Women Paying a Larger Share of Maternity Care Costs
Average out-of-pocket spending for maternity care increased among women with employer-based insurance from 2008 to 2015, largely driven by paying more in deductibles, according to an AHRQ-funded study. While the average cost for deliveries remained relatively stable, the average proportion of costs paid by women increased from 12 percent in 2008 to nearly 20 percent in 2015, the study concluded. Among those with out-of-pocket costs, average patient spending for maternity care increased from $3,069 in 2008 to $4,569 in 2015. Access the abstract of the study, published in Health Affairs.
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Health Aff (Millwood). 2020 Jan;39(1):18-23. doi: 10.1377/hlthaff.2019.00296.
Out-Of-Pocket Spending For Maternity Care Among Women With Employer-Based Insurance, 2008-15.
Abstract
The Affordable Care Act (ACA) requires employer-based insurance plans to cover maternity services, but plans are allowed to impose cost sharing such as copayments and deductibles for these services. This study aimed to evaluate trends in cost sharing for maternity care among working women in employer-based plans, before and after the ACA. Our data indicate that between 2008 and 2015, average out-of-pocket spending for maternity care rose among women with employer-based insurance. This increase was largely driven by increased spending among women with deductibles. When we controlled for potential confounders, we found that out-of-pocket spending was higher for lower-income working women in 2008-13, but disparities disappeared in 2014-15 because of a continued rise in spending among higher-income working women. Policies that aim to lower out-of-pocket spending for maternity care could reduce a significant financial burden on families.
KEYWORDS:
Access and use; Affordable Care Act; Co-payments; Coinsurance; Cost sharing; Costs and spending; Deductibles; Employer-sponsored insurance; Health policy; Maternity care; Out-of-pocket expenses; Payment
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