Does Maryland Medicaid Cover Home Birth? 2026 HealthChoice Coverage and the Baltimore CNM Pool
Yes for CNMs. Maryland Medicaid (HealthChoice) covers Certified Nurse-Midwife-attended home birth when the CNM is an enrolled Medicaid provider. [1] CNMs are also eligible providers for Maryland's value-based payment metrics on prenatal and postpartum care. [1] CPMs are not Medicaid-eligible providers in Maryland; CPM-attended home birth must be paid out of pocket. [2]
Maryland has a CNM-friendly Medicaid program but limited recognition of Certified Professional Midwives. The state's HealthChoice managed care program covers CNM services in any setting where the CNM is licensed, including home birth, [1] but does not yet recognize CPMs as Medicaid-eligible providers. [2] Baltimore has one of the deeper home birth midwifery communities in the country (28+ practitioners listed in our directory), and the Charm City Midwives practice serves Maryland Medicaid families. This guide explains the framework and the practical search.
On this page
Sources cited (4)
- MD HealthChoice Coverage
- Maryland Health Department CPM Policy Brief
- Home Birth Partners Baltimore Directory
- Social Security Act § 1905(a)(17)
Does Maryland Medicaid cover home birth?
Yes when attended by a CNM. Maryland Medicaid (HealthChoice) covers Certified Nurse-Midwife services in any setting where the CNM is licensed to practice, [1] including planned home birth. The CNM must be an enrolled Maryland Medicaid provider for billing to work. Maryland's HealthChoice MCOs also include CNMs as eligible providers for value-based payment metrics related to prenatal and postpartum care timeliness. [1]
For Certified Professional Midwives, Maryland Medicaid coverage is more limited. The state has not yet recognized CPMs as Medicaid-eligible providers. [2] Maryland CPMs cannot bill HealthChoice or fee-for-service Medicaid for home birth services regardless of the CPM's training or the family's Medicaid status. CPM-attended home birth must be paid out of pocket.
Which midwife credentials does Maryland Medicaid cover?
Maryland Medicaid recognizes one midwifery credential.
Certified Nurse-Midwives (CNMs) are licensed by the Maryland Board of Nursing as advanced practice registered nurses. CNM services are a federal Medicaid mandatory benefit under § 1905(a)(17), [1] and Maryland's HealthChoice MCOs are required to include CNMs as covered providers. [4] CNMs in Maryland can attend planned home birth and bill HealthChoice when enrolled.
Certified Professional Midwives (CPMs) are not yet recognized as Medicaid-eligible providers in Maryland. [2] Maryland licenses CPMs through a state credential, but the state has not extended HealthChoice billing privileges to them. CPM-attended home birth in Maryland is private-pay only.
The split , CNM-eligible, CPM-not , is common across about half of U.S. states. Maryland advocacy groups have proposed CPM Medicaid expansion, but no legislation has passed as of mid-2026.
| CREDENTIAL | MD MEDICAID COVERAGE | PRACTICE SETTING |
|---|---|---|
| Certified Nurse-Midwife (CNM) | Yes when enrolled (federal mandate) [1] | Hospital, birth center, home |
| Certified Professional Midwife (CPM) | Not Medicaid-eligible [2] | Out-of-pocket only |
| Birth center facility | Covered when enrolled | Freestanding birth center |
How does Maryland HealthChoice reimburse home birth midwives?
HealthChoice is delivered through nine MCOs (Aetna Better Health of Maryland, AmeriHealth Caritas Maryland, CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield Community Health Plan, Jai Medical Systems, Kaiser Permanente of the Mid-Atlantic States, Maryland Physicians Care, MedStar Family Choice, UnitedHealthcare Community Plan, Wellpoint Maryland). Each MCO administers Medicaid for its members within HealthChoice guidelines.
For CNM services (CPT 59400 global maternity care), HealthChoice MCOs reimburse at the standard fee schedule, with additional value-based payment incentives for plans that meet timeliness-of-care metrics. [1] Maryland is among the states with reasonable CNM payment parity, though specific MCO contracts vary.
For CPMs, the reimbursement question is moot because CPMs cannot enroll as Maryland Medicaid billing providers. [2] Some Maryland families arrange split coverage: CPM home birth attendance is paid out of pocket while HealthChoice covers prenatal labs, ultrasounds, and any hospital transfer.
How do you find a HealthChoice-accepting midwife in Maryland?
Maryland's home birth midwifery community is concentrated in Baltimore (28+ practitioners), DC suburbs in Montgomery and Prince George's counties, and the Annapolis area. Charm City Midwives in Baltimore is one practice with public information about HealthChoice billing.
Identify your HealthChoice MCO
Your Medicaid enrollment confirmation lists which of the nine HealthChoice MCOs you're on. Plans differ in midwife network coverage.
Pull your MCO's midwife provider directory
Search your plan's online directory for "midwife" or "certified nurse-midwife." Note both CNM and CPM listings; CPMs in the directory cannot bill Medicaid in Maryland but may still accept private-pay clients.
Cross-reference with state midwife directories
The Association of Maryland Midwives and Home Birth Partners both maintain provider directories. Cross-reference with your HealthChoice MCO's network.
Confirm Medicaid enrollment by phone
Ask each practice: "Are you a HealthChoice-billing CNM, and do you attend planned home births?" If you're considering a CPM, ask: "Can you arrange split-coverage where I use HealthChoice for prenatal labs and pay you out of pocket for the home birth itself?"
What if you want a CPM-attended home birth in Maryland?
Because Maryland does not yet recognize CPMs as Medicaid-eligible providers, [2] there is no HealthChoice pathway for a CPM-attended home birth. Three options exist:
Pay out of pocket plus HealthChoice for prenatal/transfer. Some Maryland families pay private-pay for a CPM (operating legally under Maryland's CPM license but without Medicaid billing privileges) while keeping HealthChoice for prenatal labs, ultrasounds, and any hospital transfer.
Choose a CNM with home-birth practice. Maryland CNMs offering planned home birth are concentrated in Baltimore and DC suburbs. CNM-attended home birth is fully HealthChoice-covered.
Use a CNM-staffed birth center. Special Beginnings Birth Center in Arnold and a few other Maryland birth centers staff CNMs and accept HealthChoice. Birth-center delivery is fully covered with the same Medicaid eligibility as hospital delivery.
Bottom line: Maryland HealthChoice covers CNM-attended home birth as a federal mandatory benefit when the CNM is enrolled, [1] and Maryland CNMs are also eligible for value-based payment incentives. [1] CPMs are not Medicaid-eligible providers in Maryland, [2] which means CPM-attended home birth must be paid out of pocket. Baltimore has one of the deepest home birth midwifery pools in the country. Use your HealthChoice MCO's directory plus the Association of Maryland Midwives, confirm panel status by phone, and consider CNM-staffed birth centers as a fully-covered fallback if no in-network home birth CNM is available.
- Maryland Department of Health, Maryland HealthChoice. HealthChoice Program. View source
- Maryland Department of Health. Certified Professional Midwife: Recognizing a Valued Maternity Care Provider. View source
- Home Birth Partners. Home Birth Midwives in Baltimore, Maryland. View source
- Social Security Act § 1905(a)(17), 42 U.S.C. § 1396d(a)(17). Mandatory Medicaid coverage of nurse-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].