New research from the University of Minnesota’s School of Public Health has found lower cesarean birth rates among Medicaid beneficiaries with access to support from a birth doula than among Medicaid patients nationally.

The research indicates that policy changes to provide Medicaid coverage for birth doulas may actually decrease costs due to lower rates of cesarean births among Medicaid patients with doula support. Support during childbirth may be especially important for women with low health literacy or patients whose first language is not English and who may not fully understand all their clinical options during childbirth. Learn more »