This Is How Much It Costs To Give Birth In The United States

Not Cheap

The cost of healthcare in America has always been a touchy issue. Giving birth requires significant and costly medical care so it might be worthwhile knowing how much this can cost. Studies show that many young couples are actually delaying having kids due to the costs involved.

So exactly how much are we looking at in terms of cost per birth? Out-of-pocket costs can be up to $4000.00. This number can of course fluctuate depending on variables such as type of insurance. When Reddit users were asked to share their childbirth cost stories, here’s what they had to say.

Company Insurance

Having comprehensive medical insurance provided by the mom or dad’s company is often the safest route. Depending on the level of cover this can result in significant out-of-pocket savings.

One mom illustrates this point perfectly with her story. Her son was born at nearly 27 weeks and therefore qualified for emergency care on her husband’s insurance. The extra hospital stays, NICU costs, and specialists eventually cost more than half a million dollars. Yikes! Here’s what more moms who shared their childbirth cost stories had to say.

Story Credit: Reddit/kaycee28

Debt Trap

One mom relays how she gave birth to her daughter at 30 weeks. She was still in high school at the time and had no insurance. The baby’s NICU was 7 weeks and cost a whopping $430 000.00. According to this mom, she is now in her thirties and “nowhere close to paying it off.”

Story Credit: Reddit/Lexybabie21

Being Prepared

According to one research-savvy mom, she saved close to $7000.00 on her child’s birth by doing her homework beforehand. According to her,  she switched plans a couple of months before and narrowly avoided the excess payment.

Her eventual birth costs were in the region of $68 000.00 and her old insurance would have required her to pay for 10% of this out-of-pocket. Her experience shows that doing your research on different insurance options and plans can definitely pay off.

Story Credit: Reddit/goldworkswell

It’s Complicated

Every parent hopes for a straightforward birth with healthy children at the end of it. Unfortunately, complications before, during, and after childbirth are all too common and can be costly.

It seems that the “during” part costs the most as one mom points out that she had to pay $16 000.00 for a two-night hospital stay when her child was born but only a $500.00 excess for a week-long stay for post-partum complications.

Story Credit: Reddit/maeffox