Trends and Characteristics of United States Out ‐of‐Hospital Births 2004–2014: New Information on Risk Status and Access to Care

ConclusionsImprovements in risk status of out‐of‐hospital births from 2004 to 2014 suggest that appropriate selection of low‐risk women is improving. High rates of self‐pay for the costs of out‐of‐hospital birth suggest serious gaps in insurance coverage, whereas higher‐than‐average rates of VBAC could reflect lack of access to hospital VBACs. Mandating private insurance and Medicaid coverage could substantially improve access to out‐of‐hospital births. Improving access to hospital VBACs might reduce the number of out‐of‐hospital VBACs.
Source: Birth - Category: OBGYN Authors: Tags: Original Article Source Type: research