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MSN Money calls it one of the nine financial shocks for new parents – the cost of having a baby.
How Much Does it Cost (on Average) to Have a Baby?
In an article entitled How Much Does Baby Delivery Cost? the author says (of course depending on a million factors) that in the United States those without insurance you can expect to pay $9,000 – $17,000 for a natural birth and $14,000-25,000 for C-section births and complications. For patients with insurance they say to expect a bill for around $500 – $3,000. In addition, the baby usually receives a separate bill for between $1,500 – $4,000.
The price can differ significantly also depending on your birthing method.
A birth home (home birth) for example will depend on the fees of a midwife. This typically starts around $3,500 and increases.
A hypnobirth may be an alternative also. Check with a local HypnoBirthing Practitioner for the average cost.
A natural child birth could decrease the cost. In our case the epideral cost about $400. My wife assures me it was worth every penny.
WOW. That is a lot of money. I know those numbers are right because I know several people who have recently had children and their experiences support those numbers. But, with the rising medical costs, don’t be surprised if those number continue to increase. Photo by Frenkie
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Here is some perspective regarding the cost of having children in the US:
- In 2005, we had our daughter in the U.S. (my wife is American). We had ‘good’ insurance that provided 80/20 coverage (in other words, we paid 20% of the total cost) with a $500 deductible. Our bill for delivery for mother and baby came to between $3,000 and $3,500. That was a lot more than we expected. At the time we didn’t realize the baby would have a separate bill and deductible.
- In 2007 we had a son in Canada (I am Canadian). We had international insurance (because we live in Papua New Guinea). The billing department said our total cost for a private room would be $1,600 Canadian dollars total, including all fees for mother and baby. A cesarean section – add another $500. With insurance we paid $250 for our son.
- Here is a little more perspective. In 2002, some friends in Papua New Guinea had a daughter. The total bill? $8 (less than the cost of a head of imported broccoli!).
Anyone want to guess where we decided to have baby number three? Yes, Canada. I know having children outside of the US is not an option for everyone, but if it is then take advantage of the opportunity.
This of course begs the question Should I pay extra for maternity insurance coverage?
Once the baby is born factors like the babies health will drastically impact the price.
How much did your maternity bill cost? Any idea what the cost is in other countries?
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{ 5 comments… read them below or add one }
Being a Canadian myself I’d say you made a fine choice. Congrats on your new bundle of joy. I have three children myself.
Blessings.
Yes…it all seems true. We had decent insurance with maternity coverage in the US. I am still a little puzzled at how it can be considered maternity “coverage” when it cost right at $5,000 for my prenatal care and Ella’s c-section delivery. This is ON TOP of premiums of around $370 each month. Something is very wrong with that system. But I am also thankful that we could take care of the bills. Many can’t. Our 2nd baby will be born in Australia…and because of my citizenship here, the cost of all prenatal care and delivery (natural or surgical) is $0.00. Now granted — in some ways — you get what you pay for…(no specific OB, group midwife care which means a different midwife each visit, shared room at the hospital, bring your own diapers for baby etc…) But even if I paid to go private (private OB, private hospital, private room)…grand total would be $4,250 AUD…natural OR surgical birth is the same cost. Thankfully we’re getting a very generous baby bonus from the Aus government…it almost pays for the birth of Ella. You’re right…not everyone is able to take advantage of a more flexible and affordable health care system. I hope for Americans (and for us…life in the US COULD be part of our future some day)…that the cost of health care will be far less prohibitive. Happy Birth day to the third little one. (and sorry…I get just a LITTLE excited abou this issue). Nicole
I think I’ll stand a little taller the next time I sing “O Canada,” and cringe a little less when I see how much taxes are deducted from my pay this month.
I notice that you did not mention prepaying. I have a friend who prepayed the hospital and doctor (in the US) and only paid $3500 for a c-section total. That is a wise option if you are able to take advantage of it.
Lene,
Great point. I saved the prepay discussion for the post where I asked if you should purchase a maternity rider. Good to have a story of a person who was able to negotiate a cash payment with their local hospital – most will. Thanks for your comment. Anyone else able to negotiate a cash prepayment with their local hospital?