Prices at 3 hospitals in Saint Louis, MO, from their machine-readable files. Here the median cash price is $11,545 — 18% below the US median ($14,121), roughly 1.5× the Medicare rate.
Lowest cash prices
| Hospital | Location | Cash | Insurer | CMS rating | ER wait | Readmit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Missouri Baptist Medical Center 🍼 | Saint Louis, MO | $11,545 | $7,611 | ★ 5/5 | 252 min | 14.8% |
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.
Price comparison (median)
Typical cash price here is $11,545 — about 1.5× 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 $19,241 list price could save about $7,697 (40%).
Rough estimate from this procedure’s median insurer-negotiated rate. Your actual cost depends on your plan — confirm with your insurer.
All Cesarean section (C-section) prices in Missouri → · All Cesarean section (C-section) prices (national) · All hospitals in Saint Louis