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Data: FAIR Health; Note: Costs include the delivery itself, anesthesia, fetal nonstress tests, ultrasounds, laboratory work and breast pump; Map: Alice Feng/Axios

The average cost of giving birth in the Lone Star State is below the national average, but could still hand you a big medical bill. 

Driving the news: While giving birth isn't cheap anywhere, it's far pricier in some states than others, according to data provided first to Axios from FAIR Health.

FAIR Health's 2022 Cost of Giving Birth Tracker — which uses data from more than 41 billion private health care claim records — offers a glimpse at how much variability there is in the cost of one of the most common health care services.

By the numbers: Texas' median in-network charge for a vaginal delivery is more than $11,318. Out of network, it's more than $27,500.

As for C-sections, the state's median in-network charge is roughly $13,900, while out-of-network rises to about $35,900.

Zoom out: The national average for in-network vaginal deliveries is $12,968, and $15,556 for C-sections.

The big picture: Alaska has the highest costs in the country. Its median allowed in-network amount for vaginal deliveries is more than $21,520 and almost $25,520 for C-sections.

But Texas' costs are more expensive than some neighboring states, including Oklahoma with a $9,614 in-network median vaginal delivery cost, New Mexico with $10,848, and Louisiana with $7,981. 

Alabama had the lowest median allowed in-network amount in the country at about $7,840 for vaginal deliveries and $8,910 for C-sections.

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It costs more than $11,000 to give birth in Texas

While giving birth isn't cheap anywhere, there are some states in the U.S. where it's far pricier than others.

Birth

The average cost of giving birth in the Lone Star State is below the national average, but could still hand you a big medical bill. Driving the news: While <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="giving birth isn&#x27;t cheap" data-vars-click-url="https://link.axios.com/click/31839327.137/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuYXhpb3MuY29tLzIwMjIvMDcvMTMvdGhlLWNvc3RzLW9mLWhhdmluZy1hLWJhYnk_dXRtX3NvdXJjZT1uZXdzbGV0dGVyJnV0bV9tZWRpdW09ZW1haWwmdXRtX2NhbXBhaWduPXNlbmR0b19sb2NhbG5ld3NsZXR0ZXJ0ZXN0JnN0cmVhbT10b3A/613bb99cb4152b573124203fB6fc78141" data-vars-content-id="355b7dd3-4ffa-425d-b546-cfbdf1652766" data-vars-headline="It costs more than $11,000 to give birth in Texas" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://link.axios.com/click/31839327.137/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuYXhpb3MuY29tLzIwMjIvMDcvMTMvdGhlLWNvc3RzLW9mLWhhdmluZy1hLWJhYnk_dXRtX3NvdXJjZT1uZXdzbGV0dGVyJnV0bV9tZWRpdW09ZW1haWwmdXRtX2NhbXBhaWduPXNlbmR0b19sb2NhbG5ld3NsZXR0ZXJ0ZXN0JnN0cmVhbT10b3A/613bb99cb4152b573124203fB6fc78141" target="_blank">giving birth isn&#x27;t cheap</a> anywhere, it&#x27;s far pricier in some states than others, according to data provided first to Axios from FAIR Health.

Health

About eight in 10 Texas kids have already been infected with COVID-19, new CDC data shows.

Driving the news: The CDC released the results of its latest pediatric antibody seroprevalence survey last week.

The results of blood samples taken in May and June suggest that 81% of Texans between the ages of 6 months and 17 years have been infected with COVID-19 at least once.

The big picture: 62% of Texans six months and older are fully vaccinated.

Yes, but: The latest BA.5 subvariant of omicron is now the dominant strain of the coronavirus in the U.S., and it's the most transmissible we've seen since the start of the pandemic.

It can break through vaccines and evade antibodies from prior omicron infections.

The good news: Studies suggest long COVID is rarer in children.

Most Texas kids have contracted COVID, CDC survey says

Illustration of a stack of wooden toy blocks showing a syringe, a COVID cell and a cotton swab. 

COVID-19

About eight in 10 Texas kids have already been infected with COVID-19, <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="new CDC data shows" data-vars-click-url="https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#pediatric-seroprevalence" data-vars-content-id="e06b3296-f436-4a45-911d-3b34c013eefe" data-vars-headline="Most Texas kids have contracted COVID, CDC survey says" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#pediatric-seroprevalence" target="_blank">new CDC data shows</a>.Driving the news: The CDC released the results of its latest pediatric antibody seroprevalence survey last week.

Tina Reed

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It costs more than $11,000 to give birth in Texas

Most Texas kids have contracted COVID, CDC survey says