Does Wyoming Medicaid Cover Home Birth? 2026 Coverage for CNMs and State-Licensed Midwives, All Fee-for-Service
Yes for CNMs, and Wyoming's licensed midwives can enroll too. Wyoming Medicaid covers Certified Nurse-Midwife services as a federal mandatory benefit. [1] CNMs in Wyoming have full practice authority and can attend home births as part of their scope. [2] The state's Board of Midwifery licenses direct-entry midwives, [3] and Wyoming Medicaid reimburses licensed midwives who complete provider enrollment. [4,5] Wyoming has no Medicaid managed care; claims run fee-for-service. Confirm any midwife's Medicaid enrollment directly before you sign a contract.
Wyoming has one of the smaller Medicaid programs in the country and a small but real midwifery framework. The state grants CNMs full practice authority, [2] licenses direct-entry midwives through a Board of Midwifery created in 2010, [3] and reimburses both CNMs and enrolled licensed midwives through fee-for-service Medicaid. [1,4] The paperwork is workable. The binding constraint is geography: Wyoming has very few midwives of any credential, and much of the state sits far from the nearest one.
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Sources cited (5)
- Social Security Act § 1905(a)(17)
- Wyoming State Board of Nursing, Practice
- Wyoming Board of Midwifery
- NASHP Midwife Licensing and Reimbursement Chart (2022)
- WDH Notice, Addition of Licensed Midwives
Does Wyoming Medicaid cover home birth?
Yes when attended by an enrolled midwife. Wyoming Medicaid covers CNM services as a federal Medicaid mandatory benefit. [1] CNMs in Wyoming have full practice authority, allowing them to establish practices in underserved areas without collaborative agreements. [2] This matters in Wyoming because the state has substantial rural geography where physician collaboration would be impractical.
For direct-entry midwives, Wyoming licenses midwives through its Board of Midwifery, [3] and the state extended Medicaid enrollment to them: NASHP's chart of state midwife reimbursement policies lists Wyoming Medicaid as reimbursing licensed midwives who complete an enrollment application with a copy of their license, with midwifery services included in the global maternity payment. [4] The Wyoming Department of Health has published a public notice on the addition of licensed midwives as covered providers. [5] Not every licensed midwife enrolls, so ask each practice directly and confirm coverage with Wyoming Medicaid before relying on it.
Wyoming Medicaid is administered fee-for-service rather than through managed care plans. That simplifies the coverage question: there is no network to check, only whether the provider is enrolled and the service is covered for your eligibility category.
Which midwife credentials does Wyoming Medicaid cover?
Wyoming recognizes two midwifery credentials.
Certified Nurse-Midwives (CNMs) are licensed by the Wyoming State Board of Nursing as Advanced Practice Registered Nurses. CNMs have full practice authority. [2] CNM services are a federal Medicaid mandatory benefit. [1]
Direct-Entry Midwives / Licensed Midwives are credentialed by the Wyoming Board of Midwifery, which the legislature created in 2010. [3] Wyoming Medicaid reimburses licensed midwives who enroll as providers; enrollment requires an application with a copy of the license. [4,5] Enrollment is the midwife's choice, so confirm it practice by practice before counting on coverage.
| CREDENTIAL | WY MEDICAID COVERAGE | PRACTICE AUTHORITY |
|---|---|---|
| Certified Nurse-Midwife (CNM) | Yes (federal mandate) [1] | Full independent practice [2] |
| Direct-Entry / Licensed Midwife | Yes when enrolled with WY Medicaid [4,5] | State-licensed; home and birth center practice [3] |
How do you find a Wyoming Medicaid-accepting midwife for home birth?
Wyoming's home birth community is very small: a handful of CNMs and licensed midwives concentrated around Cheyenne, Casper, Laramie, and Jackson. Wyoming families in remote areas may need to travel substantial distances for any midwifery care.
For a full guide to home birth midwives in Wyoming, including licensing, costs by region, and what to ask before hiring, see our Wyoming home birth midwife guide.
Confirm your Wyoming Medicaid status
Wyoming Medicaid is fee-for-service. Your enrollment confirmation lists your status.
Search for CNMs and licensed midwives offering planned home birth
Use the Wyoming Board of Midwifery license lookup and the ACNM Wyoming Affiliate, then ask each practice whether it is enrolled with Wyoming Medicaid. [3] Most WY CNMs work in hospitals; licensed midwives are the state's dedicated out-of-hospital practitioners.
Use independent practice authority advantage
Wyoming's CNM independent practice rule means CNMs can practice without physician collaboration, [2] which makes home birth more feasible than in collaborative-practice states. Some Wyoming CNMs offer planned home birth as part of independent practice.
Plan for travel given Wyoming's geography
If you live in remote Wyoming, finding a local Medicaid-accepting CNM may not be feasible. Plan for travel or default to hospital-based CNM care in a metro area.
What if no Wyoming Medicaid CNM is in your area?
Wyoming has the smallest state population and one of the smallest home birth midwife pools of any state. Cheyenne and Casper have a few Medicaid-enrolled providers. Laramie and Jackson Hole have a small handful. Most of rural Wyoming has no Medicaid-enrolled midwife offering home birth within a reasonable distance.
If your area has no Medicaid-accepting midwife, options include:
Hospital birth with a CNM. Wyoming Medicaid reimburses CNM hospital births. Cheyenne Regional, Wyoming Medical Center (Casper), and St. John's (Jackson) all have midwifery presence.
Cross-state options. Cheyenne families often work with Colorado midwives in Fort Collins or Denver. Jackson Hole families sometimes work with Idaho midwives in Idaho Falls. Cross-state Medicaid coverage is generally not available; you must be enrolled in the resident state's Medicaid.
Verify the Wyoming license. Anyone practicing midwifery in Wyoming needs a Wyoming license, and the Board of Midwifery offers licensure by endorsement for midwives licensed in other states with comparable requirements. [3] If a midwife based in Colorado, Montana, Idaho, or Utah offers to attend your birth in Wyoming, check her name in the Board of Midwifery license lookup first. If she is not enrolled with Wyoming Medicaid, her fee is out of pocket; get the number in writing.
Distance and weather. Wyoming's distance and weather can make home birth attendance difficult during winter. Discuss winter logistics with any midwife you interview.
For a complete guide to Wyoming home birth covering licensing, distance, and what to ask, see our Wyoming home birth midwife guide.
Bottom line: Wyoming Medicaid covers CNM services as a federal mandatory benefit, [1] Wyoming CNMs have full practice authority, [2] and the state both licenses direct-entry midwives [3] and reimburses licensed midwives who enroll with Medicaid. [4,5] The realistic challenge is geography: midwives cluster around Cheyenne, Casper, Laramie, and Jackson, and outer regions have very few practitioners. Use the Board of Midwifery license lookup and the ACNM WY Affiliate to map options, confirm Medicaid enrollment with each practice, and fall back to hospital-based CNM care if no home-birth provider serves your area.
- Social Security Act § 1905(a)(17), 42 U.S.C. § 1396d(a)(17). Mandatory Medicaid coverage of nurse-midwife services. View source
- Wyoming State Board of Nursing. Practice: Advanced Practice Registered Nurse. View source
- State of Wyoming. Wyoming Board of Midwifery. View source
- National Academy for State Health Policy. Midwife Licensing and State Medicaid Reimbursement Policies. April 2022. View source
- Wyoming Department of Health. Public and Tribal Notice: Addition of Licensed Midwives. 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.
If you spot an error or have a primary source we should add, email [email protected].