Health and Medical Care Costs to Society of Teen Pregnancy : Children from Birth to Age 14

Although teen childbearing connotes negative outcomes for the mothers, we know little about the effects on the children of being born to a teen mother. We explore some of the possible health and medical care consequences associated with having a teenage mother. The 1987 National Medical Expenditure Survey (NMES), a nationally representative data set, is the data source we use to examine the consequences teen parenting might have on additional health and medical care costs for the children. We find that the children of teenage mothers tend to be in poorer health than the children of older mothers, and that a greater proportion of their medical expenses are borne by other members of society. Health and Medical Care Costs to Society of Teen Pregnancy: Children from Birth to Age 14