With Insurance: From Under $500 to $3,000 or more Vaginal Without Insurance: $9,000-$17,000 C-Section Without Insurance: $14,000-$25,000



The total cost of baby delivery typically consists of: the services of the obstetrician/gynecologist and pediatrician; services of the anesthesiologist and epidural, if used; the cost of your stay in the hospital room and board; a nursery fee; laboratory fees; and any medications or medical supplies. If you are insured, your insurance provider probably will receive the itemized bill, but you might receive separate non-itemized statements from the hospital and the different doctors. Typical costs:

The biggest factors affecting the cost of a birth are: whether it is vaginal or Cesarean; whether there are complications; and the length of the hospital stay. Geographical location also plays a part; baby delivery is most expensive in the Northeast and on the West coast and least expensive in the south. For patients not covered by health insurance, the typical cost of a vaginal delivery without complications ranges from about $9,000 to $17,000 or more, depending on geographic location and whether there is a discount for uninsured patients. The typical cost for a C-section without complications or a vaginal delivery with complications ranges from about $14,000 to $25,000 or more.

to or more, depending on geographic location and whether there is a discount for uninsured patients. The typical cost for a C-section without complications or a vaginal delivery with complications ranges from about to or more. For patients with insurance, out-of-pocket costs usually range from under $500 to $3,000 or more, depending on the plan. Out-of-pocket expenses typically include copays -- usually $15 to $30 for a doctor visit and about $200 to $500 for inpatient services for delivery. Some insurance plans only cover a percentage -- usually about 80 to 90 percent after a deductible is met, so you can easily end up reaching your yearly out-of-pocket maximum. In most plans, that ranges from about $1,500 to $3,000 . According to a study by the March of Dimes Foundation [1] , the average out-of-pocket cost for a vaginal delivery for privately insured patients was $463 and for a C-section, $523 .

to or more, depending on the plan. Out-of-pocket expenses typically include copays -- usually to for a doctor visit and about to for inpatient services for delivery. Some insurance plans only cover a percentage -- usually about 80 to 90 percent after a deductible is met, so you can easily end up reaching your yearly out-of-pocket maximum. In most plans, that ranges from about to . According to a study by the March of Dimes Foundation , the average out-of-pocket cost for a vaginal delivery for privately insured patients was and for a C-section, . Usually, the baby receives a separate bill, which typically ranges from $1,500 to $4,000 for a healthy baby delivered at term. For a premature baby with complications who has to spend weeks in a neonatal intensive care unit, this bill can reach tens of thousands of dollars.

to for a healthy baby delivered at term. For a premature baby with complications who has to spend weeks in a neonatal intensive care unit, this bill can reach tens of thousands of dollars. Baby delivery usually is covered by health insurance. Even if you join a group health insurance plan after you already are pregnant, delivery still will be covered; according to the U.S. Department of Labor[2] , the federal government prohibits group health insurance plans from treating pregnancy as a pre-existing condition, or, if they offer maternity coverage, from refusing to cover prenatal care or childbirth. However, individual health insurance plans can legally treat pregnancy as a pre-existing condition, so baby delivery probably will not be covered if you join one while pregnant. If you are insured, it is very important to check with the insurance company about their requirements; some companies require you to "pre-authorize" coverage for your baby, and some require that you call them when you arrive at the hospital to deliver -- if you forget, they might refuse to cover the delivery or your newborn's care. Related articles: Prenatal Care, Cord Blood Banking, Lamaze Classes, Doula, Postpartum Maternity Checkup, Well Baby Doctor Visit





What should be included:

After delivery, the baby will be examined by your doctor or a pediatrician. The U.S. Department of Health & Human Services [3] gives an overview of the immediate medical attention a baby needs right after birth.

gives an overview of the immediate medical attention a baby needs right after birth. You probably will stay in the hospital one to two days, if you delivered vaginally, or three to four days, if you had a Cesarean delivery. Additional costs:

Induction of labor, usually with drugs, costs extra. FamilyDoctor.org [4] offers an overview of labor induction.

offers an overview of labor induction. A private room can cost several hundred dollars extra per day out-of-pocket. Discounts:

Usually, the services of a midwife are about one-third less expensive than those of an obstetrician/gynecologist.

Some doctors or midwives will negotiate a discounted package rate for prenatal care, or prenatal care combined with delivery, for a patient paying out-of-pocket. And some hospitals will give you a discount on their part of the fee -- as much as 25 percent -- if you pay your bill at one time rather than in payments.

The U.S. Department of Health & Human Services[5] offers information on free and reduced cost prenatal and delivery services for women who qualify. Shopping for baby delivery:

The doctor you choose be board-certified by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists [6] . Or, if you wish to use a midwife, the American College of Nurse-Midwives [7] offers a certified midwife locator.

. Or, if you wish to use a midwife, the American College of Nurse-Midwives offers a certified midwife locator. If you have chosen a doctor or midwife, you usually will deliver at the hospital where they have admitting privileges; so, check out the hospital well in advance of the birth. BabyCenter.com [8] offers a guide to choosing a hospital.

offers a guide to choosing a hospital. As an alternative to hospitals, some patients choose a birth center; these usually have a more home-like environment than a hospital, allow multiple visitors, offer amenities such as Jacuzzis and offer transfer to a nearby hospital in case of complications. BabyCenter.com[9] has information on birth centers. And the American Association of Birth Centers[10] has a locator by state.

Material on this page is for informational purposes only and should not be construed as medical advice. For medical decisions, always consult your physician for the right course for your infant or child.









What People Are Paying - Recent Comments



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Labor and delivery Amount: $4,000.00 not covered by insurance Posted by: F in Sacramento, CA. Posted: November 29th, 2019 08:11PM Hospital: Kaiser Your Insurer: Federal Govt Type of Plan: Basic High risk, vaginal delivery, induced Was this post helpful to you? yes no Report prohibited or spam

BBA in the car, June 2018 Amount: $1,450.00 not covered by insurance Posted by: Mala6 in Houston, TX. Posted: August 3rd, 2018 01:08PM Hospital: Your Insurer: UnitedHealthCare Type of Plan: PPO EMS- $231

One day at the hospital- $1054

Pediatrician- $183 Was this post helpful to you? yes no Report prohibited or spam

Induced due to illness, emergency surgery, week in hospital Amount: $0.00 not covered by insurance Posted by: NHS (all free) in Northampton (uk), Other. Posted: April 26th, 2018 12:04PM Type of Plan: None Induced due to liver problems a week early, 2 day Labour due to false induction. Complication due to stuck placenta and major blood loss requiring 3 bags of blood, 3 consultants, 3 midwives epidural multiple drugs of every kind, a week in close observation ward, baby doctors checking the baby, food drink and aftercare. Was this post helpful to you? yes no Report prohibited or spam

Vaginal delivery - $20k total amount billed Amount: $6,000.00 not covered by insurance Posted by: legacy13 in Avon, IN. Posted: October 13th, 2015 10:10AM Hospital: IU Health West Your Insurer: Cigna Type of Plan: HDHP Two visits to triage; labor & delivery; 48-hour stay; epidural, IV and oral painkillers; stitches; lactation consultant visits; breast pump. Not yet billed for baby's blood draws and phototherapy. Received excellent service from the hospital, doctors, and nurses. Altogether, the amount billed was around $20,000, of which our deductible was about $3,500, and total out-of-pocket around $6000. Was this post helpful to you? yes no Report prohibited or spam

child birth Amount: $0.00 not covered by insurance Posted by: first time mom in lynchburg, VA. Posted: September 6th, 2015 08:09AM What is the cost of delivery in clarilion hospital Virginia? No insurance. Self payment. Thanks Was this post helpful to you? yes no Report prohibited or spam

Check your bill!!! Amount: $5,900.00 not covered by insurance Posted by: Fred Steffen in Vacaville, CA. Posted: August 4th, 2015 04:08PM Hospital: Kaiser Vacaville Your Insurer: Kaiser Type of Plan: 80/20 For a normal vaginal birth, the total was $16,000. After looking at the bill, we'd been charged for 140 different medications, only 15 of which she was given (including tums). Charged twice for a nursery we never used, at $1,260 each. This is a joke. What a ripoff. Fighting Kaiser currently to get this bill straight. Was this post helpful to you? yes no Report prohibited or spam

L&D Resort Amount: $4,000.00 not covered by insurance Posted by: TaylorBB in Walnut Creek, CA. Posted: July 30th, 2015 10:07PM Hospital: John Muir Your Insurer: UnitedHealthcare Type of Plan: PPO Cash price was $50K for my daughter & I. No complications. Epidural was 10K (included in 50K total) Was this post helpful to you? yes no Report prohibited or spam

BABY BIRTH Amount: $0.00 not covered by insurance Posted by: SHAHIDUL K. KHAN in Corona, CA. Posted: June 18th, 2015 07:06AM Mother is in USA on visiting visa,got pregnant.The mother and her husband(my nephew) want to let their baby born here.They can not bear the expenses of insurance cost with having no any type of plan. Was this post helpful to you? yes no Report prohibited or spam

Birthing Center Amount: $3,500.00 not covered by insurance Posted by: Built to Last in Chatsworth, CA. Posted: May 19th, 2015 11:05PM Type of Plan: Aetna POS II (PPO) Deductible for out of network birth is $6,000. Birthing centers and midwives not covered unless part of a covered hospital staff board. Doctor said my pelvis and vagina were too small for a normal delivery and pushed a c-section on me. Gladly, I chose to pay out of pocket for a birth center where I wasn't going to be pushed around for profit. Was this post helpful to you? yes no Report prohibited or spam

Healthy Birth, Huge Bill Amount: $0.00 not covered by insurance Posted by: Metalheart1999 in College Station, TX. Posted: March 7th, 2015 03:03PM Type of Plan: BCBS TX I was in L&D for 12 hours, recovery for the minimum required stay. I did get an epidural, but no other aids or pitocin, and no complications. Fortunately my insurance at the time covered both me and baby, but this time it won't be the same.

For a complication-free vaginal birth and healthy baby the bill was $28,000 in total.

To push out a baby.

$28,000. You have got to be kidding me. Was this post helpful to you? yes no Report prohibited or spam

Hospital Amount: $0.00 not covered by insurance Posted by: Mallory lewis in Joplin, OK. Posted: March 3rd, 2015 08:03PM Type of Plan: medicade It doesn't matter if you hospital visits free just becuase some Americans work and can not afford medical insurance doesn't mean they dont pay in on it.

Im not sure how much it cost for me to have my son, im sure it was expensive. But 6 weeks after the baby was born i didnt have insurance. Most companies wont insure you after. So its okay to Thoes who get it free that is what we all pay on for so dont feel bad. Was this post helpful to you? yes no Report prohibited or spam

I gotta baby with Liam Amount: $55.00 not covered by insurance Posted by: Kristi Kenner in Attleboro, MA. Posted: January 27th, 2015 07:01PM Type of Plan: MassHealth I had a baby with my boyfriend, Liam. I had my baby full term, but a tough vaginal delivery. I stayed 3 nights instead of 1 and a half days. The bill I guess was $12,000+ with epidurals and a breastfeeding lesson, but I paid about $55 when all said and done. I am planning on a second, and we are super excited about our next little gem! Was this post helpful to you? yes no Report prohibited or spam

Regular Vaginal Delivery Amount: $2,500.00 not covered by insurance Posted by: mom of many in Nashville, TN. Posted: December 17th, 2014 06:12PM Type of Plan: BC/BS PPO 80/20 I have a 1000 dollar deductible, which went towards all the prenatal stuff. My part of the OB charge was 500, which was reasonable. The hospital portion was 1200, but I paid in full, getting a discount, making that amount 1000. I think I paid a couple hundred on the baby. I don't get epidurals as I don't want to pay for them. Yes, I'm hard core frugal.

The list price at this hospital was 13k, double what it was with my last born in Knoxville where the list price was 5600. Its rather ridiculous. Was this post helpful to you? yes no Report prohibited or spam

C-Section, Epidural and Hospital bill Amount: $12,000.00 not covered by insurance Posted by: Thinkhome in Canton, OH. Posted: October 16th, 2014 05:10AM Hospital: Mercy Medical Center Your Insurer: Type of Plan: Self pay My wife was in labor for about 12hours,thereafter C-Section was carried out with epidural and the following day they were discharged (total nights spent was one).

The charges from the Anesthetics were unimagineably high ($7396.07)and there was no discount.Is this not outrageous? Was this post helpful to you? yes no Report prohibited or spam

Vaginal Birth at Home Amount: $1,100.00 not covered by insurance Posted by: CVT in Napa, CA. Posted: April 22nd, 2014 08:04AM Hospital: None Your Insurer: Anthem Blue Cross through AIM Type of Plan: EPO I had a normal delivery at home with a midwife. Not included were a birthing pool rental for $125 (so worth it!) and the birthing kit for $80 (included all the supplies for postnatal care of mom and baby). Started contractions on Tuesday afternoon but he was my first so my midwife just came to check on me and then said to call when I was really uncomfortable. She came back the next morning and stayed with me the whole time till I gave birth at 8pm(how many doctors would have done that?)and did all the postpartum care. Then she came back a couple of times over the next few days to check on me and help with bonding and breastfeeding. Do you think hospital staff and doctors could have shown so much patience for my body to prepare for birth or hands-on care before, during, and after my long labor? Not only was the cost manageable, but the care received so surpassed what is the norm in a hospital that I feel I got more than my money's worth! Was this post helpful to you? yes no Report prohibited or spam

Fully insured but still paid TONS Amount: $9,000.00 not covered by insurance Posted by: So over it in Houston, TX. Posted: March 28th, 2014 09:03PM Hospital: Methodist Willobrook Your Insurer: Humana Type of Plan: POS We prepaid OB/hospital (in-network) $5,000 before 26 weeks (monthly payments) per their policy. That was supposed to be "it" for the whole pregnancy care and delivery AND newborn bills since I was fully insured through employer - $600 monthly premiums, of which I paid $300/month. Ended up paying about $4,000 extra on top of the $5,000 I already pre-paid. Bills just kept coming in. Turned out half the nurses were "out of network" and the insurance company's response to my requests was "you should have made sure they are in-network before allowing treatment". Really? The last thing on your mind when you're trying to push the baby out or try to rest after delivery is to ask the nurses who come into your room and change with every shift whether or not they are in your network. I wrongly assumed that since the hospital was "in-network", all the workers in the hospital will also be "in-network". A pediatrician who was on-call the night my son was born was also not in-network (thus, $1,400 bill for spending 4 seconds in the room - "Looking good! Get some rest. <door closes>"). Live and learn, I guess. Was this post helpful to you? yes no Report prohibited or spam

disgusted Amount: $0.00 not covered by insurance Posted by: taydot12345 in houston, TX. Posted: December 20th, 2013 12:12AM Type of Plan: none I'm disgusted when I read about the US citizens who say they had to pay nothing out of pocket because they receive welfare. Thanks for having kids when you can't afford them and passing the buck on to us hard working Americans. There was plenty of out of pocket expenses for your delivery; you just didn't have to pay any of them. If you can't afford to pay to have a baby then keep your pants zipped up!! Was this post helpful to you? yes no Report prohibited or spam

Cesarean with Epidural Amount: $9,000.00 not covered by insurance Posted by: seattle mama in seattle, WA. Posted: March 29th, 2013 10:03PM Hospital: Group Health Central Your Insurer: Group Health Co-Op Type of Plan: Welcome 1000 I have double bills because I attempted an out of hospital birth with midwives and baby didnt progress after 30 hours so ended up having a cesarean birth.

We were surprised to find out after the delivery that the baby would have his own deductible and $500/per day hospital co pay. And I thought I studied and planned and asked all the right questions!

Add to the fact baby was born right after the first of the year and I had to start over on my deductible!

The bills showed charges for facilities, professional fees, meds, tests, labs, doctors visits and amount of tiolet paper used(joking).



I think it's really shady that no one can ever tell you how much these things will cost before you make the charges. It's like the medical billing and coding are intentionally convoluted. AArrgghh

Luckily they agreed to take $340/mo with no interest charged. Was this post helpful to you? yes no Report prohibited or spam

Gave birth in November 2012 Amount: $1,800.00 not covered by insurance Posted by: Solindya in Memphis, TN. Posted: March 24th, 2013 07:03PM Type of Plan: United Healthcare I ended up paying $1800 total:



$950 Hospital cost

$650 anesthesia

$200 pediatrician



I had an ER c-section after my son flatlined during the try to give a vaginal birth. 4 days hospital stay and $1800 less in the pocket (I still pay this off). But I don't care. My son is healthy and alive. Nothing else really matters. Was this post helpful to you? yes no Report prohibited or spam

30.00 Co-pay, 30% of Hospital bill w/ $3000.00 max Amount: $3,150.00 not covered by insurance Posted by: Lorena C in Los Angeles, CA. Posted: January 7th, 2013 02:01PM Hospital: 2,700.00 Your Insurer: Health Net Type of Plan: HMO My job did not take anything out of checks for insurance coverage, but I had a steep co-pay(paid $450.00 total) and had to pay 30% of my hospital which totaled $2700.00 Was this post helpful to you? yes no Report prohibited or spam

Self payment Amount: $9,194.00 not covered by insurance Posted by: demo in Bloomington, MN. Posted: October 15th, 2012 10:10PM Hospital: Fairview Southdale Your Insurer: BCBS Type of Plan: 20/80 group Room and medical at hospital - 4312

Anesthesiologist - 882.90

OBG West - 4000 Was this post helpful to you? yes no Report prohibited or spam

I was lucky- Amount: $0.00 not covered by insurance Posted by: a user in Beckley, WV. Posted: September 6th, 2012 10:09AM Hospital: Raleigh General Your Insurer: Federal Type of Plan: Group From were In was a minor, whatever the insurance didnt pay, the hospital dropped ot, so I didnt have to pay anything Was this post helpful to you? yes no Report prohibited or spam

self pay with baby #2 Amount: $5,830.00 not covered by insurance Posted by: sunbeam in Tampa, FL. Posted: August 20th, 2012 06:08PM Hospital: TGH Your Insurer: united w/o maternity rider We got pregnant before we could add on a maternity rider and had to self pay. Prenatal visits w/ my midwife was discounted to $2750, about $375/per prenatal visit with a $500 down payment. $80 for 20wk ultrasound, and $3000 for hospital costs. We plan on paying cash again, as my l&d have been uncomplicated vaginal deliveries w/o epidural. And we live in NC now... was curious about their costs. Was this post helpful to you? yes no Report prohibited or spam

Does everyone have to pay this much!!!??? Amount: $5,200.00 not covered by insurance Posted by: Mom of 4 in Ohio in Concord, OH. Posted: July 31st, 2012 05:07AM Hospital: TriPoint Medical Center Your Insurer: Medical Mutual Type of Plan: PPO I can't believe how much labor & delivery costs have increased for us over the years. Baby #1 (born 2002) cost less than $2K, baby #2 (2005) cost $2.5K and baby #3 (2008) cost $3k. Now baby #4 has been born (2012) & our insurance claims are saying we owe $5200 so far & they haven't even processed my OB's claim yet.



- $1800 hospital bill for baby

- $250 pediatrician bill

- $700 anesthesiologist bill

- $2500 hospital bill for me

- $? OB bill



All my past deliveries were natural, but baby #4 was a c-section. However, I don't remember receiving such high bills for just the baby before. His bills alone were $2K this time & he was perfectly healthy.



Our plan has a $2500 per person/$4500 per family deductible & $2500/$4500 co-insurance (80/20?) amount that has to be paid by us after the deductible has been met, as well. We're already paying over $200 a month towards our insurance premium, too.

Great benefits, right? And, my husband works for a union. I don't know how we're going to pay these medical bills. Hubby took a huge pay cut at work recently & we're already having trouble paying our other bills. Was this post helpful to you? yes no Report prohibited or spam

$0 cooverage by my policy Amount: $5,700.00 not covered by insurance Posted by: GFR in Indianapolis, IN. Posted: July 17th, 2012 08:07PM Hospital: $3500 Your Insurer: $0 Type of Plan: HSA My insurance did not cover the pregnancy. So we contacted best OBGYN and told we are self pay. He offered 9 month routine check plus delivery plus 6 month post partum visit for $2200 (to be paid in 6 installments) ($300 more for C section). I spoke with hospital where he was practicing and they offered me a self pay plan for $3500 (normal vaginal delivery, 1 night stay with $700 for additional night), $1000 extra for every additional child, $700 for epidural, if C section, hospital charges will be $6800. Terms were so clearly spelt, that I did not had to go through insurance hastles and coverage denial/ copay/ co-insurance/ out of pocket/ other nonsense I had to face for my first delivery. Was this post helpful to you? yes no Report prohibited or spam

Induced labour, vacuum delivery with episiotomy Amount: $0.00 not covered by insurance Posted by: Eibhlinn in limerick, Other. Posted: July 1st, 2012 05:07AM Hospital: Public hospital Your Insurer: Irish HSE Type of Plan: Free universal health care in Ireland I have no insurance but pay taxes. The state of Ieland in return provides free health care to all. Some fees apply unless you are a medical card holder. However pregnancy is exempted from all fees.



The care I've received:



GP visits: all free - about 15 throughout the pregnancy

Midwife appointments: 6, all free.

scans: 3 - all free.

Glucose Tolerance Test: 1 - free

antenatal classes: 5 - free

breastfeeding class : 1 - free

inducement: free

vacuum delivery, with episiotomy: free pain relief: pethidine injection and entonox: free Hospital stay: three nights - free. Regular visits from midwives, doctors and lactation consultants as often as I called for them. Visit from the public health nurse to check on baby's progress: 2 so far - free. I also have her phone number and address of drop in centre to see her with any question or worry I might have. Other services available to me for free: physiotherapy classes, follow up visits at the hospital, GP visits for baby'svaccines. Was this post helpful to you? yes no Report prohibited or spam



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