Alabama among least expensive states to give birth
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The average total in-network cost of giving birth in the U.S. is about $15,200 for vaginal deliveries and $19,300 for C-sections, per data from FAIR Health, a national independent nonprofit.
By the numbers: For vaginal deliveries, Alaska has the highest average cost (about $29,200), followed by New York and New Jersey (both about $21,800).
- Alaska also has the highest average cost for C-sections ($39,500), followed by Maine ($28,800) and Vermont ($28,700).
- Only Mississippi is less expensive than Alabama's costs by method. Alabama averages $10,000 for a C-section and $11,500 for a vaginal delivery, compared to Mississippi's $9,800 and $11,100 respectively.
Yes, but: Cost is only part of the equation. Mississippi had the highest infant mortality rate in the country, and Alabama the 14th-highest in the most recent data, from 2022, per the CDC.
How it works: The amounts in FAIR's Cost of Giving Birth Tracker include delivery, ultrasounds, lab work and more.
- They reflect total costs paid by patients and their insurance companies, as applicable.
- Insured patients' financial responsibilities are typically well below the total amount paid, with average out-of-pocket costs of just under $3,000 in 2018-2020, per a 2022 Peterson-KFF analysis.
What they're saying: Many factors drive the differences between states, FAIR Health's Rachel Kent tells Axios, including provider training levels, local salaries and costs of living, malpractice insurance costs and insurers' bargaining power.
Between the lines: Black and Hispanic people paid more out-of-pocket for maternal care than Asian and white patients with the same insurance, per a study published earlier this year in JAMA Health Forum.
Reality check: Birth costs are just one of many financial burdens for new parents, with pediatrician and child care bills often following soon after.