America might finally make childbirth free—and moms could be the biggest winners

Yahoo

11-06-2025

'This is how much it costs to give birth in America: $44,318.41.' That was the now-viral TikTok from a mom just days postpartum, scrolling through the itemized bill at home. Her insurance only covered $20,353.62—despite paying $2,500 a month for coverage for her family of five.
This mom's story isn't an outlier. According to the Peterson-KFF Health System Tracker, privately insured families in the U.S. pay an average of $3,000 out-of-pocket for childbirth on average—just for having a baby.
By 'choosing' to have a baby with a midwife in a birth center, I personally had to pay a $10k fee upfront. (Wanting midwifery care in a calm setting for my super fast labors didn't feel like a choice, but in America, it is.)
Moms bear so many burdens for having babies. And one devastating cost that sets so many families back financially when they're just beginning life together is the price of childbirth, even with insurance. We're talking million-dollar NICU bills. $50k c-section charges. A financial punishment for doing the most critical work in a country: bringing the next generation of citizens into the world.
But that may soon change.
A bipartisan group of senators has introduced a bill that could be a game-changer for millions of American families. The Supporting Healthy Moms and Babies Act (S.1834) was announced on May 21, 2025, and aims to eliminate all out-of-pocket costs related to prenatal care, childbirth, and postpartum services for those with private health insurance.
The bill's sponsors—Sens. Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-MS), Tim Kaine (D-VA), Josh Hawley (R-MO), and Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY)—say the legislation is about protecting families from being buried in medical debt at one of the most vulnerable times in life.
'Bringing a child into the world is costly enough without piling on cost-share fees that saddle many mothers and families with debt,' Sen. Hyde-Smith said in a statement announcing the legislation. 'By relieving financial stresses associated with pregnancy and childbirth, hopefully more families will be encouraged to embrace the beautiful gift and responsibility of parenthood.'
A companion bill is expected in the House, led by Rep. Jared Golden (D-ME), who told Vox,
'This idea is simple and powerful: Pregnancy and childbirth are normal parts of family life. So, insurance companies should treat it like the routine care it is and cover the cost—not stick people with huge medical bills.'
While the average out-of-pocket cost is around $3,000, the financial burden can be far worse for many:
17% of privately insured moms face bills over $5,000
1% are hit with bills exceeding $10,000
17.5% of women with private insurance report problems paying medical bills
Nearly 9% say they couldn't pay them at all
These numbers are not just statistics—they represent real parents delaying care, going into debt, or struggling to recover financially in the fragile weeks after childbirth.
If passed, the bill would expand the list of 'essential health benefits' under the Affordable Care Act to include full-spectrum maternity care. Medicaid already covers these services in full, and that's how 41% of births in the U.S. are paid for. But for the 178 million people on private insurance plans? Birth is still a budget-buster.
The new legislation would require private insurers to pick up the tab. That means:
Prenatal care (including appointments and ultrasounds)
Labor and delivery
Hospital stays
Postpartum recovery and mental health care
Neonatal and perinatal services
Lactation support
The estimated premium hike to cover it all? About $30 per year, according to Lawson Mansell, policy analyst at the Niskanen Center, who conducted the cost modeling for the bill.
Mansell told Vox this proposal is the simplest way, on an administrative level, to make birth free.
Related: Too many U.S. moms are in debt from giving birth. They deserve better.
Beyond the financial relief, this bill has the potential to improve health outcomes for moms and babies.
Research backs this up: A report by the Washington State Office of the Insurance Commissioner found that eliminating cost-sharing for prenatal services is associated with improved maternal and infant outcomes, including fewer preterm births and higher birth weights. So in addition to relieving the stress families face, covering prenatal care fully makes it more likely that moms actually get it.
Another study published in BMC Public Health linked removing financial barriers under the Affordable Care Act to increased use of preventive care, such as mammography and Pap tests. While the study focused on these services, the findings suggest that eliminating financial barriers can encourage timely and consistent healthcare utilization.
The bill's sponsors come from across the political spectrum—and so do its supporters. Everyone from the American Medical Association and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists to anti-abortion groups like Americans United for Life and Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America have voiced support.
Even Planned Parenthood Action Fund commented they 'generally supports legislation to make the cost of maternal health care and parenting more affordable.'
Related: The cost of giving birth is getting more expensive—and some families are getting hit with childbirth debt
If the bill becomes law, the financial landscape of pregnancy would change dramatically—especially for those in the 'missing middle': families who earn too much for Medicaid but not enough to easily afford thousands in delivery fees.
It would also offer immediate relief for parents managing multiple financial burdens at once: high rent, unpaid leave, child care costs, student loans. You know, new motherhood.
Call your representatives. Especially if you have private insurance and have ever been slammed with a delivery bill. You can find contact info at house.gov and senate.gov.
Share your story. Lawmakers have said constituent birth bill stories played a big role in shaping this legislation.
Talk about it on social. If your childbirth costs shocked you, say so. Use hashtags like #MakeBirthFree and tag your reps.
This moment is historic not just because it's bipartisan, but because it signals a new kind of family policy thinking: one where moms aren't expected to 'figure it out' in isolation, one giant bill at a time.
As Yuval Levin of the American Enterprise Institute put it in a policy brief,
'Substantively and symbolically, bringing the out-of-pocket health care costs of childbirth to zero is an ambitious but achievable starting point for the next generation of pro-family policies.'
Whether you're pregnant now or years past it, you probably remember your hospital bill—and you definitely remember how it made you feel. Exhausted. Angry. Maybe even ashamed.
This new bill says: No more.
And moms deserve that.
Sources:
Family-Friendly Policies for the 119th Congress. February 2025. AEI. Family-Friendly Policies for the 119th Congress.
America might finally make childbirth free. May 2025. Vox. America might finally make childbirth free.
Americans United for Life Applauds Bipartisan Innovative Policy Proposal. May 2025. America United for Life. Americans United for Life Applauds Bipartisan Innovative Policy Proposal to Make Maternal Healthcare More Affordable.
AMA advocacy to improve maternal health. May 2025. AMA. AMA advocacy to improve maternal health.
Impact of removing cost sharing. 2019. BMC Public Health. Impact of removing cost sharing under the affordable care act (ACA) on mammography and pap test use.
New bipartisan proposal would remove childbirth costs. May 2025. Niskanen Center. New bipartisan proposal would remove childbirth costs and confusion for parents.
Characteristics of Mothers by Source of Payment for the Delivery. May 2023. CDC. Characteristics of Mothers by Source of Payment for the Delivery: United States, 2021.
About the Affordable Care Act. Us Department of Health an Human Services. About the Affordable Care Act.
Out-of-pocket medical bills childbirth. National Library of Medicine. Out-of-pocket medical bills from first childbirth and subsequent childbearing.
The Association of Childbirth with Medical Debt. National Library of Medicine. The Association of Childbirth with Medical Debt in the USA, 2019–2020.
Sentators introduce bill to ease financial burden of pregnancy. Cindy Hyde-Smith. SENATORS INTRODUCE BIPARTISAN BILL TO EASE THE FINANCIAL BURDEN OF PREGNANCY, CHILDBIRTH.
Women who Give Birth Incur Nearly $19,000 in Additional Health Costs. KFF. Women who Give Birth Incur Nearly $19,000 in Additional Health Costs, Including $2,854 More that They Pay Out of Pocket.