Study: Having A Baby Costs More Than A Typical Woman Earns In A Month
Giving birth to a baby in the U.S. now costs more than an average woman earns in a month.
That’s according to a new study, which reveals the average mom spent $4,500 in out-of-pocket expenses for giving birth in 2015, the most recent year data is available for.
That figure represents a 50 percent increase from 2007, when the cost was about $3,000. The difference between the two is three times greater than the rate of inflation during that period, according to the study. “I don’t know a lot of patients who have this kind of funding lying around,” says lead author Michelle Moniz, an assistant professor at the University of Michigan.
The average full-time employee in the U.S. makes about $41,000 a year, which comes out to $3,400 a month — falling short of the money needed to give birth, the study points out.
Meanwhile, researchers discovered the typical deductible for insurance polices is on the rise, increasing from $1,500 to $2,500 between 2007 and 2015.
