benefit includes one prenatal visit, continuous labor support, one postpartum visit, and up to 20 additional hours of care. For patients delivering at Providence Swedish, this change strengthens long-term access to continuous, non-medical support throughout pregnancy and postpartum.
Although the state benefit became available in January 2025, Providence Swedish began using the benefit in the fourth quarter of 2025.
“We needed time to transition our team, technology, contracts and internal processes before we could fully implement it,” said Sauleiha Akangbe, co-manager of the Swedish Doula program and Birth Equity manager at Providence Swedish. “It was important that we build the right infrastructure to support both our patients and our doulas.”
For patients, the impact is significant.
“This change means more reliable and guaranteed support for our patients,” Akangbe said. “We’re incredibly grateful for the Health Equity Grant, other gift funds and the dedication of our doulas over the past 10 years, which allowed us to offer services at no cost. Medicaid coverage now provides long-term stability, ensuring patients can receive doula support regardless of our internal funding.”
Previously, eligibility for no-cost doula services was determined by available resources and identified patient needs. Now, the model is more straightforward.
“If we have a doula available, we can provide support with no additional barriers,” Akangbe said.
Providence Swedish’s Doula Program has long prioritized growth and expanded reach. While the benefit has only recently been implemented, the team is optimistic about what lies ahead.
“Growth has always been a core goal of our program—expanding our reach, strengthening our services and team, and improving patient experience,” Akangbe said. “Since we only recently rolled out the benefit, we haven’t seen major measurable impacts yet, but our administrative team was excited to submit our first claims. We anticipate growth as the benefit becomes fully integrated.”
The expanded coverage also aligns closely with Providence Swedish’s commitment to reducing disparities in maternal health outcomes.
“Doula support addresses several social determinants of health,” Akangbe said. “Having access to a doula who understands a patient’s cultural background, language, community and lived experience helps remove barriers to care and fosters a safe environment for families to be vulnerable and supported.”
Doulas serve as advocates, helping families understand their options, ask questions and receive respectful, patient-centered care. Evidence also shows that doula support can help reduce primary cesarean section rates for first-time parents.
“Avoiding major surgery when it isn’t medically necessary improves outcomes for the patient and family and supports a smoother transition into postpartum recovery,” Akangbe said. “A successful vaginal birth also increases the likelihood of future vaginal births, further reducing long-term risks.”
With Apple Health reimbursement now in place, Providence Swedish is positioned to expand access, strengthen sustainability and continue advancing equitable birth outcomes across the communities it serves.
“This benefit is about stability, dignity and access,” Akangbe said. “It allows us to grow our program in a sustainable way while ensuring families receive the culturally responsive, compassionate support they deserve.”
About Providence Swedish
Providence Swedish has served the Puget Sound region since the first Providence hospital opened in Seattle in 1877 and the first Swedish hospital opened in 1910. The two organizations affiliated in 2012 and today comprise the largest health care delivery system in Western Washington, with 24,000 caregivers, eight hospitals and 244 clinics throughout Western Washington – from Everett to Centralia. A not-for-profit family of organizations, Providence Swedish provides more than $545 million in community benefit in the Puget Sound region each year. The health system offers a comprehensive range of services and specialty and subspecialty care in a number of clinical areas, including cancer, cardiovascular health, neurosciences, orthopedics, digestive health and women’s and children’s care. For more information, visit providence.org/swedish.
