Giving Birth in USA Getting Even More Expensive: 'These Are Not Small Co-Pays--the Costs Are Staggeri

[riversedge]

Giving Birth in America Is Getting Even More Expensive: 'These Are Not Small Co-Pays—the Costs Are Staggering.'


https://www.newsweek.com/giving-birth-america-costs-maternity-fees-child-1480550




By Kashmira Gander On 1/6/20 at 4:00 PM EST


Research has revealed the average out-of-pocket fees women pay for maternity care has risen in the past decade or so, meaning giving birth can cost thousands of dollars.

In 2008, the average out-of-pocket bill for childbirth services was $3,069, rising to $4,569 by 2015. During this time, the cost of a vaginal birth rose from $2,910 to $4,314, and $3,364 to $5,161 for a c-section. Overall, the percentage of women paying out of pocket rose from 93.7 percent in 2008 to 98.2 percent in 2015. The authors of the research published in the journal Health Affairs said the spike was mostly due to increased costs among those with deductibles.


Between 2008 to 2013, women on lower incomes were hit the hardest, but this pattern fell away in 2014 after those on higher incomes paid more.

The team also found women shouldered a higher proportion of the total costs of care over time, despite the price of maternity care remaining the same during this period, at $29,518 in 2008 and
versus $29,314 in 2015. As a result, the proportion paid by patients went up from 12.3 percent in 2008 to 19.6 percent in 2015.
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To reach their findings, the researchers examined data on 657,061 women enrolled in 84,178 plans with large or medium-sized employers from all major regions of the U.S., who gave birth between 2008 to 2015. Most of the participants were white.

Under the Affordable Care Act, which was signed into law in 2010, employers-based insurance must cover maternity services, the researchers explained. However, insurance companies can pass on certain costs to patients in the form of co-payments and deductibles. According to the authors, 60 percent of women aged between 19 to 64 are covered by employer-based plans, including many lower-income working families..............................................

[guillaumeb]

1. The US healthcare system is ranked 37th.

[BigmanPigman]

2. Recently a reporter asked people in England how much they think it costs

to have a baby in the US and every single person interviewed was astonished. They couldn't believe any babies are born at these prices.

[dhol82]

3. Absolutely appalling!

[StarryNite]

4. The Rising U.S. Maternal Mortality Rate Demands Action from Employers

They better collect up front because the mothers don't always survive!

The Rising U.S. Maternal Mortality Rate Demands Action from Employers
Suzanne DelbancoMaclaine LehanThi MontalvoJeffrey Levin-Scherz
June 28, 2019

It’s remarkable to see the improvements in maternal health around the globe, which have produced a steady decline in the number of women dying from childbirth over the last 30 years. But in the United States, there is rain on the parade. Its maternal-mortality rate has been steadily rising — the only developed country whose is. Given that women with employer-sponsored health insurance account for over half of the annual pregnancies in the United States, employers are in a position to demand higher quality care. In this article, we recommend actions they can take by wielding their purchasing power.

The U.S. maternal mortality rate has more than doubled from 10.3 per 100,000 live births in 1991 to 23.8 in 2014. Over 700 women a year die of complications related to pregnancy each year in the United States, and two-thirds of those deaths are preventable. Fifty thousand women suffer from life-threatening complications of pregnancy. A report from the Commonwealth Fund released in December found American women have the greatest risk of dying from pregnancy complications among 11 high-income countries.

[link:https://hbr.org/2019/06/the-rising-u-s-maternal-mortality-rate-demands-action-from-employers|

[Ohiogal]

5. Our healthcare system

Is a disgrace, plain and simple.

[uponit7771]

6. Family is for the well resourced now, working poor need not apply. This is not a good thing