How much does it cost to have a baby in the U.S.? New bill aims to make childbirth free

(InvestigateTV) — A bipartisan push in Congress aims to make childbirth free for Americans with private health insurance, as new data shows the financial burden of having a baby continues to grow.

One recent analysis by the Peterson-KFF Health System Tracker found that costs for pregnancy, childbirth and postpartum care total, on average, more than $20,000. That figure includes about $2,743 in out-of-pocket expenses — even for those with health insurance.

For Isis Findley, a mother of five, the bills were a jarring reality.

“Probably like $6,000 or $7,000 after insurance covered it — and I just remember leaving the hospital like whoa," Findley said. “Not only are you trying to figure out how to be a mom, but then you have this added stress of, OK, I don’t want to be in debt.”

Findley said her experience and costs varied dramatically because she had two of her kids while covered under private insurance and three of them while covered through Medicaid.

With private insurance, she struggled with debt and had to set up payment plans for out-of-pocket costs. With Medicaid — the government-funded program that provides health coverage to low-income families — her labor and delivery costs were fully covered.

“I think it’s outrageous,” she said when asked whether the health care system is broken. “Oh yes. Absolutely.”

Research shows new mothers are twice as likely to have medical debt as young women who did not recently give birth.

Erin Mackay, with the nonprofit National Partnership for Women & Families, said the financial strain can also affect health outcomes — with some women delaying or skipping prenatal and postpartum care because they cannot afford it.

“The costs are staggering. And this has been a problem for years and years,” Mackay said. “The ability to go see a mental health provider, to be able to check in with a nurse or a doctor on complications in the year after childbirth is incredibly important.”

Her organization and several others have endorsed the Supporting Healthy Moms and Babies Act, a new bipartisan effort on Capitol Hill.

If approved, the legislation would prevent cost-sharing requirements for prenatal, childbirth, neonatal, perinatal and postpartum health care by designating those services as essential health benefits — requiring private insurers to cover them the same way Medicaid does.

Democratic Rep. Jennifer McClellan of Virginia and Republican Sen. Josh Hawley of Missouri are among the lawmakers who co-sponsored the bill.

“It puts mothers in a position where they can focus on their care and the care of their baby without having to worry about how they’re going to pay for it,” McClellan said.

Hawley said the legislation would prevent insurers from charging out-of-pocket fees for maternity services.

“It would help families,” Hawley said. “It would give them a leg up, give them something to stand on when they’re trying to get their families started.”

The bill has also drawn attention amid a broader national conversation about declining birth rates.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the nation’s general fertility rate dropped 22% from 2007 to 2024. Some Republicans have suggested this legislation could be part of the solution to declining birth rates, though Hawley stopped short of making that connection directly.

“I don’t know the answer to that,” Hawley said when asked whether reducing childbirth costs could help address declining birth rates. “That’s really, it’ll be up to families to make their own decisions.”

Experts at the Population Reference Bureau say the financial decisions of starting a family are more complex than birth costs alone.

“It would be unlikely to have a real measurable impact on the actual birth rate,” Jennifer Sciubba, president of the Population Reference Bureau, said. “The costs associated with having children, they don’t begin and end just with birth.”

Findley said many moms and dads face this challenge everyday.

“Now childcare, what am I going to do for that? Can I afford formula or diapers? It’s much more than that, and I think that’s why birth rates are low,” she said.

Still, she supports the push to make childbirth free, saying she hopes it will help mothers and babies be healthier from day one.

“They should not have to think about thousands and thousands of dollars after the baby comes,” Findley said. “I think this bill will help mothers significantly, with just avoiding that stress.”

One key question surrounding the legislation is whether insurers would pass costs onto all plan participants through higher premiums.

The Niskanen Center think tank analyzed the proposal and concluded it would likely lead to a “modest increase” in premiums but called it “a worthwhile tradeoff.”

America’s Health Insurance Plans (AHIP), the trade association representing the health insurance industry, has acknowledged coverage mandates tend to raise health insurance premiums and maintains consumers are sensitive to any such increase.

In a statement, an AHIP spokesperson said, “Health plans are committed to improving maternal and infant health outcomes by providing access to affordable, high-quality pregnancy care. Through providing coverage for comprehensive prenatal, delivery, and postpartum services plans are prioritizing the clinical needs of moms and babies. Health plans further promote care that delivers the best possible outcomes through engaging in value-based partnerships with providers.”

The Supporting Healthy Moms and Babies Act, first introduced in 2025, has not yet advanced on Capitol Hill.