The Making of the Medi-Cal Doula Benefit, Community-Led Solutions in the Face of Systemic Barriers

The Medi-Cal Doula Benefit did not happen by accident. It was built by community doulas, advocates, and public partners who refused to be brought in at the end of the process and instead claimed a seat at the table from the very start. In this recorded panel, the people who shaped the benefit share how years of organizing, trust-building, and collective action became lasting maternal health policy in California. Roughly 40% of births in California, about 160,000 each year, are covered by Medi-Cal. This conversation traces the full arc of how doula care became a covered benefit for those families: from the early advocacy of Black Women Birthing Justice in 2016, to the National Health Law Program feasibility surveys in 2018, to the signing of SB 65 (the California Momnibus Act) in 2021, and on through the co-design and implementation work that followed. Panelists discuss the barriers they faced, including miscommunication, mistrust, and billing confusion, and the turning points that moved everyone forward. They unpack what full-spectrum doula care really means, covering pregnancy, postpartum, loss, and abortion, and how the benefit's two pathways, including the Experience and Legacy "Grandmother" Pathway, honored the wisdom of community elders. They also celebrate the results: doula enrollment grew from 122 in 2023 to more than 1,010 in 2025. This is a story of collective power, and a blueprint for what becomes possible when community leads. PANELISTS • Chantel Runnels, The Chaun Collective • Deitre Epps, R.A.C.E. for Equity • Kairis Joy Colter-Chiaji, Children of the Sun • Khefri Riley, Frontline Doulas • Linda Jones, Black Women Birthing Justice (BWBJ) • Rene Mollow, California Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) • Samsarah Morgan, Oakland Better Birth Foundation • Sayida Peprah-Wilson, Diversity Uplifts Recorded live on October 21, 2025. Learn more about Diversity Uplifts and our maternal health equity work at www.diversityuplifts.org. #MediCal #DoulaCare #BirthEquity #MaternalHealth #BlackMaternalHealth #MaternalHealthEquity #CommunityLed #DiversityUplifts #PerinatalSupport