Summary: Childbirth in the United States has been getting more expensive in the past decade, and according to New York Times reporter Elisabeth Rosenthal, maternity and newborn care make up the biggest category of hospital payouts for most commercial insurers and state Medicaid programs. She joins us to talk about her article “American Way of Birth, Costliest in the World,” in the June 30 New York Times, which looks at what makes maternal health care so expensive here and how the cost is affecting women and families with and without insurance. It’s the second article in a series called Paying Till It Hurts: A Case Study in High Costs. Weigh in: Did you have unexpected costs for maternal care? What was your experience paying for maternal health care?
