Black and low-income women are the most likely to want but not have access to doula services, according to one survey. Medicaid coverage for doula services, state officials hope, would help bridge racial disparities and reduce maternal deaths.

“Maternal mortality should not be a fear anyone in New York should have to face in the 21st century,” Mr. Cuomo, a Democrat, said in a statement on Sunday. “We are taking aggressive action to break down barriers that prevent women from getting the prenatal care and information they need.”

The United States’ soaring rates in maternal mortality compared with other wealthy nations have become a cause of concern, but so have the racial disparities, an intractable phenomenon that has not eluded New York. In New York City, the numbers are worse: Black women are 12 times more likely to die from pregnancy-related causes than white women, according to a city study.

The design of the doula pilot program will be finalized by the state’s Health Department within 45 days, and the program will start immediately thereafter. The state will work with health care professionals to determine how many women will be enrolled in the pilot program, state officials said.

If the doula program is successful, New York would join Minnesota and Oregon as the only states that allow Medicaid reimbursements for doula services.