Current as of January 2026
Though Kaiser announced at the beginning of 2025 that they would cover doula services, and I have had clients be successfully reimbursed throughout the last year, they have now changed their regulations to stipulate:
Doulas must be contracted with Kaiser to be directly reimbursed by Kaiser.
Prior to 1 Jan 2026, a Kaiser member could hire any doula who was willing to submit a coded, itemized superbill for reimbursement. The doula did not have to be contracted with Kaiser, and could bill their rate. That has now changed to only allowing doulas who are specifically contracted with Kaiser to be able to be reimbursed, and the rate of reimbursement is set at a rate that Kaiser has decided on.
I am not contracted with Kaiser at this time. Their rates of reimbursement do not allow for a fair living wage. Their timeline around when doulas get paid (many weeks after service is complete) does not allow me to run a sustainable business. The structure of reimbursement rates shows a misunderstanding of how doula support works.
If you are with Kaiser and you wish to hire a doula outside of this system, you may do so - but you will pay out of pocket, and will not be reimbursed for the service fee.
I am very hopeful that Kaiser will figure out a better, more sustainable and fair way to have doulas be able to work with their members and have doula services reimbursed.