Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/10419/272614 
Year of Publication: 
2023
Series/Report no.: 
IZA Discussion Papers No. 15987
Publisher: 
Institute of Labor Economics (IZA), Bonn
Abstract: 
Over the last few decades, health care services in the United States have become more geographically centralized. We study how the loss of hospital-based obstetric units in over 400 counties affect maternal and infant health via a difference-in-differences design. We find that closures lead mothers to experience a significant change in birth procedures such as inductions and C-sections. In contrast to concerns voiced in the public discourse, the effects on a range of maternal and infant health outcomes are negligible or slightly beneficial. While women travel farther to receive care, closures induce women to receive higher quality care.
Subjects: 
obstetric
closure
infant health
maternal health
maternity ward
hospital quality
JEL: 
J13
I18
J08
J18
I38
Document Type: 
Working Paper

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