At DC Metro Maternity, we don’t bill insurance companies. This lets us focus on providing excellent service to you, instead of on the phone with companies whose primary goal is to save money.
We’ve noticed that demand has increased recently (yay), and more people are figuring out how to make a doula fit into their budget. So we figured we’d walk you through some options today.
First question-
Are doulas expensive?
Well, that depends. We’re not in your pocketbook, and it’s all relative!
Sometimes when we describe our packages (this happens on a phone call with our owner, Sam, after she learns more about you and makes sure we can help!) people actually say “Oh, is that all?”
When you consider the nature of being on call for labor, or up in the night with you and your newborn, we think we provide an incredible value.
But we know that making an investment in a service that can be hard to describe, right before you’re going on parental leave can seem daunting. We get it. So we’ve worked with clients to figure out how to get this service paid for in spite of the lack of insurance coverage.
Does insurance even cover doulas?
Insurance coverage for doulas has been inconsistent, at best. While some state Medicaid plans have made progress, there’s a long way to go in DC, MD and VA.
For now, as non-medical providers, our assessment is that we’d need a National Provider Identifier (NPI) number and what’s called a Common Procedural Technology (CPT) code. We have obtained an NPI number can provide this on your invoice/receipt. Unfortunately, we cannot provide a CPT code or because doulas are not licensed medical providers, and unable to diagnose. We are always careful to keep things above board- insurance fraud is off-brand for us.
The good news is that for clients who have a flexible spending account (FSA) or health savings account (HSA), we have had some success getting doula services covered, even without insurance!
We recommend using the following route:
- If you have a card with your HSA, our electronic invoice system allows you to pay directly with that account.
- If you need to submit to your FSA or HSA for reimbursement, we recommend using the following:
- A “letter of medical necessity” from your OB or midwife.
- Our invoice with details about services provided (you might hear this described as an itemized bill, or superbill).
Please remember that this is general advice, and everyone’s insurance is a little different. Call the person that manages your benefits, or your health insurance company directly to confirm.
Are there other ways to pay for doula support?
Yes!
One of the ways that has worked most consistently is to ask for a DC Metro Maternity doula on your baby registry!
Think of it this way- if you’re like so many folks in the DC Metro area, you likely have close friends and family who are out of town.
You talk to them all the time, right? Maybe they were in your wedding, or they’ve supported you through your work to conceive your baby. You love them dearly.
But birth isn’t easily scheduled, and it’s hard to predict if they’ll be able to join you for the birth itself. And they’re unlikely to be with you at 3am when the little one is crying.
They want you to have that support though. And they can make sure that happens, by gifting you a labor or postpartum doula.
Here’s how it works:
- Use Baby List or another online registry that allows you to add from multiple stores.
- Request a link from us to add to your invoice. (We can even give you some language to describe what exactly a doula is to help.) Add this to the registry!
- We’ll keep you up to speed on how much has been contributed.
Clients have gotten the majority of labor doula support, or several nights of postpartum doula support covered! We promise that we’re just as useful as a SNOO (and honestly, put that on the registry too #whynotboth.)
As the demand for doula support increases, we’re committed to meeting it. And we always recommend calling your insurance company. You never know until you ask.
Want to work with DC Metro Maternity, but still not sure how to pay for doula support? Let’s chat.
A huge part of our job is being creative, and we’d love to make it happen for you.
