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Facility Labor and Birth Charges by Site and Mode of Birth,
United States, 2003-2005


Childbirth charges vary by the type of birth you have (vaginal or cesarean birth) and the facility in which you give birth (birth center, hospital, or home birth). Charges of giving birth are also affected if there are complications during childbirth, be it vaginal or c-section. As you can see from the chart below, the charge for giving birth in a birth center is the lowest, as compared with giving birth by c-section in a hospital, which increases with complications.

national us birth charges by site and mode of birth
Facility labor and birth charges by site and mode of birth,
United States, 2003-2005
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Notes:
Figures in graph do not include the following charges:
  • additional anesthesia services charge for all cesarean and most vaginal births in hospitals
  • additional newborn care charge for all births in hospitals
  • additional maternity provider charge for all births.
Payments of third-party payers typically reflect a discounting of charges.

Birth center figure is average charge reported by 86 out-of-hospital birth centers.

Comparable birth center figure will next be available for 2008.

Resources

U.S. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, HCUPnet, Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project. Rockville, MD: AHRQ. Available at: http://hcupnet.ahrq.gov/ [DRGs 370-373.]

National Association of Childbearing Centers, National Association of Childbearing Centers Survey Report of Birth Center Experience 2003. National Association of Childbearing Centers, 2004. [Figure is average charge reported by 86 out-of-hospital birth centers. New name of organization is American Association of Birth Centers.]


Most recent page update: 2/1/2008
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