Australian private maternity hospitals face collapse due to rising costs and decreasing patients.

Australia's private maternity hospitals face collapse due to soaring costs and a shrinking pool of women. Operators call for insurers to include maternity in lower policy tiers, as several hospitals have already closed, pushing more women into the overburdened public system. This is driven by workforce, electricity, and medico-legal costs. One in four deliveries in Australia occur in a private hospital.