WASHINGTON, June 12 (UPI) -- Having a baby is expensive, especially for women without good insurance coverage, a U.S. report said Tuesday.
"Having a baby is the most costly health event families are likely to experience during their childbearing years," said Jennifer Howse, president of the March of Dimes, the group that released the study.
"Health insurance is central to obtaining maternity care services critical to the health of the woman and that of her newborn," she said.
The average cost of a vaginal delivery, including prenatal care, labor and delivery, was more than $7,737 in 2004, the study said. Of that cost, women with private insurance paid about $463.
The average cost of Caesarean section delivery was more than $10,000, with about $523 in out-of-pocket costs paid by patients with private insurance.
Patients with no insurance or limited coverage, however, were faced with paying most or all of the cost of maternity care.
"An uninsured healthy pregnancy can be a financial strain on young families, and a catastrophe in the case of a high-risk birth," Howse said.
The more than 40 percent of women who rely on public programs for maternity care coverage face hefty administrative hurdles to enrollment, the group said. Because many high-deductible plans do not consider maternity care to be preventive care, women with such coverage also face high out-of-pocket costs.
