Abortion Bans Raised Health Insurance Costs for Women
A study found women in states with bans saw higher employer-sponsored premium expenditures after 2022.
Updated on Oct. 6, 2026 in Women’s Health
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University of Michigan researchers found that women aged 18 to 44 living in states with abortion bans faced a 5.4% increase in annual employer-sponsored health insurance premium costs starting in 2022. These financial impacts were significantly more pronounced for Black and Hispanic women.
Why it matters
Insurers may be passing higher costs related to pregnancy complications and maternal health outcomes directly to beneficiaries through increased premiums. This trend highlights the broader economic consequences that state-level policy changes can have on individual healthcare affordability.
Using 2019-2025 Census Bureau data, researchers compared health insurance premium expenditures for women aged 18 to 44. The study found a 5.4% cost increase in states with abortion bans compared to states without them, with steeper rises for Black and Hispanic women.
The players
University of Michigan
A public research university that conducted the analysis of insurance premium data.
Center for Reproductive Rights
A global human rights organization that provided funding for the study on maternal health economics.
The details
Researchers excluded states that expanded Medicaid to isolate the specific economic effects of abortion bans on employer-sponsored plans. The increased premiums may reflect insurer adjustments for the heightened costs of pregnancy and postpartum care, which averaged $20,416 nationally between 2021 and 2023. Women in these plans also faced average out-of-pocket pregnancy expenses of $2,743 during that period.
Timeline
The data collection period for the study spanned from 2019 through 2025.
Pregnancy-related cost averages were calculated using data from 2021 to 2023.
Most state-level abortion bans were implemented in 2022.
Health Landscape
The findings underscore the significant intersection between state reproductive health laws and the broader stability of the U.S. employer-sponsored insurance market. This analysis offers new insight into how policy shifts can recalibrate the financial risks managed by health insurers.
If you are managing employer-sponsored insurance, you may want to review your plan's premium statements to identify any changes in your costs. It is worth discussing with your doctor how local health policies might influence the costs of maternity or postpartum care in your specific state.
The takeaway
The implementation of abortion bans has been linked to measurable increases in health insurance premiums for women, particularly for Black and Hispanic individuals. Tracking your annual plan benefits and out-of-pocket cost summaries is a helpful way to monitor changes in your healthcare affordability.
Further reading
For more on the factors affecting reproductive healthcare access, visit Women’s Health.
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