A new study shows that health complications caused by childbirth have lost at least $32.3 million from the U.S. economy.

New data shows that maternal mental health disorders account for the largest share of medical and social costs. For example, economic output losses amounted to 18.1 billion U.S. dollars in six years. Research From Mathematica and Federal Funds. According to the analysis of nine maternal diseases in the first five years from conception to the child, the children of mothers with mental health problems, high blood pressure, gastrointestinal diabetes, blood loss and other diseases are more likely to have chronic health problems or behavioral health disorders More than 6.3 million newborns.

These costs and negative health care outcomes fall disproportionately on People of color and deprived of rights, Said So O’Neil, the lead author of the study and a senior researcher at Mathematica.

“This may underestimate the actual cost,” she said, noting that they only studied 9 of the 31 maternal morbidity cases with both cost and outcome data. “Even if the cost of mental health for pregnant and lying-in women alone is as high as 18 billion U.S. dollars. This does illustrate many aspects of post-natal insurance. It is important to expand post-natal insurance because mental health conditions may last for more than three months, and Medicaid insurance will cost you at this time. Do it all.”

The maternal mortality rate in the United States is twice that of most other developed countries, with 17.4 deaths per 100,000 births. At the same time, as financially difficult hospitals cut obstetric services and coverage gaps widened, medical care for expectant mothers continued to deteriorate.

Katy Kozhimannil, a professor of health policy at the University of Minnesota, said that about 45% of births are paid by taxpayers through Medicaid. Have learned Maternal morbidity and mortality.

“We are all paying for the terrible results we got,” she said. “This can be avoided by better upfront investment in people’s health-not just prenatal care, but broader preventive care, which takes into account broader social and political health determinants. We see Rural communities lose hospital-based obstetric services every year. These will not come to the back.”

Obstetrics is one of the most risky and costly service lines, which is why Rural hospitals tend to cancel these services first In financial distress. This created a huge nursing desert, forcing people to drive farther to seek care.

According to data from the Chattis Rural Health Center, from 2011 to 2018, more than 165 rural hospitals cancelled obstetric care. Chartis national leader Michael Topchik said that more than half of the 2,200 rural hospitals across the country no longer provide obstetric services.

He said: “One of our biggest concerns is the erosion of the comprehensive services of the entire rural hospital.” “Many times, when the hospital loses the obstetrics department, the general surgery and anesthesiology departments follow, which means they cannot perform routine care. One of the basic services of the hospital is safe delivery, but this has been eroded so much that it is unbelievable.”

This is part of the reason why the United States is still one of the most dangerous and expensive places to give birth in other developed countries.

According to the study, nearly three-quarters of maternal morbidity costs stem from health problems related to the child rather than the mother. The most costly child outcomes include premature births of US$13.7 billion, developmental disabilities of US$6.5 billion, and respiratory distress US$2.1 billion.