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CostHelper.com > Babies & Children  > Baby Delivery

Baby Delivery Cost

How Much Does Baby Delivery Cost?

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

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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.
  • 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 co-pays -- 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, the average out-of-pocket cost for a vaginal delivery for privately insured patients was $463 and for a C-section, $523. In this forum at TheNestBaby.com, new mothers compare notes on the cost of delivery, insurance and out-of-pocket costs.
  • 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.
  • 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, 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.
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 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 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 Servicesoffers information on free and reduced cost prenatal and delivery services for women who qualify. They also offer a financial aid worksheet with tips and resources on paying for care.
Shopping for baby delivery:
  • The doctor you choose be board-certified by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. 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 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 has information on birth centers. And the American Association of Birth Centers 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.
 
Article updated September 2008
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Recent Posts
Amount: $0.00 not covered by insurance Insurance Premiums not Included
Posted by: a user in West Monroe, LA.Purchased: 2008
The error I see in this information is that no premium costs are included with insured delivery. With my company, depending on deductible, we pay between $7700 to $3600 on premiums per year whether insurance benefit is received or not. To be more relevant, these costs need to be included.......the way the article is written makes it appear otherwise.
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Amount: $1,000.00 not covered by insurance delivery
Posted by: juan in woodland, CA.Purchased: March, 2008
Hospital: sutter davisYour Insurer: definity health
Type of Plan: hra plan 2
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Amount: $7,000.00 not covered by insurance baby delivery
Posted by: desi in inkster, MI.Purchased: September, 2008
Hospital: annapolis hospitalYour Insurer: united health insurance
Type of Plan: group
the statistics in the article is no where realstic. i paid more than 7000 to 8000 for maternity and i may have paid 1000 for baby care
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Amount: $30,000.00 not covered by insurance Emergency C-section
Posted by: BoizMom in Plano, TX.Purchased: 2004
Hospital: Plano Medical CenterYour Insurer:
Type of Plan: PPO
All we had to POP was $200 to the doctor. Until my son was actually born. I had an emergency C-section and then the bills came pouring in! After it was all said and done we had over $30,000.00 in medical bills pertaining to the birth of our son. We had to file bankruptcy.
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Amount: $3,400.00 not covered by insurance Vaginal delivery
Posted by: Jen S. in Princeton, NJ.Purchased: August, 2006
Hospital: University Medical Center in PrincetonYour Insurer: Cigna
Type of Plan: PPO
I had a PPO plan through my job that was hundreds of dollars per month deducted from my paycheck. I had a $1000 deductible and then it covered about 80%. The epidural costed me $1700 after insurance. My OB/GYN bill was $400 after insurance. The hospital charged me $700 and my daughter $600 after insurance.
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Amount: $25,000.00 not covered by insurance Emergency CSection
Posted by: Deedee -Boston MA in Boston, MA.Purchased: October, 2008
Hospital: Mass General HospYour Insurer:
25,000 plus or minus a grand was billed to my insurer. For my child, in the NICU-10days, it was an additional 48,000. Insurance covered most of it (all but 4500-United Health Plan.)Would have been significantly cheaper for vaginal delivery.
[Note, Three years ago Blue Cross HMO blue covered entire emergency csection with a 25.00 copayment.]
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Amount: $20,000.00 not covered by insurance Vaginal Delivery
Posted by: Angry payer in New York, NY.Purchased: 2008
Hospital: North shore University Hospital ManhassaYour Insurer: GHI
Type of Plan: PPO
Told covered at 100% reasonable and customary. Turns out 100% of what the insurance felt like paying. Insurance isn\'t what it used to be.
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Amount: $500.00 not covered by insurance cost
Posted by: a user in houston, TX.Purchased: September, 2008
Hospital: tomballYour Insurer: CIGNA
Type of Plan: HMO
I had cigna and I only pay 75 a month for insurance. They covered 100% of my doctor visits with no copay needed. also I only had to pay 500 co pay at the hospital I had a normal vaginal delevery
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Amount: $8,000.00 not covered by insurance Cost of having a baby
Posted by: Liz13 in Jacksonville Beach, FL.Purchased: 2009
Hospital: Baptist Hospital-BeachesYour Insurer: Self-Pay
Type of Plan: n/a
We don\'t have insurance coverage and so are self-pay. At 34 weeks pregnant, so far costs have included: $3159.00 pre-pay to the OB/Gyn, $2000.00 to a specialty ultrasound for the fetal diagnostic and fetal echocardiogram studies, $2000.00 hospital pre-pay, and about $800.00 in lab bills. I don\'t know how much hospital bills for labor and delivery will be, but it is very worrisome. It is absolutely horrible that maternity and delivery are so expensive and are not well covered by most insurance plans
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Amount: $250.00 not covered by insurance Birth
Posted by: Regan in Newport Beach, CA.Purchased: December, 2003
Hospital: Hoag HospitalYour Insurer: Pacificare
Type of Plan: HMO
Paid 250.00 for vagnal delivery induced 1 week early. It was wonderful. Now delivering twins with a PPO and really worried.
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Amount: $5,000.00 not covered by insurance Baby Delivery
Posted by: happy_dad_but_sad in mountainview, CA.Purchased: July, 2009
Hospital: El Camino HospitalYour Insurer: Blueshield
Type of Plan: PPO
I'm looking at 3000 $ for hospital, and the obgyn charges of about 2000 $. These are my portions of the bill.
Actual Charges:
Bills from hospital.
38000 $ for delivery. (For mother)
14000 $ for nursery. (For baby)

Doctors' medical group:
8000 $ for all visits up to delivery..

I can't believe these numbers...

All the joy of parenthood is killed by these. This money is coming out of my baby's future... :(
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Amount: $0.00 not covered by insurance Non-American on A Visit
Posted by: Andra Sabry in Downey, CA.Purchased: 2009
I'm on a Business trip visit to the US, I'm in my 33rd week of pregnancy, I have to go for a C-section as my early 2 childs came as such, I cannot afford the high and expensive delivery fees WHAT CAN I DO??
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Amount: $1,724.20 not covered by insurance Vaginal Birth with Epidural & Vacuum
Posted by: flutterfly85 in Kalamazoo, MI.Purchased: April, 2006
Hospital: Bronson Methodist HospitalYour Insurer: Aetna
Type of Plan: Student
I had a good experience at the hospital. My son was admitted into NICU for a while, and I had to stay for a little while longer.

I managed to negotiate a staggered payment plan of $200 a month.
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Amount: $3,500.00 not covered by insurance baby delivery
Posted by: Nithya in milford, CT.Purchased: 2007
Hospital: milford,CTYour Insurer: CIGNA
Type of Plan: CIGNA
I delivered my baby at milford hospital in Connecticut.The care was amazing and the staff was so friendly and caring.I spent around 3500$ and paid in monthly instalments.We have provision to recover part of this delivery expences in india aswell so,totally my delivery expences would be around 2000$.
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Amount: $0.00 not covered by insurance omitted option
Posted by: Eliz in Palm Desert, CA.Purchased: October, 2009
Hospital: NAYour Insurer: Blue Cross Anthem
Type of Plan: PPO
Your article neglects to mention independent midwives who do deliveries at a client\'s home. This can be a very economical option. Costs vary on geography for sure. Some insurance plans do cover ...Tricare did, and Blue Cross Anthem does too.
Midwives can also do VBACs in california by the way...for those who are being discouraged from trying by current hospital policies.
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Amount: $4,550.00 not covered by insurance Baby Delivery
Posted by: a user in Melbourne, FL.Purchased: January, 2010
Hospital: HolmesYour Insurer: UHC
We have a deductible/then 80/20 plan. We had a normal vaginal delivery with epidural and stadol - no other special aspects of the delivery. The hospital charges were $36,000 and the epidural charges were $1900. After insurance we paid $3300 for the Hospital and $1200 for the epidural. We were in the hospital Sun-Tuesday. I personally think that the total cost charged by the hospital is rediculous, it's no wonder we have such problems with healthcare in this country. I know that medically trained staff deserve good salaries and that a lot of people were involved with our stay, but that's a shocking price tag for a normal delivery. Think about plastic surgeries - they cost 6 times less...why? Because the consumer is paying for it because it is an elective surgery - as opposed to the insurer paying for it? This system is broken.
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Amount: $0.00 not covered by insurance home birth
Posted by: Genevra in New York, NY.Purchased: 2010
Hospital: home deliveryYour Insurer: oxford freedom
i had 2 home births in nyc, both were $6000 from soup to nuts - all prenatal care and post-partum visits

it took some doing but it was 100% covered by my insurer
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Amount: $6,000.00 not covered by insurance c-section birth
Posted by: Angry Mother in Castro Valley, CA.Purchased: 2010
Hospital: Eden HospitalYour Insurer: Health Net
Type of Plan: HMO
Was initially told by my insurance that I would only pay $3000 max. Then I got a bill for me and then one for my baby - together totalling over $42000! (24k for me, 18k for baby), with insurance insisting that we each need to pay $3000. Still trying to resolve costs with the hospital, but nobody ever told us to expect this and is a serious financial drain for us.
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Amount: $6,200.00 not covered by insurance Delivery Costs
Posted by: a user in Fletcher, NC.Purchased: October, 2009
Hospital: Park Ridge HospitalYour Insurer: BCBS of NC
I was induced and had a vaginal delivery with an epidural. I ended up having to stay in the hospital 5 days because of breastfeeding issues, so my hospital bill is a little more than should normally be expected. I also had a $5000 deductible which meant more out of my pocket. The epidural ended up being $675 insruance allowable. My OB/GYN prenatal care and delivery was about $2100 insurance allowable. The hospital stay was $2600 insurance allowable for me and then an extra $750 for my daughter. That all had to come out of my pocket since I had a high deductible, but if your deductible is smaller then you would just owe whatever percentage your co-ins is. It is well worth it though!!
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Amount: $105,000.00 not covered by insurance Rupture early / baby NICU
Posted by: a user in gilbert, AZ.Purchased: February, 2008
Hospital: Your Insurer: BCBS OF AZ
Type of Plan: PPO
Still trying to get them to cover to cover it but may have to declare bankruptcy. they covered the NICU stay of $60,000
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Amount: $2,050.00 not covered by insurance Uncomplicated Vaginal w/ epidural
Posted by: WTH? in Tampa, FL.Purchased: February, 2010
Hospital: Tampa GeneralYour Insurer: United Health Care
Type of Plan: POS
The hospital billed my insurance $16,000+ for a totally normal vaginal delivery. My deductible was 2,000. The dr's bill was $2000 and it cost me $50 more for a private room. My son also had a deductible of $2000. He was charged $156 to be discharged. These costs seem pretty outrageous for a vaginal delivery!
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Amount: $1,565.56 not covered by insurance Induced, vaginal delivery
Posted by: Henri's mom in Minneapolis, MN.Purchased: February, 2010
Hospital: Abbott NorthwesternYour Insurer: BCBS
Type of Plan: Group
Delivery - (my cost $1565.56)
Hospital stay: 22,557.75
Doctor fee: 2,612.00
Epidural: 1,562.42

Pregnancy -
All dr visits and ultrasounds: 13,603.55

I have not received the bill for my baby's in hospital care yet, but she does not have insurance through the same provider (my fault, I missed the 30 day enrollment deadline) and so $0 of it will be covered. I'll have to pay for it all.

My plan has a $250 deductible, a hospital stay deductible of $200, 80/20 after the deductibles are met, and an out-of-pocket maximum of $1,600, all annually. Nothing I was billed for was not allowable through my insurance company so after I reached the max everything was covered.
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Amount: $1,201.90 not covered by insurance Uncomplicated Vaginal w/ epidural
Posted by: Confused in Minneapolis, MN.Purchased: April, 2010
Hospital: Fairview RiversideYour Insurer: Preferred One
Uncovered epidural charges: 95
Uncovered midwives: 326.09
Room/board/everything else: $780

Total costs: 18,347.92

I'm looking at the detailed medical bill and trying to figure out what the additional items are. Vaginal Birthing RO: 2484. Non-Stress Test ADD: 220. Non-Stress Test: 466. Level 2 W/Proc: 122 (two times). It would be helpful to know what these really were
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Amount: $1,800.00 not covered by insurance Born in Seoul South Korea
Posted by: whosyourdaddy in Seoul South Korea, Other.Purchased: July, 2010
Hospital: Seoul Asan HospitalYour Insurer: Korean National Health Care
Type of Plan: Korean Ministry of Health
The cost of delivery was more expensive than usual due to the fact that it was done in the university hospital. Our baby had a cleft lip and normal OBGYN's in our small town wouldn't deliver. Most deliveries here are performed in private OBG clinics above the doctor's office. Hospitals only take referred troubled cases. The average cost for delivery is about $1200 and the normal out of pocket is $300. The total cost for delivery in the countries premiere hospital (ranked 80th in the world) was $2,500 and an out of pocket of $1,300. This included induction, delivery, some Xrays and lab tests, EKG, epesiotomy, room and board, and medication.

The child had a separate bill of $500. This included an echocardiogram and a special needs feeder, plus hearing and health tests. No circumcision though.

On another note, the child requires plastic surgery for cleft lip and an indentation on the gum line. This surgery is covered by Korean National Health insurance and the total cost is unknown to me, but I called the Korean Ministry of Health and they told me my out of pocket would be about $1,100. They told me my wife's delivery would only cost $800 and the final cost was $1,300, so I will plan on at least $2000 to be safe as they won't discharge a patient here unless the bill is paid in full!!! That's kind of crazy, since if you couldn't afford the bill at the moment of delivery, how are you going to afford it 2 days later after additional charges. It's just Korean logic. Doesn't always work well. But, the total cost was actually quite good and the level of care was modern and high tech in quality. While I still had complaints, I shouldn't complain too much looking at the other bills here.
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