Health News Illinois reported today: Illinois has launched licensed certified professional midwife services for the state’s Medicaid customers.

Under the new license, midwives will be able to provide several maternity services, including physical examinations, administration of several medications and devices and education and counseling through pregnancy and birth.

Midwives will be able to attend births that take place outside of hospitals via home and birth center settings.

State officials said the new provider type is another step to address maternal health equity and gaps in care.

“By integrating midwives into the Medicaid program, we’re not only addressing a long-standing gap in care, we’re also advancing safe, high-quality birth options for families across the state,” Gov. JB Pritzker said in a statement.

A report last year from the Department of Public Health found Black women are more than twice as likely to die from any pregnancy-related condition, with the vast majority of those deaths listed as preventable.

Professional Midwives are licensed by the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation.

Visit Health News Illinois for more information here>

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You may be interested in this topic? The Institute was proud to co-sponsor the Health News Illinois webinar on "Expanding Access to Doula Care and Improving Maternal Health Outcomes" held on July 15, 2026.  View the webinar here> . 

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