The rising cost of high-risk pregnancy: making the case for earlier maternity support

What you need to know:

High-risk pregnancies are increasing employer healthcare costs, but most employees don’t recognize the factors that elevate pregnancy risk. Delayed awareness and fragmented care  can lead to preventable complications, higher costs, and more difficult postpartum recovery.

• More than half of employers report rising high-risk pregnancy costs
• Most employees don’t recognize key pregnancy risk factors, and access barriers make it harder to get timely maternity care
• Early education, navigation, and coordinated maternity support can reduce complications and costs
• Clinically guided maternity care models help employers intervene earlier and support employees through pregnancy, postpartum recovery, and return to work

Maternity care represents one of the fastest-growing areas of healthcare spend for employers. According to Maven’s State of Women’s and Family Health Benefits 2026 report, 57% of benefits leaders say high-risk pregnancies have impacted healthcare costs for their organization, with nearly one in five reporting significant increases. Nationally, maternity-related medical costs have risen by roughly 50% over the past decade, adding further financial pressure for employer-sponsored health plans. These rising costs are felt not only in direct care but also in workforce stability and return-to-work outcomes.

The situation is compounded by shifts in the health profile of pregnant people. More women are entering pregnancy with preexisting risk factors such as hypertension, diabetes, and advanced maternal age—conditions that have increased by more than 150% in the last 30 years. At the same time, access to care continues to shrink across the U.S. 

Many employers are expanding maternity support—but simply offering support isn’t enough. The true opportunity lies in intervening earlier with education, navigation, and coordinated maternity care that helps identify and manage risk before complications escalate.

Why high-risk pregnancies are a growing cost driver for employers

High-risk pregnancies typically involve more intensive monitoring, specialist care, and a greater likelihood of medical complications, often leading to longer recovery times and more extensive postpartum support. When such situations arise, costs can escalate quickly for both employees and the employers sponsoring their care.

Preterm birth—which can be caused by various high-risk factors, like diabetes and preeclampsia—is one of the clearest examples. Complications linked to preterm delivery can result in neonatal and intensive care expenses averaging $64,800 per birth. Across employer-sponsored health plans, this is estimated to contribute between $6 and $14 billion in additional medical costs each year.

The impact extends beyond direct healthcare spending. High-risk pregnancies are associated with longer medical leaves, more complex disability claims, and more difficult return-to-work transitions. Only 32% of HR leaders say all or almost all employees return to their role after parental leave. When recovery is complicated, employees may need additional time, ongoing care, or greater flexibility, increasing both workforce disruption and employer costs.

The pregnancy risk awareness gap

A key driver of late-stage care seeking is awareness—or the lack of it. In Maven’s 2026 report, only 3.5% of employees correctly identified all conditions associated with high-risk pregnancy, while 28% of women with high-risk pregnancies reported being surprised by their classification. Together, these findings suggest that many individuals may not recognize elevated risk until complications are already clinically apparent.

Misconceptions are especially common around assisted reproductive technology and alternative family-building paths: 82% of employees do not believe IVF increases pregnancy risk, and 91% do not associate surrogacy with higher-risk pregnancies. When employees underestimate risk, opportunities for earlier monitoring, specialist support, and preventive care may be missed—increasing the likelihood that complications require more intensive and costly intervention.

Early identification, by contrast, can meaningfully influence outcomes. Conditions such as preeclampsia, gestational diabetes, and preterm labor are often more effectively managed when risk factors are recognized sooner. For example, evidence shows that a daily dose of aspirin between weeks 12 and 28 of pregnancy can reduce the risk of preeclampsia by approximately 18% and preterm birth by 9%. Preventive strategies like these rely on timely identification of risk factors and proactive clinical engagement, rather than reactive care after complications emerge.

Access challenges compound pregnancy risk

Even when employees do recognize risk, systemic access barriers can delay care. According to the 2026 report:

• 1 in 4 of women skipped or delayed routine women’s healthcare in the last year
• 53% delayed or skipped care because they couldn’t find an appointment time that worked
• 40% delayed or skipped care because it took too long to get an appointment

These delays are not limited to routine health checks; they extend into pregnancy care as well. Not being able to find a suitable appointment time is the number one reason women have skipped or delayed care, with additional respondents citing long wait times and transportation challenges causing them to skip or delay their care. Together, these barriers make it significantly harder to stay on recommended monitoring schedules or adjust care plans as needed. 

For employers, timing challenges also shape the effectiveness of support. Many organizations rely on case management services provided through their health plans. While valuable, high-risk pregnancy management often requires a more proactive and clinically integrated approach layered on top of case management. Complex conditions benefit from continuous guidance, coordinated care planning, and easier access to specialists—not simply episodic triage or phone-based check-ins. Furthermore, these models are often triggered only after a medical claim is submitted, meaning outreach may not occur until complications have already developed. 

These trends overlap with broader healthcare access concerns. More than one-third of U.S. counties are classified as maternity care deserts, meaning residents lack sufficient resources or access to hospitals and birth centers offering obstetric care. For employers, this context matters: fewer local providers can translate to travel burdens, delayed appointments, and higher indirect costs to employees and families.

The good news is that employers are responding. 75% of HR leaders say they are at least somewhat concerned about reduced access to maternity care due to provider closures, while half are already increasing or changing benefits to improve access, and another 41% are considering it. But such initiatives must move beyond benefits expansion to address practical navigation barriers that ultimately determine employee experience. 

What HR leaders can do to better support high-risk pregnancies

Addressing the high-risk pregnancy gap doesn’t necessarily require expanding benefits. Rather, it means ensuring that the maternity and women’s health benefits already offered are easier to access, better coordinated, and focused on early support:

• Invest in early pregnancy education. Provide clear, clinically backed resources that help employees understand risk factors and the steps they can take when pregnancy begins.
• Simplify maternity navigation. Offer a centralized pathway for care coordination, mental health support, and virtual maternity services so employees don’t have to piece together care across multiple disconnected systems.
• Extend support beyond birth. Supporting an employee’s journey through postpartum recovery and return to work is part of the cost and care equation. Ongoing support after delivery, including designated NICU support, mental health resources, and care coordination, helps ensure that recovery and reintegration are not fragmented experiences.

Investing earlier in education and care navigation improves clinical outcomes while also helping employers control costs and reduce workplace disruption.

How Maven helps employers reduce high-risk pregnancy costs through coordinated maternity support

Offering more maternity benefits is only part of the solution. Employees need support that is coordinated, understandable, and continuous across stages of care. Through its Maternity and Newborn Care program, Maven helps employers provide a cohesive experience that supports individuals from early pregnancy through postpartum and their return to work.

Maven’s clinically managed model provides employees with ongoing access to maternity specialists, mental health providers, and care advocates who help identify pregnancy risks earlier and guide appropriate clinical pathways. Maven’s Maternity program includes specific support for high-risk pregnancies, including:

• High-Risk Care Coaching: Designated 1:1 coaching from licensed clinicians for high-risk members to drive sustained behavior change and improve clinical outcomes.
• NICU Support: Dedicated care for parents of hospitalized newborns for safer discharges, designed to reduce the length of stay and prevent readmissions

Rather than waiting for claims-based triggers, Maven identifies and engages members at risk and drives them to the right care before complications arise. This coordinated approach has been shown to drive meaningful clinical and financial impact, with improved pregnancy outcomes—including up to a 27% reduction in NICU stays—and strong workforce outcomes, with 94% of members reporting that Maven helped them return or plan their return to work.

For employers, this coordinated approach helps turn expanded maternity investment into meaningful employee outcomes. Earlier engagement, consistent care experiences, and improved employee health can reduce preventable complications and support smoother return-to-work transitions, while helping control costs.

Explore the full State of Women’s and Family Health Benefits 2026 report to learn more about the impact of rising maternity costs and how employers can use education, navigation, and coordinated care to support better outcomes for employees and the business.

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