Walmart expands health care coverage for employees who want doulas during pregnancy
Walmart, the nation’s largest private employer, is expanding nationwide its health care coverage next month for employees who want to enlist the services of a doula, a person trained to assist women during pregnancies
NEW YORK — Walmart, the nation's largest private employer, is expanding nationwide its health care coverage next month for employees who want to enlist the services of a doula, a person trained to assist women during pregnancies.
The coverage was first offered to Walmart employees in Georgia in 2021, and then last year the Bentonville, Arkansas-based discounter offered the same benefit to employees in Louisiana, Indiana and Illinois. The exception is Hawaii, which has its own set of health benefits, Walmart said.
Walmart said the program, which kicks off nationwide on Nov. 1, is meant to address racial inequities in health care and improve the maternal and infant health of its workers and their babies, especially in areas where access to care may be limited. Doulas are trained experts that must receive credentials from either the National Black Doulas Association or DONA International.
“As things evolve and we’ve come out of COVID, we continue to see the gaps where maternal care is not always available or there needs to be additional support,” said Lisa Woods, Walmart's vice president, physical and emotional well-being.
Woods declined to specify the number of Walmart employees who have taken part in the program so far, noting that the biggest challenge was educating employees on what doulas actually do. It plans to better publicize the offering and include the expanded coverage in this year's annual health insurance enrollment materials.
The expansion of the doula benefits comes as a new collection of
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