HB 1201 – Medicaid expansion

HB 1201 would set up a taxpayer-funded Medicaid pilot program to pay for doula services in select Texas counties. While it aims to improve maternal health outcomes, it does so by expanding the role of Medicaid and increasing ongoing costs to taxpayers without clear cost containment. The pilot would require new government spending estimated at over $1.35 million in just the first two years, plus annual costs afterward​. It also authorizes HHSC to define who qualifies as a doula and what services are covered, inviting future rule changes that could broaden the program beyond its original scope. Although improving maternal health is important, this bill expands Medicaid services and creates a new layer of bureaucracy. The bill represents unnecessary government expansion at taxpayer expense. Solutions that encourage private-sector or charity-driven support models would better serve Texas families without burdening taxpayers.