Does Indiana Medicaid Cover Home Birth?2026 Coverage Reality: Indiana Medicaid Does Not Pay for Planned Home Birth
No. Indiana Medicaid does not cover planned home birth. [1] Coverage is limited to deliveries in licensed birthing centers and hospitals. CNM services are reimbursed in Indiana as a federal mandatory benefit, [2] but the place-of-service is restricted to hospitals and licensed birth centers. House Bill 1028 (2024) proposed expanding Medicaid coverage to home birth attended by physicians or CNMs but did not pass. [1]
Indiana is one of a small number of states whose Medicaid program excludes home birth as a covered place of service. [1] CNMs are eligible Medicaid providers in Indiana, [2] but the state restricts the settings in which Medicaid will pay for CNM-attended birth to hospitals and licensed birth centers. A 2024 legislative effort (House Bill 1028) tried to add home birth coverage but did not pass. [1] If you're on Indiana Medicaid (HIP, Hoosier Care Connect, or Hoosier Healthwise) and want a home birth, this guide explains the practical reality and your alternatives.
On this page
Sources cited (3)
- Indiana HB 1028 (2024)
- Social Security Act § 1905(a)(17)
- NASHP, State CNM Medicaid Coverage
Does Indiana Medicaid cover home birth?
No. Indiana Medicaid does not cover home births. [1] Coverage is limited to deliveries in licensed birthing centers and hospitals. This is true across all Indiana Medicaid programs (Healthy Indiana Plan, Hoosier Care Connect, Hoosier Healthwise) and for both fee-for-service and managed care members.
The place-of-service restriction means that even when the attending provider is a Certified Nurse-Midwife who would be a Medicaid-billable provider in a hospital or birth-center setting, planned home birth itself is not Medicaid-billable in Indiana.
A 2024 legislative effort tried to change this. Indiana HB 1028 proposed amending the Indiana Code to require Medicaid pregnancy services to include reimbursement for delivery services provided in a birthing center and home birth performed by a physician or certified nurse midwife. The bill did not pass. [1] Without legislative action, Indiana Medicaid coverage of home birth remains excluded.
Which midwife credentials does Indiana Medicaid cover?
Indiana Medicaid recognizes one midwifery credential.
Certified Nurse-Midwives (CNMs) are licensed by the Indiana State Board of Nursing as advanced practice registered nurses. CNM services are a federal Medicaid mandatory benefit under § 1905(a)(17), [2] and Indiana additionally allows CNMs to provide and be reimbursed for SUD screening and treatment alongside maternity care. [3] However, the place-of-service restriction means that CNM-attended home birth is not covered by Indiana Medicaid even though CNM-attended hospital and birth-center deliveries are.
Certified Professional Midwives (CPMs) are licensed in Indiana but are not Medicaid-eligible providers. CPM-attended home birth must be paid out of pocket regardless of the family's Medicaid status.
| CREDENTIAL + SETTING | IN MEDICAID COVERAGE | PRACTICAL ACCESS |
|---|---|---|
| CNM in hospital | Yes (federal mandate) [2] | Fully covered |
| CNM in birth center | Yes [1] | Fully covered |
| CNM at home (planned) | No (place-of-service excluded) [1] | Out-of-pocket |
| CPM at home | No (CPMs not Medicaid-eligible) [1] | Out-of-pocket |
What does Indiana Medicaid cover for pregnancy services?
While Indiana Medicaid does not pay for the home birth itself, several pregnancy-related services are still covered when you're on HIP, Hoosier Care Connect, or Hoosier Healthwise:
Prenatal visits with a Medicaid-enrolled CNM, OB, or family medicine provider are covered, including those done by a CNM who would attend the home birth privately.
Prenatal labs and ultrasounds are fully covered. These are typically ordered through your prenatal provider and processed at Medicaid-enrolled labs.
Hospital transfer during labor is fully covered. If you start labor planning a home birth and need to transfer to a hospital, the hospital stay, delivery, and any newborn care are covered the same way they would be for any Indiana Medicaid hospital birth.
Postpartum care is covered for up to 12 months in Indiana, regardless of where the birth occurred.
This split-coverage pattern is the standard workflow for Indiana families who want home birth: the midwife's professional fee is paid out of pocket, while Indiana Medicaid covers prenatal labs, ultrasounds, and any hospital transfer.
"Indiana Medicaid pays for everything around a home birth except the home birth itself. The 2024 legislative effort to change that didn't pass; for now, the workaround is private-pay for the midwife plus Medicaid for ancillary services.
On Indiana's Medicaid place-of-service exclusion
How do you find a midwife who accepts split-coverage arrangements?
Most Indiana home birth midwives are familiar with the split-coverage workflow because it's the only Medicaid-adjacent option in the state. Indianapolis, Bloomington, Fort Wayne, and South Bend have the most active home birth communities. MidwivesCare in Indianapolis is one practice serving Indiana Medicaid families.
Confirm your Indiana Medicaid program
Are you on HIP, Hoosier Care Connect, or Hoosier Healthwise? All three have the same place-of-service exclusion for home birth, but each has its own MCO networks for prenatal care.
Search for licensed midwives by region
Home Birth Partners and the Indiana Midwives Association both maintain provider directories. Most CPMs and CNMs offering planned home birth serve the Indianapolis, Bloomington, and Fort Wayne metros.
Ask about split-coverage workflows
When calling each midwife, say: "I'm on Indiana Medicaid and I know home birth itself isn't covered. Do you have experience working with families who use Medicaid for prenatal labs and transfer backup while paying out of pocket for your fee?"
Confirm prenatal care provider arrangements
Some home birth midwives provide prenatal care directly and bill Medicaid for those visits (when they're CNMs). Others coordinate with a primary obstetric provider for Medicaid-billed prenatal care. Confirm which model your midwife uses.
What are the Medicaid-covered out-of-hospital alternatives?
Two genuine alternatives provide Medicaid-covered out-of-hospital experience:
Freestanding birth centers. Indiana Medicaid covers licensed birthing centers as a place of service. [1] Several Indiana birth centers in Indianapolis and other metros accept HIP, Hoosier Care Connect, or Hoosier Healthwise. Birth-center delivery is fully Medicaid-covered with the same eligibility as hospital delivery.
CNM-staffed hospital practice. Some Indiana hospitals have CNM-led maternity programs that approximate midwifery-style care while keeping the birth in a covered setting. Indiana University Health and Community Health Network both have CNM teams.
If neither of these works and you want planned home birth specifically, paying out of pocket for the midwife's services while keeping Indiana Medicaid for everything else is the standard workflow.
Bottom line: Indiana Medicaid does not cover planned home birth. [1] CNM-attended hospital and licensed birth-center deliveries are fully covered, [2] and prenatal care, labs, and hospital transfer remain covered even when the home birth itself is paid out of pocket. The 2024 HB 1028 legislative effort to add home birth coverage did not pass. Families wanting home birth on Indiana Medicaid typically pay the midwife privately while using Medicaid for ancillary services. CNM-staffed birth centers are a fully-covered out-of-hospital alternative.
- Indiana General Assembly. House Bill 1028: Medicaid coverage for pregnancy services. 2024 (did not pass). View source
- Social Security Act § 1905(a)(17), 42 U.S.C. § 1396d(a)(17). Mandatory Medicaid coverage of nurse-midwife services. View source
- National Academy for State Health Policy. State Medicaid Coverage of Certified Nurse Midwives. 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].