March 7, 2025 Story by: Editor
A recent study published in JAMA Health Forum reveals that Black and Hispanic individuals face higher out-of-pocket expenses for maternal care compared to their Asian and white counterparts, despite having the same commercial insurance coverage.
Why it matters
Black mothers in the U.S. experience a pregnancy-related death rate that is more than three times higher than that of white mothers, with approximately 80% of these deaths being preventable. Although maternal mortality rates for Hispanic women are comparable to those of white mothers, they have risen sharply in recent years.
According to the researchers, financial barriers to maternity care could further worsen these racial disparities.
Study methodology
The study analyzed claims data related to pregnancy, delivery, and postpartum care from patients covered by Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts between 2018 and 2022.
Out of nearly 77,000 individuals who gave birth, approximately 79% were white, around 10% were Asian, about 8% were Hispanic, and nearly 4% were Black.
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts collaborated with academics from the University of Maryland and Harvard to establish a baseline for addressing disparities in maternal care. “As they try to design solutions for more equitable care,” said co-author Mark Friedberg, senior vice president of performance measurement and improvement at Blue Cross, in a news release.
Key findings
Black enrollees incurred an average total out-of-pocket cost of $2,398 for maternity care, which included expenses such as deductibles, copayments, and coinsurance—amounts paid after meeting the deductible.
Hispanic enrollees spent an average of $2,300, while Asian enrollees paid $2,202, and white enrollees had the lowest average cost at $2,036.
A closer look
The most significant cost differences were observed in prenatal care, where Black enrollees paid 74% more than white enrollees. Prenatal care plays a crucial role in preventing birth-related complications.
While copayments remained relatively consistent across all groups and deductibles were slightly lower for Hispanic and white enrollees, coinsurance payments varied significantly.
- Black enrollees paid an average of $772 in coinsurance costs.
- Hispanic enrollees paid an average of $779.
- Asian enrollees paid approximately $669.
- White enrollees had the lowest coinsurance payments, averaging $511.
The takeaway
The researchers suggest that lowering coinsurance rates could enhance accessibility to maternity care and help address maternal health disparities across racial groups in the U.S.
Source: Axios
