For decades, maternity care in the United States has been billed under a single bundled fee covering an entire
pregnancy, from the first prenatal visit through postpartum checkup. Effective Jan. 1, 2027, the American Medical
Association (AMA) is retiring that model in favor of itemized, visit-by-visit billing. The change extends beyond physician payments. Maternity claims already rank among employers’ top five health care cost drivers and are climbing an estimated 8% to 12% a year, according to HR Dive. Pregnancy and childbirth also account for roughly 1 in 4 hospital admissions nationwide, per data from the National Business Group on Health.
