Key Factors

• Insurance companies vary wildly in their coverage of birth expenses, so how much you pay for having your baby after your insurance company kicks in its portion has a lot to do with your specific medical plan and insurer. Another key factor affecting how much a hospital birth costs is whether you have a vaginal or Cesarean birth. Complications during the birth, as well as the length of your and your new baby's hospital stay, will also have a big impact on the overall cost.
  
  

Pre-Insurance Cost

• According to CostHelper.com, the average cost of a vaginal birth with no complications in the U.S. is between $9,000 and $17,000, while the average cost for a C-section without complications or a vaginal birth with complications is between $14,000 and $25,000.
  
  

Out-of-Pocket Cost

• The out-of-pocket cost is the money you're expected to pay on your own, so this is what the birth will end up costing you after your insurer pays for its portion of the total costs. You can expect to pay between $500 and $3,000 on average, according to CostHelper.com. Meanwhile, the March of Dimes Foundation places the post-insurance costs of having a baby via vaginal delivery at $463 and via C-section at $523. However, these amounts are strictly for care to the mother. Your baby will also typically be billed separately for his direct care during and after the delivery, adding to your out-of-pocket costs.
  
  

Breakdown

• Your out-of-pocket costs will typically include insurance co-pays, any portion of your deductible for the year that has yet to be met, and a percentage of the overall costs of the birth. Insurance plans usually have a yearly out-of-pocket maximum, so if your co-pays, deductible and other costs reach this amount, this is where you top out, so you pay nothing beyond that. Often, insurance plans have yearly out-of-pocket maximums ranging between $1,500 and $3,000.
  
  

Considerations

• Many factors can drive the post-insurance price of having a baby significantly up. For instance, a premature baby who must spend weeks in an intensive care unit, getting labor inducing drugs, or having a private hospital room can all drive costs up.