Having a baby is expensive across the United States; the Peterson-Kaiser Family Foundation Health System Tracker finds the national average cost of giving birth is $18,865, with an average of $2,854 paid out of pocket after insurance (including both vaginal and cesarean deliveries). This data dive looks at the cost of labor and delivery in Colorado and how those costs compare at facilities across the state.
With CIVHC’s Shop for Care tool, users can compare prices by hospital or facility for imaging services and other common services and procedures, including vaginal and cesarean deliveries. Colorado’s statewide vaginal delivery median cost is $5,503, which is lower than the national average of $14,768. Similarly, a C-section in Colorado is less expensive with a statewide median cost of $11,164 compared to the $26,280 average nationwide.
However, prices vary widely across Colorado for both services and can be as high as $15,000 for a vaginal delivery, and over $38,000 for a C-section.
Taking a deeper look at specific facilities across Colorado, some hospital prices significantly above and below nationwide averages. For example, in two of Colorado’s mountain resort towns, you may pay more than $30,000 for a C-section (Valley View Hospital in Glenwood Springs and Aspen Valley Hospital District in Aspen). At Valley View Hospital, you may also pay as much as $19,000 for a vaginal delivery.
The hospital with the lowest cost for a C-Section is Banner Fort Collins Medical Center at a median cost of $9,280, and the lowest cost facility for a vaginal delivery is $4,580 at Gunnison Valley Hospital in rural Gunnison.
In general, in Colorado’s mountain resort towns, costs for both vaginal delivery and C-Sections tend to be notably higher than the rest of Colorado; four mountain ski resort towns have some of the highest labor and delivery prices in the state. While these towns tend to have more affluent communities, this also poses a potential problem for the many younger families facing rising living costs who work in these areas and may not be able to afford care.
To see labor and delivery prices along with quality rankings for hospitals in your community, visit our Shop for Care tool. For a full list of hospitals, fill out a short request to receive full Shop For Care Excel data.