A review of the impact of financing mechanisms on maternal health care in Australia.

Our study provides a critical review of the mechanisms by which revenues are raised, funds are pooled and their impact on the way health care services are purchased for mothers and babies in Australia. Australia's maternal health system is financed via both public and private sources, which consequentially creates a two-tiered system. Mothers who can afford private health insurance - typically wealthier, urban and non-First Nations women - therefore receive additional benefits of private care, which further exacerbates inequity between these groups of mothers and babies. The increasing out of pocket costs associated with obstetric care may create a financial burden for women to access necessary care or it may cause them to skip care altogether if the costs are too great.