The costs of having a baby
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From frequent prenatal office visits, to caring for pregnancy-related conditions to the delivery itself, the cost of having a baby in the U.S. is nearly $19,000, per a new Kaiser Family Foundation report.
- That translates to almost $3,000 in out-of-pocket costs on average for women insured by large group plans, the report said.
Why it matters: Estimates often look specifically at the costs of delivering a baby, but not the wraparound services that come with pregnancy which can add up.
By the numbers: The researchers looked at claims from the IBM MarketScan Encounter Database for enrollees in large employer private health plans from 2018 through 2020.
- Pregnancies resulting in a vaginal delivery cost about $14,768, or about $2,655 out of pocket for women.
- Pregnancies ending in C-sections cost an average of $26,280, or $3,214 in added expenses compared to women of the same age who do not give birth.
Between the lines: This makes me think of the Washington Post's recent breakdown of just how much it costs for women to breastfeed (despite often being told it's "free").
The intrigue: Drug costs typically dropped for pregnant women, likely because they are less likely to use birth control pills and other drugs considered unsafe during pregnancy.
