Does Florida Medicaid Cover Home Birth? 2026 Coverage, Licensed Midwife Reimbursement, and How to Find One
Yes. Florida Medicaid covers home birth attended by Licensed Midwives (LMs) and Certified Nurse-Midwives (CNMs) for low-medical-risk pregnancies. [1] Florida insurance law bars policies with maternity coverage from denying reimbursement for midwifery services in a home or birth center setting, and Florida Medicaid covers birth center and licensed midwife services as an adopted optional benefit. [2] Birth Center and Midwife Services is a minimum required benefit for all Managed Medical Assistance plans serving Medicaid enrollees. [1]
Florida is one of the most LM-friendly Medicaid states in the country. State law requires Medicaid to cover Licensed Midwife services, [2] and the Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA) explicitly lists Birth Center and Midwife Services as a minimum benefit across all Managed Medical Assistance plans. [1] If you're on Florida Medicaid and planning a home birth, the legal coverage is firm; the work is finding a Medicaid-enrolled provider with capacity for your due date.
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Sources cited (4)
- Florida AHCA Birth Center and Midwife Services
- Fla. Stat. s. 627.6406
- Social Security Act § 1905(a)(17)
- Fla. Stat. s. 409.906(4)
Does Florida Medicaid cover home birth?
Yes. Per the Florida Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA), Medicaid reimburses licensed birth centers and midwives that provide obstetrical services for pregnant women with low-medical-risk pregnancies. [1] This is one of the minimum covered services for all Managed Medical Assistance (MMA) plans serving Medicaid enrollees in Florida.
State law goes further than the AHCA rule: section 627.6406 of the Florida Statutes bars insurance policies with maternity coverage from denying reimbursement for midwifery services rendered at home or in a birth center, and section 409.906(4) authorizes Medicaid coverage of birth center and licensed midwife services, which Florida has adopted. [2] That combination gives Florida stronger statutory footing for LM coverage than most states.
Which midwife credentials does Florida Medicaid cover?
Florida Medicaid covers two midwifery credentials, both regulated by the Florida Department of Health.
Licensed Midwives (LMs) are credentialed under Chapter 467 of the Florida Statutes (the Midwifery Practice Act). LMs train through Florida-approved midwifery schools and pass the NARM CPM exam plus state-specific licensure. They specialize in out-of-hospital birth: home births, birth centers, and rare hospital privileges. Florida Medicaid covers LM services for low-risk pregnancies. [1,2]
Certified Nurse-Midwives (CNMs) are licensed by the Florida Board of Nursing as advanced practice registered nurses with a graduate degree in midwifery. CNM services are a federal Medicaid mandatory benefit under § 1905(a)(17) and are reimbursable in any setting. [3]
| CREDENTIAL | FL MEDICAID COVERAGE | WHERE THEY PRACTICE |
|---|---|---|
| Certified Nurse-Midwife (CNM) | Yes (federal mandate) [3] | Hospital, birth center, home |
| Licensed Midwife (LM) | Yes (state law mandate) [1,2] | Birth center or home (primary) |
| Birth center facility | Yes (separately enrolled) | Freestanding birth center |
How does Florida Medicaid reimburse home birth midwives?
Florida Medicaid reimbursement varies by Managed Medical Assistance plan. Each MMA plan negotiates its own provider rates within state-set guidelines. Under the AHCA fee schedule, LM services are itemized rather than paid as one global fee: antepartum visits, the delivery service (which includes immediate postpartum care), one post-delivery recovery service for home births, and a single initial newborn assessment. Managed care plan rates vary by contract.
Some out-of-pocket fees are not billable to Medicaid even when the midwife is fully enrolled. These typically include hands-on prenatal classes, postpartum doula services, and birth-pool or supply rentals. Most Florida LMs offer these as sliding-scale add-ons for Medicaid clients.
How do you find a Medicaid-accepting midwife in Florida?
Florida's MMA system means each plan has its own provider network. The fastest way to find a midwife who'll take your specific Medicaid coverage is to start with the plan and triangulate.
Identify your MMA plan
Florida Medicaid recipients are enrolled in plans like Sunshine Health, Humana Medicaid, Aetna Better Health, Simply Healthcare, and others. Your enrollment confirmation lists yours.
Pull the plan's midwife provider directory
Each MMA plan publishes a Licensed Midwife Provider Quick Reference Guide. Search for "midwife" in your plan's online directory. Sunshine Health, for example, publishes a clear LM provider sheet.
Cross-reference with the state midwife directories
The Florida Council of Licensed Midwifery and Home Birth Partners both maintain lists of practicing LMs by city. Call midwives to confirm: "Are you accepting [your MMA plan] for 2026?"
Confirm the practice's birth center status
Some Florida LMs work out of a freestanding birth center; others attend planned home births. Confirm which model matches your preference, as both are Medicaid-covered.
Does Florida Medicaid cover doulas alongside home birth?
Sometimes. Doula services are an expanded benefit that individual Florida Medicaid managed care plans choose whether to offer; coverage is not uniform statewide, and some plans limit it to higher-risk pregnancies. Ask your specific plan whether it covers doula support and which doulas are approved.
This matters for home birth families because Medicaid-covered doula support pairs well with LM-attended home birth. The same MMA plan can authorize both, and many practices coordinate doula referrals with their LMs.
For a full guide to home birth midwives in Florida, including licensing, costs by region, and what to ask before hiring, see our Florida home birth midwife guide.
Bottom line: Florida is one of the most home-birth-friendly Medicaid states in the country: state law mandates Licensed Midwife coverage, AHCA requires it across all MMA plans, and both LMs and CNMs are eligible providers. [1,2] The work is finding a Medicaid-enrolled midwife in your specific MMA plan with capacity for your due date. Use the plan's LM provider directory as a starting point, but cross-reference with state midwife associations and call practices directly. Doula benefits round out the package.
- Florida Agency for Health Care Administration. Birth Center and Midwife Services Coverage Policy. View source
- The Florida Senate. 2025 Florida Statutes, Section 627.6406: Maternity care. Policies covering maternity care must also cover the services of certified nurse-midwives, midwives licensed under chapter 467, and licensed birth centers. View source
- Social Security Act § 1905(a)(17), 42 U.S.C. § 1396d(a)(17). Mandatory Medicaid coverage of nurse-midwife services. View source
- Florida Statutes s. 409.906(4). Optional Medicaid services: birth center and licensed midwife services. View source
▶ How we research and review this content Editorial standards
Every guide on Home Birth Partners is researched against primary sources (federal regulations, peer-reviewed clinical literature, and state-level licensing boards) and reviewed by a credentialed midwife before publication.
We update articles when source data changes, when state laws are revised, or at minimum every 12 months. The "Last reviewed" date in the byline reflects the most recent review.
If you spot an error or have a primary source we should add, email [email protected].