What are unplanned pregnancies costing Michigan?

In the 2000 fiscal year, the Medicaid program paid for prenatal, delivery and post-natal care of roughly 26,000 unintended births. Each birth cost Medicaid approximately $11,000, which equals $286,000,000 in costs for the State of Michigan.

If Michigan were to reduce the number of unintended pregnancies by just 10 percent, it would save the state over $27 million in Medicaid expenditures.

Recent research found that the greatest determiner of a healthy pregnancy and birth is a healthy lifestyle prior to the pregnancy, followed by consistent pre-natal care.

Michigan Costs and Statistics

• In Michigan, the Family Independence Program (FIP) pays an average of $4,450 per year to support one parent and one child.
• The average child support payment received in 1999 was approximately $3,844. [1999 was the last year this data was aggregated.]
• The average annual amount of child support received among children in poverty was about $2,788 in 1999.
• According to the 2000 Michigan Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (PRAMS) data, of the 51,015 unintended pregnancies in 2000, approximately 29 percent were to women who were unmarried, and for those obtaining abortions, 85 percent were unmarried.
• Percentage of abortions reported by age: Under 20 – 18%; 20-24 years – 33%; 25-29 – 23%; 30 and above – 26%
• Of the 28,229 reported abortions, 63 percent reported having one prior, while 23 percent reported having two or more prior.
The greatest numbers of abortions occur in “not married” women, age 20-29, and “married” women, age 25-34. In 2002, Michigan reported 28,229 abortions statewide.

Unintended Pregnancies by Source of Payment

• Women with private insurance, 31 percent had unintended pregnancies.
• Women who paid for their care with private funds, 33 percent had unintended pregnancies.
• Women who received Medicaid during their pregnancy, 65 percent had unintended pregnancies.

Cost to Family

• Many children born to high-risk mothers eventually lead to increased economic and social costs in education, special education, child welfare and juvenile justice systems.
• Mother and father may suffer economic hardship and fail to achieve their educational and career goals.
• A two-parent family with an income of:
  
  • Under $38,000 a year will spend $130,290 raising a child to the age of 18.
  • $38,000-$64,000 a year will spend $165,630 raising a child to the age of 18.
  • Over $64,000 a year will spend $241,770 raising a child to the age of 18.
• A single-parent family with an income of:
  
  • Under $38,000 a year will spend $123,750 raising a child to the age of 18.
  • $38,000 or more a year will spend $142,910 raising a child to the age of 18.

Pre/Post-Natal Risk

• Mother is at a greater risk of depression, physical abuse, and not achieving educational or financial goals.
• Unintended pregnancies do not include preconception risk identification and management, which increases medical problems for the mother and fetus.
• The unintended infants are:
  
  • Twice as likely to be born prematurely. Premature births cost $58,000 a child, compared to $4,300 for a healthy birth; a 74 percent cost increase.
  • Ten to fifteen times more likely to be born at a low birth weight.
  • More likely to be abused or neglected.