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Contributed commentary by Rep. Matt Van Epps on the Savings for Tomorrow’s Opportunities, Raising Kids (STORK) Act:
Having a baby should be one of life’s happiest moments. However, for too many American families, it comes with a financial shock.
The cost of childbirth in the United States is extraordinarily high. Employer-sponsored insurance claims show that childbirth-related care, from prenatal visits to postpartum care, averages more than $25,000, leaving families on the hook for thousands of dollars out of pocket. Those bills don’t wait either. They arrive alongside the immediate costs of diapers, formula, childcare, and time away from work.
When my daughter was born, I saw firsthand how expensive bringing a newborn home is. It was a lot to absorb at a moment when our focus was on caring for and getting to know our daughter. For families already trying to make ends meet, that financial strain can add significant stress to what should be one of the most important and joyful moments of their lives.
At the same time, too many families face another challenge: accessing quality maternity care in the first place. The United States also has a maternal mortality rate well above that of many other high-income countries. Not to mention, our rural communities experience these challenges all while having to travel out of their communities to seek the care they need.
These disparities are compounded by the growing number of communities without local maternity services. Roughly one-third of U.S. counties are maternity care deserts, leaving families in those communities with few options other than traveling long distances for prenatal care and delivery. Since January 2024, at least 96 hospitals across 35 states have closed their labor and delivery units.
This is why I am introducing the Savings for Tomorrow’s Opportunities, Raising Kids (STORK) Act. This legislation would temporarily increase the Health Savings Account (HSA) contribution limit in the year a family welcomes their child home through birth or adoption by $2,000. Although HSAs already allow eligible Americans to set aside pre-tax dollars for qualified medical expenses, the STORK Act addresses a simple reality. The financial demands of having a child are unusually concentrated within the first year.
This approach does not create a new federal spending program or impose a new mandate. Instead, it gives families who already use HSAs greater ability to prepare for and manage the costs of maternity and newborn care.
For families facing a $5,000 medical bill, setting aside more tax-free savings can help ease the financial strain of welcoming a child. For families in rural areas, that added financial capacity can also help make difficult choices, such as traveling further for specialized care, more manageable.
Welcoming a child will always come with challenges. The STORK Act is a targeted step toward making the first year of a child’s life easier to navigate and giving parents more control over their family’s healthcare when they need that flexibility most.
Rep. Matt Van Epps