Why does it cost $32,093 just to give birth in America?The US is the most expensive nation in the world in which to have a baby – and it may factor into thousands of bankruptcies each yearJessica Glenza in New York
Tue 16 Jan 2018 02.00 EST Last modified on Tue 16 Jan 2018 16.44 EST
Bankrupted: why having premature twins cost me everything
Stella Apo Osae-Twum and her husband did everything by the book. They went to a hospital covered by insurance, saw an obstetrician in their plan, but when her three sons – triplets – were born prematurely, bills started rolling in.
The hospital charged her family $877,000 in total.
“When the bills started coming, to be very honest, I was an emotional wreck,†said Apo Osae-Twum. “And this is in the midst of trying to take care of three babies who were premature.â€
America is the most expensive nation in the world to give birth. When things go wrong – – from pre-eclampsia to premature birth – costs can quickly spiral into the hundreds of thousands of dollars. While the data is limited, experts in medical debt say the costs of childbirth factor into thousands of family bankruptcies in America each year.
It’s nearly impossible to put a price tag on giving birth in America, since costs vary dramatically by state and hospital. But one 2013 study by the the advocacy group Childbirth Connection found that, on average, hospitals charged $32,093 for an uncomplicated vaginal birth and newborn care, and $51,125 for a standard caesarean section and newborn care. Insurance typically covers a large chunk of those costs, but families are still often on the hook for thousands of dollars.
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Even the luxurious accommodations provided to the Duchess of Cambridge for the birth of the royal family’s daughter Princess Charlotte – believed to have cost up to $18,000 – were cheaper than many births in America.
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It is more expensive to deliver a baby in the United States than in any other country
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The US also has the worst rate of maternal mortality in the developed world. That means America is simultaneously the most expensive and one of the riskiest industrialized nations in which to have children.
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