Does New Hampshire Medicaid Cover Home Birth? 2026 Coverage for the NH Certified Midwife and CNM Credentials
Yes for CNMs, less clearly for NHCMs. New Hampshire Medicaid covers Certified Nurse-Midwife services in any setting, including home birth, as a federal mandatory benefit. [1] New Hampshire also recognizes the New Hampshire Certified Midwife (NHCM) credential, regulated by the NH Midwifery Council. [2] National tracking organizations include New Hampshire among the 14 states with non-nurse midwife Medicaid coverage, [3] but primary-source confirmation of NHCM Medicaid billing in practice is harder to find. Confirm current policy with NH DHHS before committing to a provider.
New Hampshire's home birth landscape sits in a confusing place between national tracking and state policy. NH licenses its own midwifery credential , the New Hampshire Certified Midwife , and includes it among NACPM's 14 CPM-covered Medicaid states, [3] but primary-source NH DHHS materials don't make NHCM Medicaid billing as clear as the policy summaries suggest. CNM coverage is fully reliable. This guide walks through both, with explicit notes about where data is murky.
On this page
Sources cited (4)
- Social Security Act § 1905(a)(17)
- NH DHHS Medicaid Prenatal and Postpartum
- NACPM Medicaid Reimbursement Rates (2025)
- NASHP, Medicaid Financing of Midwifery Services (2023)
Does New Hampshire Medicaid cover home birth?
Yes when attended by a CNM. New Hampshire Medicaid covers Certified Nurse-Midwife services in any setting where a CNM is licensed to practice, including planned home birth, as a federal Medicaid mandatory benefit. [1]
For NH Certified Midwife coverage, the answer is less clear. National tracking organizations like NACPM list New Hampshire among the 14 states whose Medicaid programs include non-nurse midwives. [3] New Hampshire does have its own NHCM credential. [2] However, primary-source NH Department of Health and Human Services materials don't explicitly document NHCM Medicaid billing workflow, which suggests either that practical billing is handled at the MCO level rather than statewide, or that the national tracking is ahead of the state's operational implementation.
For families on New Hampshire Medicaid considering an NHCM-attended home birth, the safest approach is to confirm directly with NH DHHS Medicaid and your specific MCO before committing.
Which midwife credentials does New Hampshire Medicaid cover?
New Hampshire recognizes two midwifery credentials.
Certified Nurse-Midwives (CNMs) are licensed by the New Hampshire Board of Nursing as advanced practice registered nurses. CNM services are a federal Medicaid mandatory benefit under § 1905(a)(17) and are reimbursable in any setting where the CNM is licensed to practice. [1]
New Hampshire Certified Midwives (NHCMs) are credentialed by the New Hampshire Midwifery Council. [2] The NHCM credential is the state's pathway for non-nurse midwives. NHCMs typically hold the NARM Certified Professional Midwife credential plus NH-specific licensure. While the credential exists and home birth is legally permitted in New Hampshire, [2] the practical Medicaid billing workflow for NHCMs is less well-documented in primary sources than for CNMs.
If you want an NHCM-attended home birth on Medicaid, ask each midwife you call: "Are you currently enrolled with NH Medicaid as a billing provider, and have you successfully billed Medicaid for home birth services in 2025 or 2026?"
| CREDENTIAL | NH MEDICAID COVERAGE | PRACTICE SETTING |
|---|---|---|
| Certified Nurse-Midwife (CNM) | Yes (federal mandate) [1] | Hospital, birth center, home |
| NH Certified Midwife (NHCM) | Listed nationally; uncertain at NH DHHS level [3] | Birth center or home |
| NARM CPM credential | Required for most NHCMs [2] | Bundled with state license |
How does New Hampshire Medicaid reimburse home birth midwives?
New Hampshire Medicaid is delivered through both fee-for-service Medicaid and Medicaid Care Management plans (NH Healthy Families, Well Sense Health Plan, AmeriHealth Caritas New Hampshire). Each plan administers Medicaid for its members within NH DHHS guidelines.
For CNM services (CPT 59400 global maternity care), reimbursement falls within the NH Medicaid fee schedule. Per NASHP analysis, New Hampshire is among the states reimbursing CNMs at competitive rates within physician parity. [4]
For NHCMs, the reimbursement question is harder to answer from primary sources. The state-level coverage policy and the operational MCO workflow may not always align, and individual practices report varying experience with successfully billing NH Medicaid for NHCM-attended home birth. Confirm with each midwife you consider hiring.
How do you find a Medicaid-accepting midwife in New Hampshire?
New Hampshire's home birth midwifery community is concentrated in the southeast (Portsmouth, Manchester, Concord) and around the Lakes Region. The NH Midwives Association is a useful starting point.
Identify your Medicaid plan
Are you on NH Medicaid fee-for-service or one of the Medicaid Care Management plans? Your enrollment confirmation lists yours.
Search for licensed midwives by region
Home Birth Partners and the NH Midwives Association both maintain provider directories. Most NHCMs and home-birth-attending CNMs serve the southeastern New Hampshire corridor.
Ask specifically about Medicaid billing experience
Because NHCM Medicaid billing is less standardized than CNM billing, ask each midwife: "Have you successfully billed [my Medicaid plan] for home birth services in 2025 or 2026? What was the outcome?"
Confirm current policy with NH DHHS
Call NH DHHS Medicaid Member Services and ask directly: "Does New Hampshire Medicaid currently reimburse New Hampshire Certified Midwives for planned home birth?" Document the answer with date and reference number.
What if NHCM Medicaid billing isn't working in your area?
If you confirm with NH DHHS or local NHCMs that NH Medicaid isn't reliably reimbursing NHCM-attended home birth, three options exist:
Find a CNM offering planned home birth. New Hampshire CNMs who attend home births exist but are fewer than NHCMs. Cross-reference the NH ACNM Affiliate with the NH Midwives Association to find them.
Use a freestanding birth center. Several New Hampshire and Massachusetts border-region birth centers staff CNMs and accept NH Medicaid. Birth-center delivery is fully covered with the same Medicaid eligibility as hospital delivery.
Hire an NHCM out of pocket plus Medicaid for prenatal labs and hospital backup. Some NH families pay private-pay for the NHCM's home-birth attendance while keeping Medicaid for prenatal labs, ultrasounds, and any hospital transfer.
For a full guide to home birth midwives in New Hampshire, including licensing, costs by region, and what to ask before hiring, see our New Hampshire home birth midwife guide.
Bottom line: New Hampshire Medicaid reliably covers CNM-attended home birth as a federal mandatory benefit. [1] NHCM Medicaid coverage is listed in national tracking, [3] but primary-source NH DHHS materials are less clear, and individual NHCM practices vary in their experience with successful Medicaid billing. If you're on NH Medicaid and want an NHCM-attended home birth, confirm in writing with NH DHHS and with each midwife you call. CNM-staffed hospital and birth-center care are fully-covered fallbacks.
- Social Security Act § 1905(a)(17), 42 U.S.C. § 1396d(a)(17). Mandatory Medicaid coverage of nurse-midwife services. View source
- New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services. Medicaid Prenatal and Postpartum Care Programs. View source
- National Association of Certified Professional Midwives. Medicaid Reimbursement Rates by State. 2025. View source
- National Academy for State Health Policy. Medicaid Financing of Midwifery Services: A 50-State Analysis. May 2023, updated April 2026. 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].