Does Michigan Medicaid Cover Home Birth? 2026 Coverage Rules for CNMs, Licensed Midwives, and What Medicaid Actually Pays
No for the birth itself. The Michigan Medicaid Provider Manual states that deliveries performed by a Certified Nurse-Midwife are covered in a licensed hospital setting only, and that home deliveries and the services associated with them are not covered. [2] Michigan does license Certified Professional Midwives as state Licensed Midwives, [3] but Medicaid does not enroll them as providers. [4] Medicaid still pays for prenatal care, labs, postpartum care, newborn care, doula support, and any hospital transfer. [2] [5] Families planning a home birth in Michigan typically pay the midwife fee out of pocket and keep Medicaid active for everything around it. Confirm current policy with your Medicaid Health Plan before you commit.
Michigan is an unusual state: it licenses Certified Professional Midwives as Licensed Midwives, [3] yet its Medicaid program pays for deliveries only in licensed hospitals. [2] The Medicaid Provider Manual excludes home deliveries outright, and licensed midwives are not an enrollable Medicaid provider type. [2] [4] That gap shapes every budget conversation for Michigan families on Medicaid who want a home birth. This guide explains what Michigan Medicaid actually covers in 2026, what it excludes, and how families plan around the exclusion.
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Sources cited (6)
- Social Security Act § 1905(a)(17)
- MI Medicaid Provider Manual, Practitioner § 22 (2026)
- MCL 333.17101, Part 171 Midwifery
- NASHP, Medicaid Financing of Midwifery Services (2023)
- MI DHHS Healthy Moms Healthy Babies
- MHA on PA 252 of 2024 (birth center licensure)
Does Michigan Medicaid cover home birth?
No. The Michigan Medicaid Provider Manual is explicit: deliveries performed by a CNM are covered in a licensed hospital setting only, and home deliveries and services associated with these deliveries are not covered. [2] The rule sits in the Practitioner chapter of the manual, has applied since bulletin MSA 19-09 took effect in May 2019, and remains unchanged in the July 2026 manual. [2]
The exclusion works in both directions. A CNM who attends a home birth cannot bill Michigan Medicaid for that delivery. A Licensed Midwife, which is Michigan's licensure category for CPMs, cannot bill Michigan Medicaid at all, because licensed midwives are not an enrollable provider type. [4] Michigan is not among the 18 states plus DC that reimburse midwives without a nursing degree through Medicaid. [4]
What Medicaid does cover: prenatal visits, labs, ultrasounds, postpartum care, newborn care, doula services, and hospital care including a transfer during a planned home birth. [2] [5] The birth itself is the uncovered piece.
Which midwife credentials does Michigan Medicaid cover?
Michigan licenses two midwifery credentials, but Medicaid enrolls only one.
Certified Nurse-Midwives (CNMs) are licensed by the Michigan Board of Nursing as advanced practice registered nurses. CNM services are a federal Medicaid mandatory benefit under Section 1905(a)(17), [1] and Michigan Medicaid covers their antepartum care, hospital deliveries, postpartum care, and newborn care. [2] The federal mandate covers the provider type, not the setting: Michigan applies it with a hospital-only delivery rule. [2]
Licensed Midwives (LMs) are Michigan's licensure category for Certified Professional Midwives, created under Part 171 of the Public Health Code and required for practice since August 1, 2019. [3] Licensed Midwives legally attend home births across the state. They are not an enrollable Michigan Medicaid provider type, so their services cannot be billed to Medicaid in any setting. [4]
| CREDENTIAL | MI MEDICAID COVERAGE | PRACTICE SETTING |
|---|---|---|
| Certified Nurse-Midwife (CNM) | Covered; deliveries in hospital only [2] | Hospital for Medicaid billing; home birth legal but not billable |
| Licensed Midwife (CPM) | Not an enrollable provider type [4] | Home and birth center, out of pocket |
| Freestanding birth center | Place-of-service code 25 not recognized [2] | State licensure new under PA 252 of 2024 [6] |
How does Michigan Medicaid reimburse home birth midwives?
It doesn't, for the home birth itself. Reimbursement flows only for covered settings and enrolled provider types. Most Michigan beneficiaries are enrolled in one of nine Medicaid Health Plans under contracts that took effect in October 2024; the rest are in fee-for-service. Either way, the Provider Manual's hospital-only delivery rule applies. [2]
For covered CNM care, Michigan pays global maternity codes (CPT 59400 for vaginal delivery) through December 31, 2026; national coding changes split maternity billing into separate codes on January 1, 2027. Antepartum and postpartum services remain billable even when the delivery happens outside a covered setting, which is why families who plan home births keep Medicaid active for the wraparound care. [2]
Birth centers are a moving target. Michigan created freestanding birth center licensure through Public Act 252 of 2024, signed in January 2025, [6] but the Medicaid manual still lists Birthing Center (place of service 25) among the codes it does not recognize for reimbursement. [2] Watch MDHHS bulletins for a coverage policy to follow licensure.
How do Michigan families on Medicaid plan for a home birth?
Since the birth itself is not covered, planning means splitting the costs: private pay for the midwife, Medicaid for everything around her. Four steps make the split work.
Confirm what your plan covers in writing
Call your Medicaid Health Plan and ask which maternity services are covered when you plan a home birth: prenatal visits, labs, ultrasounds, postpartum care, newborn care, and doula services. Document the answer with date and reference number.
Get the midwife's cash fee and what it includes
Michigan Licensed Midwives and home-birth CNMs quote flat fees. Ask what the fee includes, whether labs and birth supplies are extra, and whether the practice offers payment plans or sliding scales.
Use the doula benefit
Michigan Medicaid has covered doula services since January 2023. [5] Doulas on the MDHHS Doula Registry can bill Medicaid for prenatal, birth, and postpartum support visits. Ask your plan how to connect with a registered doula; this support is covered even when the birth fee is not.
Keep Medicaid active for transfer and newborn care
If labor needs a higher level of care, hospital admission and the hospital birth are covered as usual. Newborn exams, screenings, and postpartum visits with enrolled providers are also covered. Make sure your midwife has your enrollment details ready for a smooth transfer.
What if you want a midwife-attended home birth in Michigan?
Home birth is legal and regulated in Michigan; it just isn't a Medicaid benefit. Three ways families put it together:
Pay the midwife fee out of pocket, keep Medicaid for everything else. A Licensed Midwife or home-birth CNM charges a private fee for prenatal care and the birth. Medicaid keeps paying for labs, ultrasounds, postpartum care, newborn care, doula support, and any hospital transfer through enrolled providers. [2] [5]
Verify the license before you hire. Michigan licenses midwives through LARA under Part 171 of the Public Health Code. [3] Every non-nurse midwife attending Michigan home births should hold a current Licensed Midwife credential; verify it through the state's license lookup before signing a contract.
Use a hospital CNM as the covered alternative. CNM-attended hospital birth is fully covered by Michigan Medicaid, [2] and several Michigan hospital systems run midwifery-led units.
For a full guide to home birth midwives in Michigan, including licensing, costs by region, and what to ask before hiring, see our Michigan home birth midwife guide.
Bottom line: Michigan Medicaid does not pay for home birth. The Provider Manual covers CNM deliveries in licensed hospitals only and excludes home deliveries, [2] and Licensed Midwives, Michigan's CPM licensure category since 2019, cannot enroll as Medicaid providers. [3] [4] What Medicaid does cover around a home birth is substantial: prenatal care, labs, postpartum visits, newborn care, doula services since 2023, and hospital transfer. [2] [5] Budget for the midwife fee out of pocket, confirm the wraparound coverage with your Medicaid Health Plan in writing, and verify any midwife's license through LARA before hiring.
- Social Security Act § 1905(a)(17), 42 U.S.C. § 1396d(a)(17). Mandatory Medicaid coverage of nurse-midwife services. View source
- Michigan Department of Health and Human Services. Medicaid Provider Manual, Practitioner Chapter, Section 22: Certified Nurse Midwife. Version July 1, 2026. View source
- Michigan Compiled Laws § 333.17101 et seq. Public Health Code Part 171: Midwifery. View source
- National Academy for State Health Policy. Medicaid Financing of Midwifery Services: A 50-State Analysis. May 2023. View source
- Michigan Department of Health and Human Services. Healthy Moms Healthy Babies. View source
- Michigan Health & Hospital Association. Legislation on Maternal Healthcare Access and Preserving Healthy Michigan Plan Coverage Becomes Law. January 2025. View source
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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.
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