A new HCCI report examines childbirth in the U.S.: how much birthing people pay out of pocket, price and price variation for delivery, and how COVID-19 affected how long people stay in the hospital for a birth.
Researchers examined the price of childbirth in the U.S. in 2020 nationally, by state, and in a set of local areas and found that the average price of childbirth was $13,393 in 2020. The average price of a c-section was $17,103 compared to $11,453 for a vaginal delivery.
To examine the price of childbirth, they assessed allowed amounts for deliveries in HCCI’s commercial claims dataset, which includes claims for over one-third of the population with employer-sponsored insurance in 2020. For people with employer-sponsored health insurance, “allowed amounts,” the negotiated amount paid by the insurer to the provider for the service, are the most direct measure of the “price” of a service.
Read more:
- The Price of Childbirth in the U.S. Tops $13,000 in 2020. HCCI. 10 May 2022.