Insurance? No Thanks—Here’s Why I Keep My Doula Care Personal and Fully Yours

I get asked all the time if I accept insurance for my doula services, and my answer is always a confident no. Not just for right now, but honestly for the foreseeable future as well.

I want to share a little more of the heart behind that decision, because it’s not something I’ve taken lightly.

Accepting insurance may sound appealing on the surface, but it also opens the door for outside regulation over how doulas are allowed to work. It invites policies, restrictions, and guidelines that can limit the kind of care I provide. And the truth is, the way I serve my clients is deeply personal, intuitive, and rooted in meeting each family exactly where they are. That kind of care doesn’t fit neatly into a box, and it definitely isn’t something I’m willing to hand over to be dictated by a system.

At the core of my work is a deep belief in supporting the physiological, God-designed process of birth. Our bodies were intentionally and beautifully made for this. That doesn’t mean birth always goes perfectly or without need for intervention, but it does mean that I approach every birth with reverence for how it was created to unfold. I support mothers in tuning into their instincts, creating an environment that allows their bodies to work as they were designed, and protecting that space as much as possible. That kind of support requires freedom, discernment, and flexibility—things that simply can’t be standardized or regulated by an insurance model.

I’ve looked into what it would actually mean to accept insurance, and what I found was this. The reimbursement rates don’t come close to matching the amount of time, energy, and support that goes into the work I do. In order to make it work, I would either be underpaid for the level of care I provide, which isn’t sustainable for my family, or I would have to significantly scale back my services. And that doesn’t sit right with me either, because the families I serve deserve more than bare minimum support.

Choosing to remain a private pay business is something I’ve done very intentionally. It allows me to show up fully for my clients without limitations. It means I can offer support that is truly customized, without cutting corners or watching a clock. It means I can continue to provide the kind of care that honors both the physiological process of birth and the individual needs, desires, and values of each family I walk alongside.

I also understand that this is an investment, and I never want cost to feel like a barrier without conversation. I do offer flexible payment plans to help break things up into manageable pieces, and I can provide a superbill if requested so you can explore potential reimbursement options on your own.

At the end of the day, my goal has always been the same. I work for my clients. I advocate for my clients. I serve my clients. And choosing not to accept insurance is one of the ways I protect that.