Does Minnesota Medical Assistance Cover Home Birth? 2026 MHCP Coverage, Licensed Traditional Midwives, and the Billing Fine Print
Yes. Minnesota Health Care Programs cover home pregnancy and birth services for members at low risk of complications, delivered by an MHCP-enrolled certified professional midwife, certified nurse-midwife, or physician. [1] Minnesota is one of 18 states plus DC whose Medicaid programs reimburse midwives without a nursing degree. [3] To bill MHCP, a CPM must hold a traditional midwife license from the Minnesota Board of Medical Practice, [4] and services from unlicensed midwives are not covered. [1] The written policy applies to fee-for-service coverage, so members in managed care plans should confirm the billing workflow with their plan and their midwife before committing.
Minnesota is one of the stronger Medicaid states for home birth. NASHP profiled it alongside Washington as a state whose Medicaid program supports diverse pathways to midwifery care, [2] and the MHCP provider manual spells out a real home birth benefit: low-risk pregnancy and delivery at home, attended by an enrolled certified professional midwife, certified nurse-midwife, or physician. [1] The fine print still matters. CPMs must hold Minnesota's traditional midwife license to enroll, [4] unlicensed midwives are never covered, [1] and managed care members should confirm billing with their plan. This guide explains what's covered and where to double-check.
On this page
Sources cited (6)
- MN DHS MHCP Provider Manual, Home Birth
- NASHP, MN + WA Midwifery Profile
- NASHP, Medicaid Financing of Midwifery Services (2023)
- MN DHS, CPM Enrollment Criteria
- Social Security Act § 1905(a)(17)
- Minn. Stat. ch. 147D
Does Minnesota Medical Assistance cover home birth?
Yes. Minnesota Health Care Programs (MHCP) cover low-risk pregnancy and delivery services provided at home when the home birth policy requirements are met. [1] Members with Medical Assistance or MinnesotaCare fee-for-service coverage are eligible if they are at low risk for pregnancy and delivery complications, documented through adequate prenatal care. [1]
Covered services include prenatal visits, laboratory work, ultrasound, low-risk labor and delivery, postpartum visits, lactation services, newborn care, and labor care before a hospital transfer when one becomes necessary. [1] Certain diagnoses rule out a covered home birth, including insulin-dependent diabetes, placenta previa at term, multiple gestation, a prior cesarean with an incision other than low transverse, and gestation under 36 weeks or past 43 weeks. [1]
Two boundaries to know. First, the eligible providers are MHCP-enrolled certified professional midwives, certified nurse-midwives, and physicians; services provided by an unlicensed midwife are not covered. [1] Second, the written policy governs fee-for-service claims. Most MHCP members are enrolled in managed care plans that follow MHCP coverage policy but run their own networks and billing, so confirm the workflow with your plan and your midwife before deciding Medicaid is the primary payer.
Which midwife credentials does Minnesota Medicaid cover?
Minnesota recognizes two midwifery credentials for Medicaid billing.
Certified Nurse-Midwives (CNMs) are licensed by the Minnesota Board of Nursing as advanced practice registered nurses. CNM services are a federal Medicaid mandatory benefit under § 1905(a)(17). [5]
Certified Professional Midwives (CPMs) bill MHCP through Minnesota's licensed traditional midwife framework. To enroll as a CPM with MHCP, the midwife must hold a traditional midwife license from the Minnesota Board of Medical Practice. [4] That license, governed by Minnesota Statutes chapter 147D, requires the NARM credentialing examination and education through a MEAC-approved program, plus documented clinical experience. [6]
The unusual part of Minnesota's regime: the licensed traditional midwife title is protected, but chapter 147D does not ban unlicensed traditional midwifery outright. [6] The distinction matters for coverage, because MHCP pays licensed, enrolled midwives only; services from an unlicensed midwife are never covered. [1]
| CREDENTIAL | MA COVERAGE | PRACTICE SETTING |
|---|---|---|
| Certified Nurse-Midwife (CNM) | Yes (federal mandate) [5] | Hospital, birth center, home |
| Licensed Traditional Midwife (CPM) | Yes if MHCP-enrolled [1] [4] | Birth center or home |
| Unlicensed traditional midwife | Not covered by MHCP [1] | Private pay only |
How does Minnesota Medicaid reimburse home birth midwives?
Minnesota's structure is one of two NASHP profiled (alongside Washington) as supporting diverse pathways to midwifery care. [2] Both CNMs and licensed traditional midwives bill MHCP for maternity care, through fee-for-service Medical Assistance and through MHCP managed care plans.
The manual gives home birth its own billing lane. Professional services bill on the standard 837P claim, and home birth supplies bill with code S8415, paid at 70 percent of the uncomplicated vaginal birth rate for hospitals, with the newborn screening card included. [1] If labor transfers to the hospital, the supplies claim takes a U5 modifier at 15 percent of that rate, and the hospital bills the delivery itself. [1]
What this means for your budget: much of a midwife's global fee can map to covered codes, but not always all of it. Ask your midwife which parts of her fee she bills to MHCP or your plan and which parts, if any, are billed to you. Get that answer in writing.
"Minnesota wrote home birth into its Medicaid manual: named provider types, a low-risk definition, and a billing code for the birth itself. Most states never get that specific.
On Minnesota's MHCP home birth policy
How do you find a Medicaid-accepting midwife in Minnesota?
Minnesota MHCP is administered through Medical Assistance fee-for-service and several managed care plans (Blue Plus, HealthPartners, Hennepin Health, Itasca Medical Care, Medica, PrimeWest, South Country Health Alliance, UCare). Each maintains its own provider network. The Twin Cities metro has the largest concentration of MHCP-enrolled midwives.
Identify your MHCP plan
Are you on fee-for-service Medical Assistance or one of the MHCP managed care plans? Your enrollment lists your plan.
Search the MHCP provider directory
DHS publishes a provider directory at mn.gov/dhs. Search for "midwife" or "certified nurse-midwife" in your county.
Cross-reference with the Minnesota Council of Certified Professional Midwives
The MN Council of CPMs maintains a directory of midwives by region. Cross-reference with your MHCP plan's network, and verify each midwife's traditional midwife license through the Minnesota Board of Medical Practice.
Confirm specific coverage with each midwife
Because plans and practices bill differently, ask each practice: "Which fees do you bill MHCP or my plan, and which fees do clients pay out of pocket?" Get the answer in writing before committing.
What about MinnesotaCare versus full Medical Assistance?
Minnesota offers two MHCP enrollment pathways: Medical Assistance (full Medicaid at lower income levels) and MinnesotaCare (a sliding-scale program for households with somewhat higher incomes that don't qualify for full MA).
Both pathways reach the same home birth benefit for low-risk pregnancies with enrolled providers. [1] The home birth policy is written for fee-for-service claims; members enrolled through a managed care plan get their coverage through that plan's network and billing rules, which follow MHCP coverage policy. The practical move is the same either way: ask your midwife which services she bills to your specific plan, and ask the plan to confirm home birth coverage before the third trimester.
If you're not sure which program you qualify for, the application at mn.gov/dhs determines eligibility automatically based on income.
For a full guide to home birth midwives in Minnesota, including licensing, costs by region, and what to ask before hiring, see our Minnesota home birth midwife guide.
Bottom line: Minnesota Medical Assistance covers home birth for low-risk pregnancies attended by MHCP-enrolled CNMs and CPMs who hold the state's traditional midwife license. [1] [4] NASHP profiled Minnesota for its diverse-pathways approach, [2] and the manual even prices the home birth supplies code at 70 percent of the hospital rate. [1] The checks that matter: verify the license, verify MHCP enrollment and plan network, and get the fee-versus-billing breakdown in writing. Unlicensed midwife services are never covered. [1] The Twin Cities metro has the most MHCP-accepting practices.
- Minnesota Department of Human Services. MHCP Provider Manual: Reproductive Health/OB-GYN, Home Birth. Revised June 15, 2026. View source
- National Academy for State Health Policy. Medicaid Reimbursement of Midwifery Services in Minnesota and Washington State Supports Diverse Pathways to Care. View source
- National Academy for State Health Policy. Medicaid Financing of Midwifery Services: A 50-State Analysis. May 2023. View source
- Minnesota Department of Human Services. Certified Professional Midwife Enrollment Criteria and Forms. Posted November 30, 2023. View source
- Social Security Act § 1905(a)(17), 42 U.S.C. § 1396d(a)(17). Mandatory Medicaid coverage of nurse-midwife services. View source
- Minnesota Statutes, chapter 147D. Traditional 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].