South Carolina H 3108: Public office

Bill Text

2025-2026 Bill 3108 Text of Previous Version (Dec. 06, 2024) - South Carolina Legislature Online 

South Carolina General Assembly
126th Session, 2025-2026

Bill 3108

Indicates Matter Stricken
Indicates New Matter

(Text matches printed bills. Document has been reformatted to meet World Wide Web specifications.)

A bill

TO AMEND THE SOUTH CAROLINA CODE OF LAWS BY ADDING CHAPTER 
145 TO TITLE 44 SO AS TO ALLOW REIMBURSEMENT FOR DOULA SERVICES UNDER CERTAIN 
CIRCUMSTANCES AND TO REQUIRE COVERAGE OF SUCH SERVICES THROUGH PRIVATE INSURANCE 
AND MEDICAID, WITH EXCEPTIONS; TO SET FORTH CRITERIA FOR MEDICAID COVERAGE OF 
DOULA SERVICES; TO CREATE A SCOPE OF PRACTICE FOR DOULAS; TO PROVIDE FOR THE 
ESTABLISHMENT OF A DOULA CERTIFICATION ORGANIZATION AND TO REQUIRE THE 
ORGANIZATION TO PROMULGATE REGULATIONS FOR STATEWIDE CERTIFICATION; TO PROVIDE 
FOR THE CREATION OF A STATEWIDE REGISTRY FOR CERTIFIED DOULAS; AND FOR OTHER 
PURPOSES; AND BY ADDING SECTION 38-71-134 SO AS TO REQUIRE CERTAIN INSURANCE 
CONTRACTS TO PROVIDE COVERAGE FOR THE SERVICES OF PERINATAL DOULAS AND TO 
REQUIRE UTILIZATION REPORTING BY THE DEPARTMENT OF INSURANCE.

Be it enacted by the 
General Assembly of the State of South Carolina:

SECTION 1. Title 44 of the S.C. Code is amended by adding:

 CHAPTER 
145

Doulas

 Section 
44-145-10. As used in this chapter:

 (1) 
"Accountable care" means an accountable care entity that helps coordinate the 
medical care provided to Medicaid-eligible patients.

 (2) 
"Antepartum" means the period of pregnancy before labor or childbirth.

 (3) "Community-based organization or (CBO)" means a 
public or private nonprofit organization that is representative of a community 
or significant segments of a community and engaged in meeting that community's 
needs in the areas of social, human, or health services.

 (4) 
"Competencies" means key skills and applied knowledge necessary for doulas to 
be effective in the work field and carry out their roles.

 (5) 
"Contact hour" means an hour of classroom, group, or distance learning 
training, and does not include homework time, preparatory reading, or 
practicum.

 (6) 
"Doula" or "perinatal doula" means a trained professional providing continuous 
physical, emotional and informational support to a pregnant individual, from 
antepartum, intrapartum, and up to the first twelve months of the postpartum 
period. Doulas also provide assistance by referring childbearing individuals to 
CBOs and certified and licensed perinatal professionals in multiple 
disciplines.

 (7) 
"Doula certification organization" means the South Carolina certification board 
for doulas.

 (8) 
"Doula services" means services provided by a certified doula as enumerated in 
Section 44-145-30.

 (9) 
"Doula training organization" means an entity, nationally or internationally, 
recognized by the doula certification organization for training perinatal 
doulas whose educational requirements includes the core curriculum topics 
described in this chapter. These doula training organizations shall include, 
but not be limited to, the International Childbirth Education Association 
(ICEA), the Doulas of North America (DONA), ToLabor, Birthworks, the Childbirth 
and Postpartum Professional Association (CAPPA), Childbirth International, the 
International Center for Traditional Childbearing, and Commonsense Childbirth, 
Inc.

 (10) 
"Fee-for-service" means a payment model where services are unbundled and paid 
for separately.

 (11) 
"Insurer" means every nonprofit medical service corporation, hospital service 
corporation, health maintenance organization, program that provides free or 
low-cost health coverage to low-income individuals, or other insurer offering 
and insuring health services.

 (12) 
"International board-certified lactation consultant" or "IBCLC" means a 
healthcare professional who specializes in the clinical management of 
breastfeeding.

 (13) 
"Intrapartum" means the period of pregnancy during labor and delivery or 
childbirth. Services at this period are rendered to the pregnant individual.

 (14) 
"Managed care" means providing for the delivery of Medicaid health benefits and 
additional services through contracted arrangements between state Medicaid 
agencies and managed care organizations (MCOs) that accept a set per member per 
month (capitation) payment for these services.

 (15) 
"Postpartum" means one year after a pregnancy ends.

 (16) 
"Private insurers" means insurance financed through payments that a 
policyholder agrees to make for coverage under a given insurance policy issued 
by an insurer to a covered person.

 (17) 
"Registry" means a list of doulas, maintained by the doula certification 
organization.

 (18) 
"State medical assistance program" means the South Carolina Medicaid program.

 Section 
44-145-20. (A) Doula services shall 
be eligible for coverage throughout South Carolina for childbearing individuals 
through private insurance and Medicaid.

 (B) Doula