Reproductive Equity Now Calls for Elimination of Out-of-Pocket Costs for Full Spectrum of Pregnancy Care
WATCH: MA Joint Committee on Financial Services Hearing set to hear testimony on Full Spectrum Pregnancy Care Act
BOSTON (April 29th, 2025) – This morning, the Massachusetts Legislature’s Joint Committee on Financial Services will hear testimony from the public on An Act Ensuring Access to Full Spectrum Pregnancy Care (S.761/H.1311), legislation that will eliminate cost sharing for the full spectrum of pregnancy care and ensure patients are not saddled with exorbitant costs or catastrophic deductibles after giving birth. Reproductive Equity Now will testify at this hearing and has released the following statement in advance.
“Pregnancy care should be affordable and accessible for all Bay Staters. No one should have to make decisions around family planning based on whether or not they can afford pregnancy and birth care,” said Lyv Norris, Massachusetts State Director for Reproductive Equity Now. “With household costs rising across the country as federal funding shrinks, Bay Staters are facing a growing financial crisis. We urge the legislature to prioritize the Full Spectrum Pregnancy Care Act to ensure that Massachusetts can continue to lead the nation in securing health equity by ensuring every birthing person can access the care needed to expand their families without having to incur massive debt or worry about what other necessities they may have to sacrifice.”
Reproductive Equity Now is proud to stand with the lead sponsors of this legislation in both the House and Senate, Senator Cindy Friedman and Representative Lindsay Sabadosa.
“Every Bay Stater deserves access to high-quality, affordable pregnancy care—no exceptions,” said Senator Cindy Friedman. “The Full Spectrum Pregnancy Care Act (S.761) builds on our state’s proud legacy of protecting reproductive freedom by eliminating out-of-pocket costs for essential pregnancy care, from prenatal visits to postpartum support. At a time when so many states are rolling back access, Massachusetts must lead with compassion and equity—and that means removing financial barriers that put pregnant people’s health at risk.”
“Every pregnant person in Massachusetts deserves compassionate, comprehensive care—without financial barriers standing in the way,” said Rep. Lindsay Sabadosa. “That’s why I’m proud to champion the Full Spectrum Pregnancy Care Act (H.1311). This bill removes unfair out-of-pocket costs for essential services like prenatal care, childbirth, and miscarriage management. True reproductive freedom means ensuring that patients—not insurance companies—are the ones making decisions about their care, with dignity and equity at the center.”
Today's hearing is scheduled to begin at 10:00 AM. Watch the live HERE.
Reproductive Equity Now has been proud to support this legislation both this year and in the previous session, where it received a positive recommendation from the Financial Services Committee but failed to advance.
An Act Ensuring Access to Full Spectrum Pregnancy Care requires that all Massachusetts-regulated health plans cover the full spectrum of pregnancy-related care, including abortion, miscarriage management, prenatal care, childbirth, and postpartum care, without any kind of cost-sharing. This will:
Ensure that cost is not a barrier to women and families getting the care they need, and that they aren’t saddled with insurmountable debt post-pregnancy.
Create a health care system that is more gender-equitable and doesn’t punish people for their ability to become pregnant, their decision to raise a family, or their decision to end a pregnancy.
Help prevent anyone from suffering the indignity of receiving a bill after suffering a miscarriage or losing a pregnancy.
Reproductive Equity Now is also proud to uplift stories from community members personally affected by the exorbitant costs of pregnancy and birth care.
Melissa, a mother in Ware: “I was fully insured at the time of my pregnancy, but my care still cost me $10,000 out-of-pocket with insurance. My child is now four and a half years old, and I am still paying off that pregnancy. I had hoped to have more children by now, but that is financially untenable for me and my family. I often think about the quality of life that those $10,000 could have afforded my child and myself: that’s $10,000 of quality child care, preventative health care to ensure that I am able to continue caring for my child, and the absence of a baby sibling for my child to grow up with and to love.”
Heather, a mother in Cambridge: “My child is 13 now, and I still get chills when I tell people about everything I went through when they were born. It ended well, but there were so many points along the way where one different outcome could have drastically derailed my life, my finances, and my career. I have a much better employer and health plan now, and ironically, it was less financially stressful to go through an unexpected, major, long-term hospitalization recently than it was to have my baby.”
Karen, a Bostonian delaying starting her family: “This year I will be 39 years old, and I am genuinely struggling to decide whether to have a child or not. My work as a Bilingual Special Education teacher in public schools is a vital public service, but everyday I teach other parents’ children while knowing I simply cannot afford to have a child of my own. It is preposterous that a public school teacher cannot afford to give birth in this state, even with insurance. Like many, I am now forced to wrestle with an impossible choice: either have the child I’ve always wanted and risk financial insecurity due to out-of-pocket medical costs, or be financially stable but give up on my dream of having a child of my own.”
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