Childbirth is an exciting time. After nine long months of anticipation, the excitement in the air on the day of a birth is indescribable. Unfortunately, this excitement may be dashed once the lucky family receives their hospital bills from the delivery of their child. As today’s infographic shows, these hospital bills can be pretty large.
This infographic shows the seven most expensive countries to give birth in (on average). Countries such as the United Kingdom and South Africa find themselves on this list, but the country to top all other countries is none other than the United States of America.
While both standard delivery and C-Sections have hefty price tags, it is C-Sections that are often more expensive–if only by a little bit. A C-Section is the use of surgery to deliver newborns and is often used when a standard delivery would put either the mother or child at risk. As the procedure is a bit more precise than traditional childbirth, it is easy to see why it often fetches a higher price tag.
So, should childbirth be this expensive? I do believe that childbirth is a natural process and it is a bit odd to charge so much money for assistance with this natural process. However, assisting with this process is a full-time occupation for many people, and they must get paid somehow. Along with this, insurance often covers childbirth, so it’s not like all of this money is being paid out of pocket. So in my opinion, while the prices are high, they’re not completely unreasonable and people can often scrape together funds (if not covered by their insurance). Do you think childbirth should cost as much as it does?