June 24 marks nearly three years since the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization decision that overturned the constitutional right to abortion in the US.

To date, 19 states have banned or restricted abortion before fetal viability across the country, according to the NYT abortion law tracker. Independent abortion clinics in some states are struggling to stay open, while companies offering telehealth have seen a rise in demand. At the same time, maternal mortality rates have risen, and stories have emerged about pregnant patients dying due to delayed care.

We spoke with reproductive health experts around the US to learn more about how maternal care has changed in the last three years. Here’s what they told us.

These interviews have been edited for length and clarity.

Melissa Simon, ob-gyn at Northwestern Medicine in Chicago, where abortion is legal

In states that are supportive of reproductive care and health, care hasn’t changed with respect to the quality of care. It’s more volume based. The volume of care has increased with patients coming from other states, and some of them travel very long distances from all over the country.

Here’s what providers are saying about abortion services.—CM

In April, President Donald Trump said he was considering a “baby bonus,” i.e., cutting $5,000 checks to incentivize families to have more children in response to declining birthing rates.

While still just an idea, it spurred concern among reproductive health experts. They told Healthcare Brew pregnant patients face many challenges, from lack of access to care and fewer maternity wards to high costs to the rapidly changing reproductive rights landscape across the country.

For instance, it costs $18,865 to have babies in hospitals, including pregnancy, birth, and postpartum care, according to KFF. Further, over 40% of people who give birth are on Medicaid, and with Congress considering cuts to benefits, patients may soon pay those costs out of pocket.

“$5,000…is probably a drop in the bucket in terms of raising a child. But is it maybe a step in the right direction? Yes,” Monica Cepak, CEO at women’s digital health company Wisp, said. “I think it should be part of a broader policy around reproductive health and childcare in our country.”

Why a “baby bonus” made experts nervous.—CM

You either die worth $6 billion or live long enough to get auctioned off for $256 million.

On May 19, biotechnology company Regeneron Pharmaceuticals announced that, pending regulatory approvals, it would buy “substantially all” of consumer genetic testing company 23andMe for $256 million.

23andMe peaked at a $6 billion valuation in 2021 but never made a profit. It filed for bankruptcy on March 23 and was put up for auction.

Regeneron said it’s buying 23andMe’s personal genome service along with its total health and research services business lines and its biobank and “associated assets” to grow its “genetics-guided research and drug development,” according to a May 19 press release.

23andMe’s biobank, which contains about 15 million people’s genetic data, is arguably the biggest get. 23andMe’s website says about 80% of its users gave consent for their data to be used for research.

Find more on the full impact of Regeneron’s purchase here.—CC