C-section births cost nearly $29K in Oregon
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Having a baby isn't cheap anywhere, but Oregon ranks as the fourth-most-expensive state in the U.S. for delivering a baby via C-section, according to FAIR Health.
Why it matters: Birth costs are just one of many financial burdens for new parents, with pediatrician and child care bills often following soon after.
By the numbers: The average total in-network cost of giving birth in Oregon is about $20,000 for vaginal deliveries and $28,700 for C-sections, per data from FAIR, a national independent nonprofit.
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 just under $3,000 in 2018-2020, per a 2022 Peterson-KFF analysis.
The big picture: 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) and then Oregon.
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.
Zoom in: In Oregon, more families are choosing to give birth at home, at birth centers or via a midwife since the pandemic, in part due to the cost of giving birth in a hospital.
- Yes, but: Oregon this year enacted a law requiring insurers to cover more supportive services during and after birth — including doulas and lactation care — to improve maternal outcomes and remove out-of-pocket costs for families.
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 this year in JAMA Health Forum.