US maternity care cuts continue to deepen

During a Sept. 4 Senate Finance Committee hearing with HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Oregon Sen. Ron Wyden said that impending healthcare cuts from the recently passed One Big Beautiful Bill are already having a lasting impact on communities, such as pushing hospitals to scale back critical services like labor and delivery. 

Becker’s has covered 21 maternity care service closures so far in 2025, and 37 in 2024. 

“Providence Seaside Hospital in Oregon announced they are shutting down their labor and delivery unit,” he said. “Every family is going to feel the impact of Trump care in America.” 

Providence shared plans in late August to close its inpatient obstetric and newborn care services on Oct. 4, and pointed to a time of “historic reset” for Oregon’s healthcare system, with hospitals forced to deal with high care costs outpacing reimbursement due to inflation, risking supply costs and workforce shortages. 

Most recently, Wausau, Wis.-based Aspirus Health shared plans to end labor and delivery services at its Ironwood (Mich.) Hospital and Clinics on Dec. 31 as part of a new service model at the facility, according to a Sept. 5 news release shared with Becker’s.

Aspirus pointed to ongoing OB-GYN shortages, despite years of recruitment efforts to bring a full maternal care team to the hospital. 

“No employees will lose their job as part of this transition,” a spokesperson for Aspirus told Becker’s. “We are providing personalized support to help any impacted employees transition into departments where their expertise and training are already recognized.”

Ashley Thompson, an obstetrics nurse at the hospital, said in a Michigan Nurses Association press release shared with Becker’s that nurses are “extremely worried” that women will have to drive “another 45 minutes” to deliver their babies. 

“Our emergency department nurses are amazing but they do not have the specialized training to deal with a problematic childbirth, when both lives are at risk,” she said.

In Florida, UF Health Leesburg (Fla.) Hospital has also shared plans to end labor and delivery services “later this fall” as part of broader alignment at the facility, according to a Sept. 3 news release. The hospital is part of Gainesville, Fla.-based UF Health.

The decision reflects demographic shifts, a growing focus on high-demand specialties, a declined birth rate and aging population and workforce challenges. The hospital plans to grow its focus on high-demand women’s specialty services like comprehensive breast health, cardiovascular care, orthopedics, stroke care and urogynecology.

“While this marks a change in how we deliver maternity care, it reflects our deep responsibility to respond to the evolving needs of our population,” Heather Long, MSN, senior vice president and central Florida regional president, said in the release. “By refocusing our resources, we can better serve our community — particularly as more of our residents face age-related health challenges.”

Becker’s has reached out to UF Health for comment on whether the service closure will impact staff, and will update this story should more information become available. 

The post US maternity care cuts continue to deepen appeared first on Becker’s Hospital Review | Healthcare News & Analysis.