According to Assistant Professor of medical anthropology and reproductive health, Melissa Cheyney, wrote “… exploring the option of home and birth center birth with midwives for low-risk women should be at the core of national health care reform and research.”
She wrote this in light of the cost comparison – a whopping $15,000 for a cesarean, $8,000 for an uncomplicated vaginal birth (without prenatal or postpartum care) and a mere $2,000-$4,000 for midwifery care (conception through postpartum).
Here entire article was enlightening, you can read it in it’s entirety here, Why Home Births Are Worth Considering.
Sidenote – I’ve dealt with the extreme frustration related to how insurance plays into this, but it is worth mentioning that my insurance will gladly cover the $15,000 cesarean or $8,000 hospital birth, but won’t pay a dime of my birth center birth which came to a small total of $3,680 for ALL OF MY CARE – all appointments (which are an hour long and delve into not only my physical but emotional health too), the birth, our 2-day stay at the birth center post-birth (which will include nutritious, homemade meals) and postpartum visits (two of which will be home visits). Seems a bit twisted to me …
Little one … although we haven’t decided on your name yet, I know it will have a special meaning. Like my name. Gretchen means “priceless”. When I was about 8 years old and reading about the meaning of names in a baby name book I had a complete meltdown over the word “priceless”. I thought it meant I wasn’t worth ANYTHING! But as my parents shared amidst my tears, it actually meant I was so valuable that a price couldn’t be put on me. I was that special. You too, little one, are that special. No dollar amount will ever compare to how valuable you are to your Daddy and I. We can’t put a price tag on your health or well-being. You are that valuable to us! Never let anyone tell you different. You are priceless to us and you are priceless to Jesus. Nothing can match what you are worth. No matter who you become or the choices you make in your life … you will be loved deeply. You will be cherished and protected. You will be our priceless little baby who we absolutely adore.
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The cost of births and the lack of insurance covering another birth is one of the reasons we will not be having another child. But you are right the precious little ones are pricless.
What insurance company do you have? That really blows!
This is just ONE of the MANY reasons why I will be having a home waterbirth. Unfortunately modern day medical "health" care has become a purely money making operation that markets and sells fear very effectively. Another of the 'joys' of an over industrialised nation *sigh*. It is making me question whether you truly 'need' any form of medical assistance during birth as it is neither a medical event nor an emergency. At the end of the day, you are the only one that can naturally birth your baby, no matter which setting you are in or who attends. I don't if you ever feel like this, but learning about birth has changed almost every preconceived notion about life I have ever had – So much so that I am glad I'm not a mother yet (I clearly have a bit more growing to do :) ).
i think those c-section prices are on the low end. guthrie was $62,000 and laithe was $24,000. thank goodness john has a union job and thus phenomenal insurance- though they wouldn't have covered our home birth as it's midwives can't legally practice outside of the hospital in iowa. and we wonder why we're in a health care crisis!
I think those prices are a little low, too. I live in KY in an area that isn't super over-priced on things & I had no maternity insurance coverage, so we had to pay for everything. Even with most things at 50% off for no insurance, we paid $10,000 & I had no IV, no epidural, no medication or complications at all. Although that does include prenatal & postpartum care. But still. 50% off! It's ridiculously expensive to have a baby in a hospital.I think home births are such a wonderful thing for so many reasons, but after having a baby in the hospital, I would definitely want to be in a hospital or a birthing center just because there are so many things that could go wrong & I would want to be in an environment where I felt comfortable with whatever happened.