Consumer-Driven Health Plans Make It Hard to Plan for Costs of Childbirth

The Costs of Labor: Childbirth is the most costly and the most common health expense for women of reproductive age, but predicting—and saving for—out-of-pocket costs for maternity care may be difficult for women in consumer-driven health plans because the costs of those plans vary widely, according to a study published in June by the Kaiser Family Foundation. Because consumer-driven health plans have higher deductibles, all of the plans studied were more expensive than traditional health coverage with lower deductibles.

Researchers compared 12 different high-deductible health plans under three clinical scenarios: an uncomplicated vaginal delivery, an uncomplicated cesarean and a pregnancy with considerable complications. Out-of-pocket costs for maternity care varied widely—representing 31 percent to 82 percent of the total costs depending on the plan and the medical needs of the mother and child—but were highest for women who face complications and for women who have insurance purchased through the individual market. The survey also found that under the plans studied, prenatal care counted toward the deductible and was not considered part of the preventive measures that are paid for by the sponsor of the health plan.