Health Care Expenditures for Uncomplicated Pregnancies. Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS) Research Findings No. 27

摘要

This report uses data pooled from three panels 2001-02, 2002-03, 2003-04 of the Household Component of the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey MEPS-HC to estimate medical expenditures in 2004 dollars associated with an uncomplicated pregnancy and in-hospital delivery. Medical expenditures are defined in MEPS as payments to hospitals, physicians, pharmacies, and other health care providers, and include direct payments by individuals, private and public insurance plans, and other miscellaneous payment sources for services received. The report presents selected person-level estimates of average expenditures and sources of payment for 1 prenatal care, 2 inpatient hospital delivery, and 3 the combination of the two. In addition, selected estimates of prenatal care expenses are broken into three types: office-based doctor visits, prescription medicines, and everything else combined. Estimates are shown for all women, as well as for two subgroups defined by insurance status: those who had private insurance in the month of delivery and in the eight months prior, and those who had Medicaid in the month of delivery and in the eight months prior.