How to enroll as a Medicaid doula in Illinois
Illinois Medicaid (HFS) · coverage since February 1, 2024 (operational December 19, 2024) · last checked July 25, 2026
Illinois began operating its Medicaid doula benefit in December 2024, with coverage effective February 1, 2024. The current schedule pays $720 for birth attendance and $15 per 15-minute unit for individual prenatal and postpartum support, subject to daily limits. Before enrolling through IMPACT, you must obtain an Illinois Medicaid-Certified Doula certificate through the SIU School of Medicine program.
What Medicaid pays
$720 for birth; $15 per 15 minutes for individual prenatal/postpartum care
- Birth attendance pays $720 for vaginal, cesarean, or VBAC delivery, once per pregnancy
- Individual prenatal support (S9445) pays $15 per 15-minute unit, up to 8 units or $120 per day. Individual postpartum support (S9444) pays $15 per unit, up to 16 units or $240 per day
- Group prenatal or postpartum support pays $5 per 15-minute unit, up to 8 units or $40 per day. Pregnancy-loss support (T1032) pays $15 per unit, up to 8 units or $120 per day
- Attendance at a qualifying practitioner postpartum visit pays $50, up to 2 visits. Attendance at an initial newborn visit within 2 weeks of birth pays $50 per child
Up to 16 prenatal and 16 postpartum visits plus birth attendance, through 12 months postpartum regardless of pregnancy outcome. Support bills in 15-minute units, and the May 2026 fee schedule sets separate daily time limits for prenatal and postpartum care.
Who can apply
- Training Program Pathway: approved labor and postpartum doula training plus 3 qualifying perinatal experiences in the prior 12 months
- Legacy Pathway: 5 qualifying perinatal experiences in the prior 3 years plus the required cultural and bias, HIPAA, trauma-informed care, anatomy and physiology, and CPR or Basic Life Support courses
- Certificate valid 3 years; recertify through SIU
How to enroll
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Step 1
Get certified through the SIU program
Complete this required step before IMPACT enrollment. SIU maintains the approved training list and answers questions at doulacertification@siumed.edu.
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Step 2
Get your free Type 1 NPI
NPPES, taxonomy 374J00000X.
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Step 3
Enroll in IMPACT
Choose your structure carefully: Individual/Sole Proprietor bills directly; a Rendering/Servicing Provider must associate with a group or facility that bills for them and cannot self-bill. The MTAC learning center has doula-specific walkthroughs.
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Step 4
Note the standing recommendation, then join MCO networks
IDPH's statewide standing recommendation (Dec 19, 2024) covers the required provider recommendation. Keep it in your documentation. Then join each HealthChoice Illinois plan's network separately: Aetna, Blue Cross Community, CountyCare (Cook County), Meridian, and Molina.
How you get paid
IMPACT enrollment does not enroll you in a managed care network. Apply separately to Aetna, Blue Cross Community, CountyCare in Cook County, Meridian, and Molina as needed, and confirm each contract's rates and billing rules. Before starting IMPACT, decide whether you will bill directly or work as a rendering provider for another organization.
What to plan for
SIU certification must be complete before IMPACT enrollment. Solo doulas also need to choose the correct IMPACT billing role, then complete a separate application for every managed care plan they intend to bill.
Where to get help
- SIU Illinois Medicaid-Certified Doula Program (the required certification, pathways, and approved trainings)
- HFS doula fee schedule & provider notices (the authoritative rates page, including the May 2026 revision)
- IL AAP / IPHI Medicaid doula onboarding guide (June 2025) (an independent step-by-step walkthrough)
- HealthConnect One (Chicago-based national community-doula organization and approved training)
Sources and last checked
We checked these details on July 25, 2026.
- HFS provider notice (Dec 19, 2024)
- HFS doula fee schedule (effective May 1, 2026)
- IDPH statewide standing recommendation (Dec 2024)
- HFS notice on May 2026 daily limits
- HFS public notice on covered doula visits
This is general educational information, not legal, billing, or enrollment advice. Rules and rates can change between reviews. Confirm the current provider manual, payment schedule, and health-plan contract before you apply or bill. Junie can create a payment receipt labeled as a superbill, but the current output derives its dates and descriptions from payment records and must be checked against the recipient's requirements. A superbill is not a Medicaid claim. Junie does not currently enroll providers in Medicaid or submit Medicaid claims. Found an error? Email hello@junie.app.