Does Nevada Medicaid Cover Home Birth?2026 CNM Coverage and Why CPMs Cannot Bill Nevada Medicaid

Yes when attended by a CNM. Nevada Medicaid covers Certified Nurse-Midwife services as a federal Medicaid mandatory benefit under Nevada Revised Statutes § 422.272405. ^[1] CNM services are reimbursed in any setting where the CNM is licensed to practice, including planned home birth.

For home birth midwives who aren't CNMs (such as CPMs or other direct-entry midwives), Nevada Medicaid coverage does not exist. ^[2] Nevada has no state regulation for home birth midwives, which means there's no state credential to enroll as a Medicaid provider against. CPMs and other non-CNM midwives can practice in Nevada under their national NARM credential or training, but they cannot bill Nevada Medicaid for services regardless of family Medicaid status.

The practical implication: CNM-attended home birth is reliably Medicaid-covered in Nevada. CPM-attended home birth requires out-of-pocket payment, with Medicaid covering prenatal labs, ultrasounds, and any hospital transfer when ordered through Medicaid-enrolled providers.

Nevada Medicaid recognizes one midwifery credential.

Certified Nurse-Midwives (CNMs) are licensed by the Nevada State Board of Nursing as Advanced Practice Registered Nurses. CNM services are a federal Medicaid mandatory benefit under § 1905(a)(17), ^[3] and Nevada specifically authorizes Medicaid reimbursement for APRN services through Nevada Revised Statutes § 422.272405. ^[1]

Certified Professional Midwives (CPMs) are not state-licensed in Nevada. ^[2] CPMs can practice in Nevada under their NARM credential, but the absence of state licensure means they cannot enroll as Nevada Medicaid providers. CPM-attended home birth must be paid out of pocket.

The absence of CPM licensure is unusual nationally. About 37 states license CPMs in some form. ^[4] Nevada's gap leaves out-of-hospital midwifery in a partial regulatory void: legal but unbilled to Medicaid.

Nevada Medicaid is delivered through fee-for-service Medicaid and managed care plans (Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield Healthcare Solutions, Health Plan of Nevada Medicaid, Molina Healthcare, SilverSummit Healthplan, and others). Each MCO administers Medicaid for its members within Nevada Department of Health and Human Services guidelines.

For CNM services (CPT 59400 global maternity care), Nevada Medicaid reimburses CNMs through the Provider Type 74 (Nurse Midwife) billing structure detailed in the Nevada Medicaid billing guide. ^[5] CNMs in Nevada can attend planned home births and bill at the standard fee schedule. Most home-birth-attending CNMs in Nevada are concentrated in Las Vegas and the Reno-Carson City corridor.

For non-CNM midwives, the reimbursement question is moot because they cannot enroll as Nevada Medicaid providers due to the licensure gap. ^[2]

Nevada's home birth-attending CNM community is concentrated in Las Vegas and the Reno-Carson City corridor. The Northern Nevada Midwives Association and individual practices serve Nevada Medicaid families.

Three options exist if you can't find a Medicaid-accepting CNM with home-birth capacity:

Hospital-based CNM care. Nevada Medicaid fully covers hospital-based CNM-attended birth. Both Las Vegas and Reno have CNM-staffed maternity programs.

Use a CNM-staffed birth center. Some Nevada birth centers staff CNMs and accept Medicaid. Birth-center delivery is fully covered with the same Medicaid eligibility as hospital delivery.

Pay out of pocket for a CPM. Nevada CPMs can practice under their NARM credential without state licensure. Some Nevada families pay private-pay for a CPM home birth attendance while keeping Medicaid for prenatal labs, ultrasounds, and any hospital transfer (when those are ordered through Medicaid-enrolled providers, which CPMs are not). Coordinate parallel prenatal labs through a Medicaid-enrolled OB or family physician.