(Bloomberg) -- The two most common ways to get an abortion in the U.S. — via pill and a first-trimester procedure — cost patients 13% and 21% more, respectively, in 2020 versus 2017, according to research published this month in the peer-reviewed healthcare journal Health Affairs.
Those upticks outpaced health care inflation rates, the study noted.
By 2020, the average cost rose above $500 for any type of abortion procedure. Pre-pandemic, more than a third of Americans did not have the cash or equivalent to cover a $400 unexpected expense, according to the Federal Reserve. The costs measured in the study also do not account for other financial burdens a patient might have to assume, such as travel, lost wages and childcare, some of which may be rising due to new state restrictions.
Read more: How the Texas Abortion Law Is Driving Up Costs for Women
Most people pay out of pocket for abortions for a variety of reasons, including because the Hyde Amendment prevents federal funds like Medicaid from being used for abortion services except in limited circumstances, and more than 30 states and Washington D.C. also ban the use of state Medicaid funds from being used to fund an abortion. Several states restrict private insurance from covering the procedure as well. At least 100 anti-abortion laws passed at the state level in 2021, including Texas' “heartbeat bill.”
“As abortion provision becomes more regulated, often without any evidence that these regulations improve care, patient charges may continue to increase,” wrote the University of California San Francisco researchers, led by Associate Professor Ushma Upadhyay.
The amount a facility ultimately charges a patient can be influenced by a number of factors, including costs for labor, security, liability insurance and more. Providers may also face an “abortion tax” for everything from their facilities to contractors to legal fees.
Researchers collected data from over 750 facilities and found that the number accepting insurance for the procedures decreased from 89% to 80% in the same time period.
“The presence of restrictions on the use of insurance perpetuates economic and racial health care disparities,” the paper said.
Read more: Abortion Clinics Are Getting Nickel-and-Dimed Out of Business
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