Lucille Roybal-Allard: “Each year over 4 million women give birth in the United States. Their care and that of their babies is a leading cause…”

“Each year over 4 million women give birth in the United States. Their care and that of their babies is a leading cause of hospitalization in this country and a major factor in our Nation's escalating health care costs. Yet, in spite of the fact we spend more than any country in the world on maternity care and more on mother and baby fees for childbirth than other types of hospital care, the United States ranks far behind nearly all developed countries in perinatal outcomes, and childbirth continues to present significant risks for mothers and babies, particularly in communities of color. There are many factors that contribute to these poor outcomes and high costs. The most disturbing is that our current health system fails to follow the vast body of research on the best evidence-based practices in maternity care. The result is a widespread overuse of expensive maternity practices, such as Cesarean sections and scheduled inductions, which only in limited situations are needed and beneficial. When used routinely and without medical necessity, these and other practices expose women and infants to unnecessary risk and are a major factor in pregnancy and delivery being our most costly Medicaid expenditure. Credible research tells us noninvasive, cost-effective, evidence- based maternity practices which result in safer and healthier outcomes for mother and baby are significantly underused in our country.”