Health care costs associated with pregnancy and childbirth average almost $19,000, including $2,854 in out-of-pocket expenses, according to a new analysis of large employers' insurance claims.

Published by the Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF) in conjunction with the Peterson Center on Healthcare, the analysis compares three years of health care claims for reproductive-aged women between 15 and 49 who gave birth with claims for women who had not given birth. "The benefit of this approach is that it allows us not only to look at the cost of the delivery, but also at all health costs associated with pregnancy, childbirth, and postpartum care," the authors note.

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