What it costs to give birth in Louisiana
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If you're giving birth in Louisiana anytime, you can expect to see a total in-network cost of around $11,300 for a vaginal delivery and $14,800 for a C-section, per data from FAIR Health.
The big picture: Those numbers put the cost of giving birth in Louisiana among the lowest in the nation.
By the numbers: The nationwide average in-network cost is about $15,200 for vaginal deliveries and $19,300 for C-sections, the national independent nonprofit reports.
How it works: The amounts in the FAIR Health Cost of Giving Birth Tracker include delivery, ultrasounds, lab work and more. They reflect total costs paid by patients as well as their insurance companies, as applicable.
- Financial responsibilities of insured patients 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 analysis by the Peterson Center and KFF.
What they're saying: Many factors drive the differences between states, Rachel Kent of FAIR Health tells Axios, including provider training levels, local salaries and costs of living, malpractice insurance costs and insurer 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 childcare bills often following soon after.
Chelsea Brasted contributed to this report.
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