Economic Burden of Unintended Pregnancy on Employer-Sponsored Health Insurance
Pregnancy is a significant cost to employers. A recent study published in American Health and Drug Benefits [Am Health Drug Benefits. 2015Apr;8(2):83-92.] determined the cost unintended pregnancy has on employer-sponsored health insurance plans using data from MarketScan Database.
Approximately 28.8% of pregnancies are unintended under employer-sponsored insurance plans, and they account for 27.4% of annual delivery costs to employers. This percentage translates to 1% of the average employer’s health care benefit spending for 1 year.
Based on these findings, the researchers created a stepwise logistic regression model based on data from a national survey, that employers can apply to their claims data to determine the risk for unintended pregnancies among their employees who receive employer-sponsored health insurance. To access the regression model, visit www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4437481/pdf/ahdb-08-83.pdf.—Melissa D. Cooper
