Talk about a painful delivery bill.
The cost of giving birth in the US continues to climb, with New York and New Jersey ranking among the most expensive states, according to data from the nonprofit FAIR Health.
In both New Jersey and New York, the median in-network price is $23,000 for a vaginal delivery and $27,000 for a C-section, a new report found.
California hospitals charge insurers a median of $21,000 for a vaginal birth and $25,000 for a cesarean delivery.
Alaska had the highest overall costs, at $31,000 for a vaginal birth and $42,000 for a C-section.
Nationwide, the median cost is $15,700 for a vaginal delivery and about $20,000 for a C-section, FAIR Health reported.
Prices rose roughly 3.6% over the past year. Since 2022, however, costs have surged 21% for vaginal births and 28% for C-sections, according to FAIR Health.
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The estimates include consultations, anesthesia, laboratory work, ultrasounds and other facility and professional services.
They largely represent the sticker prices billed by providers, not the amount insured families generally pay out of pocket.
Out-of-network deliveries cost substantially more. The national median for an out-of-network C-section is $43,000, while the figure reaches $79,000 in Nevada.
For women covered by employer-sponsored insurance, average out-of-pocket spending for pregnancy, delivery and postpartum care is about $2,700, according to the health research organization KFF.
Families seeking lower delivery costs may find better prices in the South and Midwest.
North and South Dakota have the lowest out-of-network prices for vaginal births, at just under $21,000 each. Alabama and Mississippi report the lowest in-network costs, at slightly more than $10,000.
The findings come as US birth rates decline and fertility rates remain below replacement levels.
