Cesarean section (C-section) is a maternity or childbirth service. Prices are from 2001 US hospitals across 51 states, from their machine-readable files.
Price comparison (median)
Typical cash price here is $14,121 — about 1.9× the Medicare rate ($7,552). Reasonable. A fair cash price is usually within ~2× Medicare ($15,104).
💡 Asking for the cash price instead of the $31,869 list price could save about $17,748 (56%).
Rough estimate from this procedure’s median insurer-negotiated rate. Your actual cost depends on your plan — confirm with your insurer.
Lowest cash prices
| Hospital | Location | Cash | Insurer | CMS rating | ER wait | Readmit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jefferson County Hospital | Waurika, OK | $2,486 | $14,964 | — | 82 min | — |
| Wilson N Jones Regional Medical Center | Sherman, TX | $2,803 | $8,893 | ★ 2/5 | 153 min | 14.6% |
| South Central Reg Med Ctr 🍼 | Laurel, MS | $2,814 | $5,995 | ★ 1/5 | 129 min | 16.9% |
| Opelousas General Health System 🍼 | Opelousas, LA | $3,194 | $3,861 | ★ 2/5 | 128 min | 15.3% |
| San Joaquin General Hospital 🍼 | French Camp, CA | $3,771 | $6,334 | ★ 2/5 | 218 min | 15.2% |
| Phelps Memorial Health Center | Holdrege, NE | $4,187 | $4,420 | ★ 4/5 | 84 min | 14.7% |
| Adventist Health Delano 🍼 | Delano, CA | $4,366 | $10,909 | ★ 2/5 | 156 min | 15.0% |
| Montgomery County Memorial Hospital | Red Oak, IA | $4,799 | $4,388 | — | 112 min | 15.2% |
| Yalobusha General Hospital | Water Valley, MS | $4,799 | — | — | — | 15.4% |
| Baptist Beaumont Hospital 🍼 | Beaumont, TX | $4,921 | $10,320 | ★ 3/5 | 209 min | 15.8% |
| Ochsner St Anne General Hospital 🍼 | Raceland, LA | $4,999 | $7,757 | — | 119 min | 14.5% |
| Park Place Surgical Hospital | Lafayette, LA | $5,052 | $6,547 | — | — | 14.6% |
| Ochsner Medical Center-Kenner 🍼 | Kenner, LA | $5,083 | $7,701 | ★ 4/5 | 149 min | 15.3% |
| College Medical Center | Long Beach, CA | $5,142 | $7,378 | ★ 3/5 | 330 min | 15.2% |
| College Hospital | Cerritos, CA | $5,142 | $7,378 | — | — | — |
| Glendora Hospital | Glendora, CA | $5,142 | $7,378 | — | — | — |
| Duke Health Lake Norman Hospital 🍼 | Mooresville, NC | $5,568 | $9,489 | ★ 1/5 | 180 min | 15.3% |
| Jersey City Medical Center 🍼 | Jersey City, NJ | $5,589 | $19,837 | ★ 3/5 | 190 min | 16.1% |
| Eisenhower Medical Center 🍼 | Rancho Mirage, CA | $5,745 | $10,351 | ★ 4/5 | 259 min | 14.8% |
| Fauquier Hospital 🍼 | Warrenton, VA | $5,940 | $8,807 | ★ 3/5 | 163 min | 15.0% |
| Unity Medical Center | Manchester, TN | $5,975 | $5,485 | ★ 3/5 | 126 min | 14.8% |
| Duke University Hospital 🍼 | Durham, NC | $6,110 | $9,600 | ★ 5/5 | 296 min | 14.9% |
| Duke Regional Hospital 🍼 | Durham, NC | $6,110 | $9,600 | ★ 5/5 | 244 min | 14.1% |
| Conway Regional Medical Center, Inc 🍼 | Conway, AR | $6,362 | $6,891 | ★ 2/5 | 176 min | 16.1% |
| Methodist Healthcare-Olive Branch Hospital 🍼 | Olive Branch, MS | $6,380 | $8,483 | ★ 4/5 | 219 min | 14.4% |
CMS rating = overall hospital star rating (1–5); ER wait = median minutes in the emergency department; Readmit = 30-day readmission rate (lower is better) — all from Medicare’s Care Compare; “—” = not reported. 🍼 = CMS Birthing-Friendly hospital. Data last updated June 2026. Prices from hospitals’ machine-readable files (45 CFR §180); Medicare benchmark from CMS PFS/CLFS/IPPS. Prices below 15% of the median are excluded as likely partial or mis-coded charges. Estimates — confirm with the hospital. Report an incorrect price.
What insurers pay for Cesarean section (C-section)
Median in-network negotiated rate by insurer, across hospitals that publish it (cheapest first). Your actual rate depends on your specific plan and deductible. Cash / self-pay for comparison: $14,121; Medicare pays $7,552.
| Insurer | Hospitals | Negotiated median |
|---|---|---|
| HealthPartners | 135 |
$1,680 – $19,318 |
| MultiPlan / PHCS network | 372 |
$649 – $17,406 |
| Medicaid | 72 |
$4,056 – $10,908 |
| Amerigroup | 160 |
$3,522 – $14,123 |
| Bright Health | 67 |
$1,158 – $14,594 |
| Aetna | 1296 |
$1,947 – $18,755 |
| Workers' Comp / No-Fault | 68 |
$7,837 – $18,651 |
| Healthcare Highways | 49 |
$2,135 – $14,266 |
| Coventry | 92 |
$3,353 – $20,146 |
| MVP Health Care | 43 |
$4,046 – $18,435 |
| Tricare / VA | 358 |
$5,946 – $15,678 |
| Medicare | 451 |
$6,159 – $15,262 |
| Kaiser Permanente | 250 |
$1,141 – $25,395 |
| Humana | 1096 |
$2,181 – $24,074 |
| UCare | 25 |
$5,973 – $19,661 |
| Anthem | 471 |
$1,283 – $14,575 |
| UPMC Health Plan | 95 |
$2,206 – $17,425 |
| Molina Healthcare | 531 |
$5,239 – $17,619 |
| Devoted Health | 335 |
$7,019 – $14,976 |
| Geisinger | 53 |
$1,889 – $24,978 |
| Centene / Ambetter | 814 |
$5,404 – $18,437 |
| Health Net | 184 |
$4,316 – $23,703 |
| UnitedHealthcare | 1477 |
$2,647 – $20,393 |
| SelectHealth | 42 |
$7,206 – $19,448 |
| Blue Cross Blue Shield | 1244 |
$2,159 – $23,039 |
| Independent Health | 41 |
$6,721 – $16,313 |
| Oscar Health | 235 |
$1,556 – $20,373 |
| Cigna | 1031 |
$2,861 – $23,093 |
| AmeriHealth | 166 |
$3,432 – $20,393 |
| Highmark | 102 |
$6,449 – $20,379 |
| Medica | 125 |
$3,963 – $19,236 |
| Sanford Health Plan | 18 |
$7,967 – $18,908 |
| AvMed | 51 |
$2,119 – $21,055 |
| Priority Health | 37 |
$7,589 – $19,269 |
| Security Health Plan | 21 |
$7,702 – $23,466 |
| Harvard Pilgrim | 22 |
$3,887 – $28,115 |
| Univera | 10 |
$5,239 – $15,404 |
| EmblemHealth | 78 |
$7,787 – $30,901 |
Negotiated rates are from hospitals’ machine-readable files (45 CFR §180); payer names are normalized to major brands, so a brand may span several plans. Estimates — confirm with your insurer.
Where it’s cheapest
| State | Median cash |
|---|---|
| Maine | $7,061 |
| Florida | $7,439 |
| Louisiana | $7,582 |
| Arkansas | $8,174 |
| Alabama | $8,444 |
| Oklahoma | $9,123 |
Prices by city
Prices by state
Commonly billed under: MS-DRG 785, MS-DRG 786, MS-DRG 787, MS-DRG 788.
About these prices
Based on prices published by 2001 US hospitals across 51 states, the typical (median) cash price is $14,121, versus a chargemaster (list) price around $31,869, a median insurer-negotiated rate of $10,655, a Medicare rate of about $7,552. Most cash prices fall between $7,330 and $34,973 — a wide spread, which is exactly why comparing hospitals pays off.
How to save
- Ask each hospital for its cash / self-pay price — for shoppable services it is often far below the list price.
- Compare several nearby hospitals; prices for the same service can differ severalfold.
- Request a written estimate and the billing code (CPT/DRG) before scheduling.
- Use the Medicare benchmark above to judge whether a quote is reasonable.
- If you are uninsured, ask about financial assistance or prompt-pay discounts.
Frequently asked questions
How much does Cesarean section (C-section) cost without insurance?
What does Medicare pay for Cesarean section (C-section)?
Why do Cesarean section (C-section) prices vary between hospitals?
Is the cash price lower than using insurance?
Related Maternity & Childbirth
See more Maternity & Childbirth.