Problem:
Comment only positive things on this discussion post using APA paragraph (I would like to do a marketing plan about expanding birthing healthcare services by offering doula coverage on commercial plans. There are Medicaid plans that currently have coverage for this service, but oftentimes it's an out-of-pocket expense. Which leaves even more room for disparity along lines of race and class that already can create obstacles and poor outcomes. "Despite overall improvements in birth outcomes in the United States, racial and ethnic disparities persist. Black women experience 3- 4 times higher rates of maternal mortality and 2.3 times higher infant mortality compared with White women. 1- 3 Black women also have 1.5 times higher likelihood of preterm delivery compared with White women and the highest rate of low- risk cesarean delivery compared with all other racial/ethnic groups, 4 which contribute to increased risk of morbidity and mortality for both mother and infant" (Nehme et al, 2024). Doulas can provide support through all stages of a pregnancy and perform various tasks that can impact a patient positively and promote healing and lower overall risks. This can reduce healthcare costs by possibly being able to avoid more costly procedures for delivery and postpartum care for wounds and potential infections, breastfeeding support and pain management. I believe positing it as a community effort and values initiative during a time where we have declining birth rates and the overturning of Roe v Wade would be an olive branch in politically turbulent times with issues surrounding childbirth. In a study performed via surveys of California commercial insurance providers, some feedback that was received was "...the participant noted that a benefit does not always result in a financial return, but if it improves health outcomes, it may be worth the investment. For example, the participant said, if doula support lowers cesarean rates and the number of low birthweight infants, it could be the right "values play" for a plan/employer, even if it does not end up resulting in a return on investment" (Nguyen et al, 2025).
I believe the best strategy to roll this out is to educate OBGYN offices within our network about the benefits of having a doula both financially and in regards to outcomes. In a Texas based cost-benefits analysis for pregnancy Medicaid patients, it stated "in probabilistic sensitivity analyses, in which multiple parameters were varied simultaneously and randomly over 1000 runs, net benefits were $314,905 on average with a reimbursement rate of $750 (range: -$1,453,789 to $2,700,865; median: $234,485). The intervention was cost-beneficial 65.7% of the time" (Nehme et al, 2024). Informing providers about what benefits are available for the plan of ours that they are contracted for is half of the battle. Having working relationships with networks of doula organizations. Partnering with and sponsoring them for different community initiatives and projects would create an image and awareness of the brand with the service. We could also give incentives for OBGYN offices for giving referrals to the doulas in our network. Offering free consultations to familiarize patients with the services would also help. Having prepared guides and links to send out to patients that we know are being seen for pregnancy related care to let them know what benefits are available to them. Creating blog posts and having information on our social media, website and creating digital ads could also drive interest. The main focuses would be a commitment to providing the care, showing cost effectiveness, advertising to both providers and patients to drive demand and encouraging employers with commercial health plans to include this coverage in their contracts as an offering for their employees. Need Assignment Help?
References:
Nehme, E. K., Wilson, K. J., McGowan, R., Schuessler, K. R., Morse, S. M., & Patel, D. A. (2024). Providing doula support to publicly insured women in central Texas: A financial cost-benefit analysis. Birth (Berkeley, Calif.), 51(1), 63-70.
Nguyen, A., Parimi, M., Mendoza, K. Y., Gómez, A. M., & Marshall, C. (2025). Increasing commercial coverage of doula services: perspectives from health plans and large employers in California. Health Affairs Scholar, 3(4), qxaf065.