{"title":"THE PRICE OF LATER ABORTION CARE IN THE US","authors":"TA Weitz, M Wilson Schwartz","doi":"10.1016/j.contraception.2025.111115","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>Objectives</h3><div>We aimed to document the price of abortion care after 23 weeks of pregnancy.</div></div><div><h3>Methods</h3><div>We identified 131 healthcare facilities that publicly advertised offering post-23-week abortion care in August 2024. From November 6, 2024 to April 7, 2025, undergraduate research assistants (RAs) posed as mystery clients to inquire about the price of care. They called each facility twice for each two-week pregnancy period at/above 23 weeks (ie, 23-25 weeks; 25-27 weeks). We calculated the range, mean and median price for each two-week difference.</div></div><div><h3>Results</h3><div>RAs made 522 calls, successfully connecting with facility personnel 418 times (80%). RAs successfully obtained information on the service price in 55% of calls (n=228). In response to 189 calls, RAs obtained a specific price and in 39 calls RAs obtained a price range. Specific prices ranged from $1,054-$82,670 (median $3,000) for 23-week abortions (n=131), $1,959-$12,195 (median $6,500) for 25-week abortions (n=23), $5,585-$13,900 (median $9,500) for 27-week abortions (n=17), $9,800-$16,800 (median $11,400) for 29-week abortions (n=7), 14,500-$19,800 (median $19,000) for 31-week abortions (n=7), and $15,500-$19,000 (median $15,500) for 33-week abortions (n=3).</div></div><div><h3>Conclusions</h3><div>One of the most recognized barriers to abortion care is needing to raise the money to pay for the abortion, yet little public data exist on the price of abortion later in pregnancy. This study sought to fill this information gap. We provide information on the range of prices for care over two-week gestational durations. Unfortunately, later abortion care price transparency is still limited as almost half of all calls to facilities that publicly advertised offering this care did not result in price information.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":10762,"journal":{"name":"Contraception","volume":"151 ","pages":"Article 111115"},"PeriodicalIF":2.3000,"publicationDate":"2025-10-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Contraception","FirstCategoryId":"3","ListUrlMain":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0010782425003063","RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"OBSTETRICS & GYNECOLOGY","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Objectives
We aimed to document the price of abortion care after 23 weeks of pregnancy.
Methods
We identified 131 healthcare facilities that publicly advertised offering post-23-week abortion care in August 2024. From November 6, 2024 to April 7, 2025, undergraduate research assistants (RAs) posed as mystery clients to inquire about the price of care. They called each facility twice for each two-week pregnancy period at/above 23 weeks (ie, 23-25 weeks; 25-27 weeks). We calculated the range, mean and median price for each two-week difference.
Results
RAs made 522 calls, successfully connecting with facility personnel 418 times (80%). RAs successfully obtained information on the service price in 55% of calls (n=228). In response to 189 calls, RAs obtained a specific price and in 39 calls RAs obtained a price range. Specific prices ranged from $1,054-$82,670 (median $3,000) for 23-week abortions (n=131), $1,959-$12,195 (median $6,500) for 25-week abortions (n=23), $5,585-$13,900 (median $9,500) for 27-week abortions (n=17), $9,800-$16,800 (median $11,400) for 29-week abortions (n=7), 14,500-$19,800 (median $19,000) for 31-week abortions (n=7), and $15,500-$19,000 (median $15,500) for 33-week abortions (n=3).
Conclusions
One of the most recognized barriers to abortion care is needing to raise the money to pay for the abortion, yet little public data exist on the price of abortion later in pregnancy. This study sought to fill this information gap. We provide information on the range of prices for care over two-week gestational durations. Unfortunately, later abortion care price transparency is still limited as almost half of all calls to facilities that publicly advertised offering this care did not result in price information.
期刊介绍:
Contraception has an open access mirror journal Contraception: X, sharing the same aims and scope, editorial team, submission system and rigorous peer review.
The journal Contraception wishes to advance reproductive health through the rapid publication of the best and most interesting new scholarship regarding contraception and related fields such as abortion. The journal welcomes manuscripts from investigators working in the laboratory, clinical and social sciences, as well as public health and health professions education.