What Employers Can Do to Make Childbirth Safer in the U.S.

The article focuses on the role employers can play in improving the safety of childbirth in the United States, where maternal mortality and complications remain high and racial disparities persist. It outlines five key actions for employers: designing benefits that support healthy births and address metabolic and mental health conditions; requiring health plans to provide quality-of-care information and routine reporting on maternal outcomes; advocating for value-based payments to reduce unnecessary Cesarean sections; and ensuring health plans highlight genuinely high-quality maternity care providers. These measures aim to enhance maternal and infant health outcomes while potentially lowering maternity care costs.