How much does a C-section cost in the US?

a C-section typically costs $28,998 in the United States before insurance. This is an insurer-negotiated allowed amount, not the inflated list price. Source: Peterson-KFF Health System Tracker — pregnancy & childbirth costs (2021–23).

How much more than Medicare do insurers pay for a C-section?

Medicare pays $15,315 for a C-section. Private insurers pay about 1.9× that amount.

What would I pay for a C-section with insurance?

It depends on your plan. With a Silver marketplace plan ($5,304 deductible, 20% coinsurance, $10,600 out-of-pocket maximum) you pay the deductible then a share of the rest, capped at the out-of-pocket maximum. If you are uninsured you are typically quoted the hospital's cash price, which runs about 10% HIGHER than the insurer-negotiated rate.

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I need a C-section

A cesarean delivery, covering the full pregnancy-to-postpartum episode.

Typical US price before insurance

$28,998

This is an allowed amount — the price actually negotiated with insurers, not the inflated list price. Source: Peterson-KFF Health System Tracker — pregnancy & childbirth costs (2021–23).

Average out-of-pocket for insured patients: $3,071. A C-section costs roughly $13,000 more than a vaginal delivery.

What Medicare pays for the same care $15,315

Private insurers pay 1.9× what Medicare pays for this.

All-in: $12,841 to the hospital plus $2,474 to the doctor (IPPS/MS-DRG, 2024). Divide the two figures above and you get our ratio — check our arithmetic. Source: CMS.

What you'd actually pay

Your coverage

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Where you live

Your state

$28,998

The national average price.

State prices from RAND's hospital price study — how much your state's hospitals charge private insurers relative to Medicare. This is a statewide price level, not a per-procedure state price. Maryland isn't shown: it sets hospital rates for all payers, so the comparison doesn't apply there.

a C-section cost by state

Prices swing more than 2× across the country for identical care. Pick your state:

Alabama $24,089 Alaska $33,450 Arizona $31,852 Arkansas $18,495 California $35,620 Colorado $33,222 Connecticut $29,340 Delaware $35,391 District of Columbia $27,514 Florida $39,501 Georgia $36,190 Hawaii $28,085 Idaho $32,994 Illinois $28,770 Indiana $34,250 Iowa $25,916 Kansas $28,656 Kentucky $26,258 Louisiana $26,486 Maine $28,998 Massachusetts $22,034 Michigan $21,577 Minnesota $27,171 Mississippi $21,121 Missouri $28,199 Montana $28,884 Nebraska $32,537 Nevada $30,596 New Hampshire $24,660 New Jersey $30,482 New Mexico $27,971 New York $35,391 North Carolina $31,966 North Dakota $25,916 Ohio $31,624 Oklahoma $25,687 Oregon $29,112 Pennsylvania $25,573 Rhode Island $22,491 South Carolina $37,104 South Dakota $28,541 Tennessee $26,715 Texas $28,656 Utah $24,774 Vermont $32,309 Virginia $29,911 Washington $28,541 West Virginia $38,245 Wisconsin $36,647 Wyoming $30,825

This is an estimate, not a bill. It applies published average deductibles and a 20% coinsurance (KFF's measured average for a hospital admission) to a national average price. Your actual plan, hospital and diagnosis will move this number. Not medical or financial advice.