Clients Ask: How Do Carrot Postpartum Doula Benefits Work?

We get it – babies are expensive.  From daily needs (so many diapers!) to the big ticket items (a stroller costs what?!), having a baby in the U.S. can be overwhelming!  Fortunately, new payment options like Carrot Fertility Insurance help make our postpartum doula care more accessible and affordable for newly postpartum parents who want our experienced, expert care.

What is Carrot Insurance Coverage for Postpartum Doulas?

Some employers in the Washington, DC metro area have added “fertility insurance” or other pregnancy related benefits to their existing employer-provided health insurance plans.  Specialized insurance companies, like Carrot, Progyny, and Maven, offer benefits to employees throughout their reproductive journey, and also cover postpartum doula support!  

If you are covered by any of these insurance companies, you can be reimbursed for the full cost of day or night postpartum doula care for the first weeks after birth.  These amazing benefits bring professional, non-judgmental support to parents like you.

What to Expect When Using Carrot or Progyny

These relatively new benefits have seen some changes in procedure as parents, employers, and insurance companies figure out what works best.  Typically, once you confirm that your insurance plan includes doula care, you contract directly with us and submit a receipt or invoice to the insurance company for reimbursement.  Our Metropolitan Doulas team can happily amend our invoice format to meet your reimbursement requirements, but we unfortunately cannot communicate directly with the insurance company.  As always, our relationship is directly with our clients and we are ready to support you.

Things to Consider As You Plan to Use Your Benefits

Be clear on what care is covered up front.  As with many health insurance benefits, changes over time or between employers can be confusing.  For example, some policies will not reimburse you for the time your doula spends preparing your meals.  While we can help with some general research, you can ask your insurance provider for a specific list of what is and is not covered by them; and doing so as early as possible will avoid unwanted surprises.    

Take note of any caps.  Benefits are typically capped at a total dollar amount, a total number of weeks, and/or a total number of doulas.  Metropolitan Doulas commits to customizing your care – we do not offer packages or contract minimums that lock you into a bigger commitment than you need.  We are confident that we can craft a plan that fits within your benefits and is tailored to your family.

Not all doulas are eligible for Carrot postpartum doula care reimbursement.  Specialty insurance companies typically have provider standards, often including current certification from an approved organization.  With our team of 25+ doulas – with diversity of education, experience, and training – we have many doulas whose work can be fully reimbursed.

You may be new to the idea of postpartum doula work.  We love working with parents who didn’t even know we existed!  We love to share about our role, how our agency model works, or what it is like to have a doula in your home.  (For more on what to expect during a shift, check out our FAQs for Daytime and Nighttime Doula Care.) 

Other Ways to Access Postpartum Doula Care

Some of our clients have used employer-provided wellness benefits from large firms toward postpartum doula care.  If your company offers an annual wellness benefit, ask your human resources team if it can be applied to in-home infant and postpartum care.  We are happy to help explain our scope of practice to support those requests.

And, finally, consider adding our gift certificates to your registry!  Receiving a gift of postpartum support can be truly life-changing for many parents (not to mention, help you avoid storing gear that your baby will not need for months)!  Our Metropolitan Doulas team is accustomed to working with any level of gifting, whether it is a few shifts to help with immediate questions or extended care over weeks, so you and your baby can recover from birth, learn together, and bond.  Websites like Babylist and Be Her Village allow parents to register for all the intangibles new parents need.