How to Calculate Costs of Maternity Care

Maternity care costs depend on various factors.

The costs of maternity care vary depending on your location, whether you go through a vaginal delivery or a Cesarean delivery, and your particular delivery conditions. As such, it is difficult to precisely calculate your maternity care costs. However, several organizations have conducted studies on maternity care costs in the US, and their findings can help you estimate a ballpark figure. You may need to make assumptions about the details of the delivery.

Instructions

1. Determine whether you will deliver naturally or through a Cesarean section. A Cesarean section generally costs more than a vaginal delivery. A vaginal delivery averages almost $8,000 and a Cesarean section averages almost $11,000, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation.

2. Ask your doctor about the possibility of complications with your pregnancy. According to Childbirth Connection, complications during delivery make the total costs go up by about $2,000 for a vaginal delivery, or about $4,000 for a cesarean delivery. Sometimes, complications also lead to a woman who has planned on a vaginal delivery ending up having a cesarean delivery.

3. Take your location into account. The Kaiser Family Foundation reports that hospitals in the Northeast generally charge about 11 to 13 percent more than the national average. Expenditures in the South are lower, by 4 to 6 percent, than the national average.

4. Consider the type of health care facility where you will give birth. The American Pregnancy Association estimates the cost of delivery at a birth center to be about half the cost of a hospital delivery. In a birth center, usually a midwife and a nurse oversee your delivery process, with a doctor on call and a back-up hospital nearby in case of an emergency. Birth centers don't handle complicated pregnancies, don't help with cesarean deliveries and don't offer stimulants. You can find a local birth center in the database of the American Association of Birth Centers.

5. Talk to your insurance provider about how much of the maternity care cost is covered. The Kaiser Family Foundation reports that large employer health plans usually cover about 94 percent of maternity care costs, so multiply the cost estimate by 6 percent to determine your out-of-pocket expense if you are on such a plan. Other insurance plans include Medicaid and private, personal health insurance.

Tips & Warnings

• Talk to your doctor and ask about the average maternity care costs at her facility. This figure will more accurately estimate your maternity care costs.

References

• Kaiser Family Foundation: March of Dimes: Maternity Care Fact Sheet
• Childbirth Connection: Evidence-Based Maternity Care
• American Pregnancy Association: Health Insurance for Pregnant Women
• Baby Center: Birth Centers