H.R. 2521 would require the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to provide doula services to veterans. A doula provides physical assistance and emotional support to pregnant women before, during, and after childbirth. Under the five-year pilot program authorized by the bill, eligible veterans would receive up to 10 sessions of care from a doula. The services would be provided in six of the department’s health care regions, and VA would pay up to $3,500 for doula services for each veteran who chooses to receive that care. Using information about the number of deliveries for which VA pays, CBO expects that an average of about 3,300 veterans annually would use up to 10 sessions of doula services. On the basis of data about the costs of doula services, CBO estimates that VA would pay an average of $2,200 per veteran. In total, providing doula services would cost $37 million over the 2023-2032 period.
