Today, there are over 40 million Americans who have no health insurance, and many expectant mothers go into labor without adequate health coverage for themselves or their baby. It’s estimated that more than one in ten expectant mothers lacks the necessary insurance coverage for their pregnancy, creating a potential conflict between hospitals and expectant mothers that is best alleviated by mothers ensuring proper health coverage in advance to the process. Estimates suggest that a modern pregnancy at a major hospital can cost above $5,000, not including the postpartum costs such as baby health care and infant needs.

Many mothers turn to less-expensive birthing centers, which offer reduced cost care by focusing on natural births, rather than technology and medicine-aided birthing procedures. Birthing centers can cost up to 50% less than a standard maternity hospital, depending on the needs of an individual patient.

As a result, many expectant mothers turn to government assistance programs to help with this coverage. Medicaid is available to low income mothers, while the Women and Infant Care Program (WIC) can help ensure that mothers have access to the necessary resources to raise their child, including access to professional medical, nutrition and education advice.

Additionally, specialized insurance programs such as Maternity Advantage can offer coverage that is specific to the needs of expectant mothers, providing savings on doctor’s visits, labor costs, as well as infant care before and after the birth.