Does Maryland Medicaid Cover Home Birth? 2026 HealthChoice Coverage and the Baltimore CNM Pool
Yes for CNMs, with plan caveats. Maryland Medicaid (HealthChoice) pays for Certified Nurse-Midwife care as a federal mandatory benefit, [1,4] and at least one Baltimore home birth practice reports in-network Medicaid billing through Wellpoint Maryland. [6] CPMs hold Maryland's Licensed Direct-Entry Midwife license but are not a Medicaid-enrolled provider type, so LDEM-attended home birth is paid out of pocket. [2] Confirm any midwife's enrollment with your specific MCO before you plan around coverage.
Maryland has a CNM-friendly Medicaid program but no Medicaid billing pathway for Licensed Direct-Entry Midwives, the license Maryland CPMs hold. [2] The state's HealthChoice managed care program covers CNM services through nine MCOs, [1] and Baltimore has one of the deeper home birth midwifery communities in the country (a handful of practitioners listed in our directory). [3] One Baltimore practice, Charm City Midwives, reports in-network Medicaid billing through Wellpoint Maryland. [6] This guide explains the framework and the practical search.
On this page
Sources cited (6)
- MD HealthChoice Program
- MACPAC Maternity Providers Brief (2023)
- Home Birth Partners directory
- Social Security Act § 1905(a)(17)
- NASHP Midwife Medicaid Tracker (2026)
- Charm City Midwives FAQ
Does Maryland Medicaid cover home birth?
Yes when attended by an enrolled CNM, with plan-level differences. Certified Nurse-Midwife services are a federal Medicaid mandatory benefit, [4] and Maryland's HealthChoice program covers CNM care through its managed care organizations. [1] Maryland home birth practices staffed by CNMs report billing HealthChoice MCOs for planned home birth; Charm City Midwives in Baltimore lists Wellpoint Maryland as its in-network Medicaid plan. [6] The CNM must be enrolled with your specific MCO for billing to work, so confirm enrollment by phone before hiring.
For Certified Professional Midwives, Maryland Medicaid coverage is not available. Maryland licenses CPMs as Licensed Direct-Entry Midwives through the Board of Nursing, but the state has not made LDEMs a Medicaid-enrolled provider type. [2] Maryland LDEMs cannot bill HealthChoice or fee-for-service Medicaid for home birth services regardless of the midwife's training or the family's Medicaid status. LDEM-attended home birth must be paid out of pocket.
Which midwife credentials does Maryland Medicaid cover?
Maryland licenses three midwifery credentials, and Medicaid treats them differently.
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), [4] and HealthChoice MCOs include CNMs as covered providers. [1] CNMs in Maryland can attend planned home birth and bill HealthChoice when enrolled with the member's MCO. [6]
Licensed Certified Midwives (LCMs) hold the American Midwifery Certification Board's CM credential, a graduate-level midwifery pathway without a nursing degree. MACPAC's 2023 review, citing ACNM data, lists Maryland among five jurisdictions whose Medicaid programs cover CM services. [2] Few LCMs practice in Maryland so far; ask any LCM directly about HealthChoice enrollment.
Licensed Direct-Entry Midwives (LDEMs) hold the NARM CPM credential plus Maryland licensure through the Board of Nursing. LDEMs specialize in out-of-hospital birth but are not a Maryland Medicaid provider type, [2] so LDEM-attended home birth is private-pay only.
Nationally, roughly 18 states plus DC reimburse midwives without a nursing degree through Medicaid; [5] Maryland's LDEMs are not among them, and no LDEM Medicaid billing legislation had passed as of mid-2026.
| CREDENTIAL | MD MEDICAID COVERAGE | PRACTICE SETTING |
|---|---|---|
| Certified Nurse-Midwife (CNM) | Yes when enrolled (federal mandate) [1,4] | Hospital, birth center, home |
| Licensed Certified Midwife (LCM) | Listed as covered in MACPAC data; confirm with MCO [2] | Hospital, birth center |
| Licensed Direct-Entry Midwife (CPM) | Not a Medicaid provider type [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, CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield Community Health Plan Maryland, Jai Medical Systems, Kaiser Permanente of the Mid-Atlantic States, Maryland Physicians Care, MedStar Family Choice, Priority Partners, UnitedHealthcare Community Plan, and Wellpoint Maryland (formerly Amerigroup). [1] Each MCO administers Medicaid for its members within HealthChoice guidelines and runs its own provider network, which is why one home birth practice can be in-network with a single MCO and out-of-network with the other eight. [6]
For CNM services (CPT 59400 global maternity care), HealthChoice MCOs pay at their contracted fee schedules, which vary by plan. Ask the practice what your specific MCO pays and what balance, if any, falls to you.
For LDEMs, the reimbursement question is moot because LDEMs cannot enroll as Maryland Medicaid billing providers. [2] Some Maryland families arrange split coverage: LDEM home birth attendance is paid out of pocket while HealthChoice covers prenatal labs, ultrasounds, and any hospital transfer through enrolled providers.
How do you find a HealthChoice-accepting midwife in Maryland?
Maryland's home birth midwifery community is concentrated in Baltimore (a handful of 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 the credential on each listing; LDEMs cannot bill Medicaid in Maryland but may still accept private-pay clients.
Cross-reference with state midwife directories
The Association of Independent Midwives of Maryland (aimmidwives.org) runs a Find a Midwife map of home birth practices, and Home Birth Partners maintains its own Maryland directory. Cross-reference with your HealthChoice MCO's network.
Confirm Medicaid enrollment by phone
Ask each practice: "Are you a HealthChoice-billing CNM, which MCOs are you in-network with, and do you attend planned home births?" If you're considering an LDEM, 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 has not made LDEMs a Medicaid-enrolled provider type, [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 an LDEM (operating legally under Maryland's direct-entry midwife 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 the DC suburbs. CNM-attended home birth can be billed to HealthChoice when the CNM is in-network with your MCO; [6] confirm before signing a contract.
Use a CNM-staffed birth center. Special Beginnings Birth Center in Arnold and a few other Maryland birth centers staff CNMs; ask each about HealthChoice participation. Birth-center delivery keeps the midwifery model in a facility setting Medicaid recognizes.
Bottom line: Maryland HealthChoice covers CNM care as a federal mandatory benefit when the CNM is enrolled, [1,4] and at least one Baltimore home birth practice reports in-network Medicaid billing through Wellpoint Maryland. [6] LDEMs, the license Maryland CPMs hold, are not a Medicaid provider type, [2] which means LDEM-attended home birth must be paid out of pocket. Baltimore has one of the deepest home birth midwifery pools in the country. [3] Use your HealthChoice MCO's directory plus the Association of Independent Midwives of Maryland, confirm enrollment by phone, and consider CNM-staffed birth centers as a fallback if no in-network home birth CNM is available.
- Maryland Department of Health, Maryland HealthChoice. HealthChoice Program. View source
- Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission. Access to Maternity Providers: Midwives and Birth Centers. May 2023. View source
- Home Birth Partners. Verified directory listings. Accessed July 2026.
- 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. Midwife Medicaid Reimbursement Policies by State. Updated April 2026. View source
- Charm City Midwives. Frequently Asked Questions. 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].