Childbirth complications in the U.S. cost $32 billion a year
The top costs include $6.6 billion in productivity losses, $895 million associated with cesarean section deliveries, $350 million for increased hospital stays.
Complications linked to childbirth cost the U.S. an estimated $32 billion a year—and the estimate is probably low, due to a lack of data. This finding is part of a new report from Mathematica and the Commonwealth Fund highlighting the growing problem of maternal morbidity—health conditions or issues that follow childbirth.
“Maternal morbidity encompasses physical and psychological conditions resulting from, or aggravated by, pregnancy. These conditions do not necessarily lead to death, but they can have a negative impact on quality of life that lasts for months, even years,” the report said. For the report, the researchers estimated medical costs associated with maternal morbidity, including treatment and hospitalizations, as well as nonmedical costs, which included loss of economic productivity and increased use of social services.
The researchers noted that maternal morbidity has been a long-standing problem in the U.S., which ranks relatively low in this area compared to peer nations. “The costs of maternal morbidity affect not only birthing people and their families but also all of us,” said So O’Neil, lead study author and Mathematica senior researcher and director for its Health Philanthropy Portfolio. “Our findings highlight the need for more societal investments in maternal health, an area where the United States performs poorly in comparison to other developed nations, despite having the resources to prevent morbidity and mortality.”
Top costs include productivity
Maternal morbidity issues have costs for care associated with both mothers and children. On the maternal side, the top costs include $6.6 billion in productivity losses, $895 million associated with cesarean section deliveries, $350 million for increased hospital stays just before or after a birth, and $239 million for increased use of social services.
The top child costs for maternal morbidity include $13.7 billion for preterm birth costs, $6.5 billion for developmental disorders, $2.1 billion for respiratory distress syndrome, and $1 billion for fetal malformations.
The researchers estimated that medical costs make up 58% of all costs in this area, while nonmedical costs make up the other 42%–but they note that nonmedical costs are harder to document and may be higher than this estimate.
Addressing mental health and comprehensive care needs could help
Mental health costs, both on the medical and nonmedical side, were a big driver of costs, followed by hypertensive disorders, gestational diabetes, and postpartum hemorrhage.
The report concluded by noting that the U.S. system could do more to support women and children by expanding health insurance, providing more comprehensive care, investing in more midwifery services, and integrating telehealth into maternal health services. “Addressing pregnancy and childbirth complications is key to resolving our country’s maternal health crisis,” Laurie Zephyrin, M.D., the study’s coauthor and Commonwealth Fund vice president for Advancing Health Equity. “We know that lack of investment in maternal health and wellness hurts families across the country. Now this study allows us to understand the enormous, long-term societal and financial impacts of that neglect. Prioritizing health system investments in maternal health and ensuring equitable access to care will be critical, as will further research on maternal morbidity and resulting inequities.”
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