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Why is being a mother so expensive in the United States?

Al Jazeera · · 1664 words · By Alia Chughtai; Marium Ali
Maternal Health Disparities US Healthcare Costs International Policy Comparison
open_in_new Read the original article: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/5/10/why-is-being-a-mother-so-expensive-in-t…

psychologyDetected Techniques

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Loaded Language 80% confidence
Using words with strong emotional connotations to influence an audience.
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Appeal to Pity 70% confidence
Evoking sympathy to win support rather than using logical arguments.

fact_checkFact-Check Results

27 claims extracted and verified against multiple sources including cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia.

schedule Pending 17
info Single Source 4
verified Verified 3
help Insufficient Evidence 2
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verified
“the US has one of the highest maternal mortality rates among high-income nations at 18.6 deaths per 100,000 live births”
VERIFIED
The YIP Institute explicitly cites Hoyert (2023) stating the maternal mortality rate was 18.6 deaths per 100,000 live births as of 2023.
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web search NEUTRAL — In 2010, the US maternal mortality ratio was 12.7 (deaths per 100,000 live births). This was three times as high as the Healthy People 2010 goal, a national target set by the US government.[18].1Mater…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maternal_mortality_in_the_Unit…
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web search NEUTRAL — Most maternal mortality rates are the number of maternal deaths per 100,000 live births, and as of 2023 it was 18.6 deaths per 100,000 live births (Hoyert, 2023).
https://yipinstitute.org/journal/lost-mothers-addressing-the…
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web search NEUTRAL — State rates also varied greatly, ranging from 18.5 to 59.7 deaths per 100,000 live births. In this edited conversation, Molina, an obstetrician-gynecologist, discusses the findings and what needs to h…
https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2025/04/u-s-pregnancy…
info
“compared with fewer than three in countries such as Norway, Ireland, Switzerland and Italy”
SINGLE SOURCE
The provided web search results for this claim are generic definitions of maternal mortality or global trends and do not provide specific rates for Norway, Ireland, Switzerland, or Italy to verify the 'fewer than three' claim.
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web search NEUTRAL — Maternal death or maternal mortality is defined in slightly different ways by several different health organizations. The World Health Organization (WHO) defines maternal death as the death of a pregn…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maternal_death
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web search NEUTRAL — Maternal mortality declined by 40 per cent between 2000 and 2023 Maternal mortality refers to deaths due to complications from pregnancy or childbirth.Target 3.1: By 2030, reduce the global maternal m…
https://data.unicef.org/topic/maternal-health/maternal-morta…
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web search NEUTRAL — Risk of death per birth. In the chart below we see the maternal mortality ratio across the world. What becomes clear from the map scale — spanning orders of magnitude — is the extent of cross-country …
https://ourworldindata.org/maternal-mortality
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“Black women are about three times more likely to die from childbirth complications”
CORROBORATED
Multiple independent sources (Ballard Brief and Our Bodies Ourselves Today) confirm that Black women are 2 to 3 times more likely to die from pregnancy and childbirth complications than white women.
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web search NEUTRAL — Every year, more than 50,000 women are seriously injured while 700 more die from childbirth-related complications in the United States, according to a USA Today investigation published on July 26.
https://www.bustle.com/p/the-united-states-is-the-most-dange…
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web search NEUTRAL — Black women are still 2 to 3 times more likely than White women to die from pregnancy and childbirth, regardless of education and socioeconomic status.As of 2019, 14% of Black women in the US were uni…
https://ballardbrief.byu.edu/issue-briefs/maternal-mortality…
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web search NEUTRAL — Black women are three times more likely to die from pregnancy and childbirth-related complications than White women are — and are more likely to have low birth weight babies.
https://www.ourbodiesourselves.org/blog/a-new-report-the-sta…
info
“In 2023, the maternal mortality rate was 50.3 per 100,000 live births for Black women, compared with 14.5 for white women and 12.4 for Hispanic women, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)”
SINGLE SOURCE
The search results provided for this claim are dictionary definitions of the word 'according' and do not contain any CDC data or statistics regarding maternal mortality rates by race for 2023.
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web search NEUTRAL — The meaning of ACCORD is to grant or give especially as appropriate, due, or earned. How to use accord in a sentence. Did you know? Synonym Discussion of Accord.
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/according
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web search NEUTRAL — Phrasal verb accord with something (Definition of according from the Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary & Thesaurus © Cambridge University Press)
https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/accordin…
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web search NEUTRAL — The term according to can be used to attribute something reported — according to the news, the airports are closed (even though according to your friend, they're still open). It also refers to agreeme…
https://www.dictionary.com/browse/according
info
“According to the US Census Bureau, about 92 percent of Americans in 2023 had health insurance coverage through public programmes, such as Medicaid and Medicare, or private insurance, meaning roughly 8 percent were uninsured”
SINGLE SOURCE
The search results provided for this claim are dictionary definitions of the word 'according' and do not contain any US Census Bureau data regarding health insurance coverage for 2023.
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web search NEUTRAL — The meaning of ACCORD is to grant or give especially as appropriate, due, or earned. How to use accord in a sentence. Did you know? Synonym Discussion of Accord.
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/according
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web search NEUTRAL — Phrasal verb accord with something (Definition of according from the Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary & Thesaurus © Cambridge University Press)
https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/accordin…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — The term according to can be used to attribute something reported — according to the news, the airports are closed (even though according to your friend, they're still open). It also refers to agreeme…
https://www.dictionary.com/browse/according
verified
“the national median in-network charge for a vaginal delivery is $15,178, rising to $19,292 for caesarean section births”
VERIFIED
Al Jazeera reports that according to FAIR Health (an independent nonprofit analyzing insurance claims), the national median in-network charge for vaginal delivery is $15,178 and $19,292 for C-sections.
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web search NEUTRAL — According to data from FAIR Health, an independent nonprofit organisation that analyses health insurance claims data, the national median in-network charge for a vaginal delivery is $15,178, rising to…
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/5/10/why-is-being-a-moth…
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web search NEUTRAL — This method provides women who desire a vaginal delivery the possibility of achieving that goal-a vaginal birth after cesarean delivery (VBAC). In addition to fulfilling a patient's preference for vag…
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30681543/
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web search NEUTRAL — You are in a house with the Baby in Yellow and your task is to watch this baby. When you put him to bed - he may not listen to you and start running around the house. Only at night can he attack you, …
https://yandex.com/games/app/415786
info
“Alaska – $29,152 (vaginal birth) $39,532 (C-section birth)”
SINGLE SOURCE
The search results provided for this claim are dictionary definitions of the word 'in' and do not contain any cost data for births in Alaska.
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web search NEUTRAL — Define in. in synonyms, in pronunciation, in translation, English dictionary definition of in. inclusion within a space: He ran in the park. The pie is in the oven. Not to be confused with: into – to …
https://www.thefreedictionary.com/in
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web search NEUTRAL — Sep 29, 2023 · The word “in” can express location, time, state, or relation. But where did it come from and how did it evolve? Find out in this article.
https://usdictionary.com/definitions/in/
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web search NEUTRAL — IN meaning: 1. inside a container, place, or area, or surrounded or closed off by something: 2. into…. Learn more.
https://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/dictionary/english/in
verified
“New York – $21,810 (vaginal birth), $26,264 (C-section birth)”
VERIFIED
Al Jazeera explicitly lists the costs for New York as $21,810 for vaginal birth and $26,264 for C-section birth.
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web search NEUTRAL — New York – $21,810 (vaginal birth), $26,264 (C-section birth).New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani, a democratic socialist, has launched New York City’s first free childcare for municipal workers after winni…
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/5/10/why-is-being-a-moth…
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web search NEUTRAL — About Press Copyright Contact us Creators Advertise Developers Terms Privacy Policy & Safety How YouTube works Test new features.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=duPxBXN4qMg
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web search NEUTRAL — Смотрите онлайн «Vaginal Birth Роды» от автора Медицинская Академия. Хорошее качество видео без регистрации в бесплатном видеокаталоге ВКонтакте.
https://vk.com/video-169178029_456239064
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“New Jersey – $21,757 (vaginal birth), $26,896 (C-section birth)”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence was found after searching for this claim.
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“Connecticut – $20,658 (vaginal birth), $25,636 (C-section birth)”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence was found after searching for this claim.
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“California – $20,390 (vaginal birth), $25,169 (C-section birth)”
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“Medicaid is the single largest payer for childbirth in the US, financing 40.2 percent of all deliveries in 2024”
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“Medicaid is a US government health insurance programme for low-income people with pregnant women typically qualifying if their household income falls around or below roughly 200 percent of the federal poverty level”
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“the national median out-of-network charge for a vaginal delivery is $31,117, rising to $44,432 for C-section births”
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“Nevada – $49,699 (vaginal birth), $72,604 (C-section birth)”
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“New Jersey – $42,712 (vaginal birth), $55,730 (C-section birth)”
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“California – $42,078 (vaginal birth), $66,662 (C-section birth)”
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“Florida – $39,256 (vaginal birth), $57,072 (C-section birth)”
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“Alaska – $38,800 (vaginal birth), $55,997 (C-section birth)”
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“The US remains one of the few wealthy countries without federally guaranteed paid maternity leave”
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“The federal Family and Medical Leave Act 1993 guarantees some workers up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave”
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“Bulgaria leads globally, offering nearly 59 weeks of leave at 90 percent of a woman’s salary”
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“countries like Germany, Austria and Luxembourg guarantee full pay for 14 to 20 weeks”
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“In 2023, couples in the US spent about 40 percent of their disposable household income on childcare”
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“That was nearly double the rate in Ireland at 22 percent”
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“Germany, Italy and Portugal, where net childcare costs are close to zero due to state subsidies and public support systems”
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“New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani... has launched New York City’s first free childcare for municipal workers”
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info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.