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A new preliminary study from the University of Michigan shows that state abortion bans implemented following the Supreme Court's Dobbs decision in June 2022 are associated with women paying more for health insurance, adding to the financial pressure families face.

As abortion bans lead to increased birth rates, more pregnancy-related complications and emergencies and infant and maternal deaths, these outcomes strain the health care system and generate costs that are passed on to families through their health insurance premiums.

"Births in general, and complicated births in particular, are very costly," said Joelle Abramowitz, associate research scientist at U-M's Institute for Social Research. "As abortion bans lead to more births and especially more complicated ones, insurers pass on these costs across the population they insure by raising premiums."

The study, "Effects of Post-Dobbs Abortion Bans on Medical Out-of-Pocket Expenditures," examines nationally representative data from U-M's Current Population Survey Annual Social and Economic Supplement from 2018 through 2024 to assess how abortion bans affected out-of-pocket medical spending for 60,000 women of reproductive age (18–44).

"Our findings suggest that the consequences of abortion bans extend beyond whether someone can access abortion," Abramowitz said. "The data show that women in states with abortion bans are more likely to pay out of pocket for health insurance premiums, meaning these policies may impose costs on women and families through the health care system itself.

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