美国人生娃成本有多高？

非盈利的医疗卫生机构FAIR Health拥有全美国保险理赔的数据库。他们的数据显示，在美国，孕妇顺产分娩且无并发症的情况下，平均要向医生缴纳3,035美元。其中包含了产前和产后的日常护理费用（但不包含超声检查和羊水诊断等）。如果你想在分娩时接受硬脊膜外麻醉（老实说，许多女性都会选择这种麻醉），平均还要多掏2,132美元。根据居住地的不同，这些费用也有很大差别。FAIR Health还发现，在全美国范围内，剖腹产的平均费用为3,382美元，接受硬脊膜外麻醉还将产生平均1,646美元的额外费用。

不过这只是给医生的费用，不是给医院的。在去年Health Affairs发表的另一篇研究报告中，科研人员发现，生育还将产生1,189美元至11,986美元不等的住院费，这还是在分娩风险较低的情况下。

这里需要明确指出，根据医疗保险的不同，你需要支付的实际费用会有很大差异。

大部分人在自费医疗达到一定数额后，才能开始享受保险——也就是在保险公司付账之前先自掏腰包。根据Kaiser Family Foundation（KFF）的数据，参加优选医疗机构（PPO）计划的家庭平均需要支付2,012美元，或每个家庭成员支付944美元，才能达到保险的条件。

在此之后，保险公司可能还会让你掏钱。你可能需要支付一定比例的医疗费，即所谓的共同保险。KFF发现，每次住院的平均自付金额为308美元，或每天281美元，平均自付率为19%。

如果你出现了并发症，费用还会更高。幸运的是，《平价医疗法案》（Affordable Care Act）规定了你在享受医保网络内服务时需要支付的费用上限。法律规定，参加医疗计划的家庭，每年支付的医疗费用最多不超过13,700美元，而你的保险公司设定的上限可能还会更低。

居住地不同，医疗理赔的费用也会不同。FAIR Health发现，顺产的平均费用从阿拉巴马州莫比尔（Mobile）的1,614美元到纽约市布朗克斯（Bronx）的9,279美元不等。根据FAIR Health的消费者成本查找工具，你可以看到对应地区的通常价格。

如果你已经投保，估计你要掏多少钱的最好办法就是看看你的健康计划是否有价格透明度工具【美世咨询（Mercer）表示，现在有77%的大型雇主都提供这种工具】。它能告诉你，在医保网络中的某家机构生育大概要花多少钱。

如果你尚未投保，就得等到奥巴马医改规定的下一次保险购买开放期（open enrollment period），或是等到你有孩子为止——无论哪项都可以。拥有小孩能让你享有购买保险的特别开放期，不过只是怀孕的话可不行。（财富中文网）

The average doctor charges for a vaginal delivery with no complications in the U.S. is $3,035, according to data from FAIR Health, a health care nonprofit that keeps a national database of insurance claims. That includes the cost of routine care before and after the birth (but not tests like ultra sounds or amnio). If you want an epidural (which, let’s be real, many women do), that’s another $2,132 on average. Prices vary considerably depending on where you live. The average cost of a C-Section nationwide is $3,382, plus $1,646 for an epidural, FAIR Health found.

But that’s just for your doctors—not the hospital. In a separate study published in the journal Health Affairs last year, researchers found that the cost of a hospital stay to give birth ranged from $1,189 to $11,986, and that was for what were considered low-risk deliveries.

To be clear, your actual out-of-pocket costs will vary considerably depending on your health insurance policy.

Most people with insurance first have to fulfill a deductible—that is, pay a certain amount out of pocket before insurance covers the bill. On average, employees in traditional PPO family plans need to pay $2,012 as a family or $944 per person to meet their deductible, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation.

After that, your insurer may still require you to chip in. You may owe co-pays or a percentage of the bill, called co-insurance. The average hospital co-pay is $308 per admission, and $281 per day. The average co-insurance rate is 19% of the bill, KFF found.

Charges can add up, particularly if you have complications. Fortunately, the Affordable Care Act puts a cap on what you’ll pay for in-network services. The legal out-of-pocket maximum is$13,700 for family plans — though your insurer may set an even lower cap.

Your medical claims can also vary depending on where you live. FAIR Health found the average cost of vaginal delivery ranged from $1,614 in Mobile, Ala. to $9,279 in the Bronx, N.Y. You can find typical prices in your area with FAIR Health’s Consumer Cost Lookup tool.

If you’re insured, the best way to estimate what you’ll owe is to check if your health plan has a price transparency tool (77% of large employers now offer them, according to Mercer). That should tell you what you can expect to pay with specific providers in your network.

If you’re not insured, you’ll have to wait until the next Obamacare open enrollment period to buy health coverage, or until you have your baby — whichever comes first. Having a child qualifies you for a special open enrollment period, but just being pregnant does not.