Introduction
This document looks at costs of a normal childbirth for all hospital costs by Country and then sees if extra cost translates to lower Mother Mortality during birth.
Childbirth Costs for Non Residents
"My mother's idea of natural childbirth was giving birth without makeup. She was hyper-positive - the world is a wonderful place, rainbows and unicorns. If you said anything contrary to her, you were basically exiled." - Robin Williams
Childbirth costs for non residents by Country in USD
The columns below shows costs of a normal childbirth for all hospital costs for Non Residents in several advanced countries.
Childbirth Costs USD by Country
The costs above are for non-residents as this gives the true costs when you are outside the system and have to pay the full cost.
The USA costs above are more that five times the cost of France and Germany and more three time the cost of the UK. Hopefully this should result in reduced mortality rate figures
The German figures are for 2024 and come from www.lingoda.com
The French figures are for 2024 and come from InterNations France guide to healthcare
The UK figures are for 2021 and come from Birthrights NHS charging
The USA figures are for 2024 and come from Wise cost of having a baby in the USA
Childbirth Costs for Residents
"The truth is, in order to get things like universal health care and a revamped education system, then someone is going to have to give up a piece of their pie so that someone else can have more." Michelle Obama
Childbirth costs for residents by Country in USD
The columns below shows costs of a normal childbirth for all hospital costs for Residents in several advanced countries.
Childbirth Costs USD by Country
The costs above are for residents and reflects the healthcare for all in some countries.
The USA costs above still the same and are only reduced with taking out health insurance which is optional and an additional cost. The only European country to have some costs not covered by the state is Germany and this is normally less than ten percent of their actual cost.
The German figures are for 2024 and come from www.lingoda.com
The French figures are for 2024 and come from InterNations France guide to healthcare
The UK figures are for 2021 and come from Birthrights NHS charging
The USA figures are for 2024 and come from Wise cost of having a baby in the USA
Childbirth costs by country and Maternal Mortality
"Death, like birth, is a secret of Nature." Marcus Aurelius
Childbirth costs in USD versus Maternal Mortality by Country
The points below shows costs of a normal childbirth for all hospital costs for None Residents versus the Maternal Mortality rate in Childbirth in several advanced countries.
The Maternal mortality rate is the annual number of female deaths per 100,000 live births from any cause related to or aggravated by pregnancy or its management (excluding accidental or incidental causes).
Childbirth Costs USD by Country
The costs above are for none residents as this gives the true costs when you are outside the system and have to pay the full cost.
The USA point above shows the highest cost and the highest mortality rate. The extra expenditure is actually resulting in more deaths. To put it in perspective in world terms, the USA is just ahead of Iran with 22 deaths, and just behind Gaza with 20 deaths.
The high mortality rate in the USA is likely due to low income people being unable to pay for care and not seeking professional help. The mortality rates among such groups is much higher.
The USA is also one of the few free market healthcare systems in the analysis. It is almost as if healthcare is not a good place for a free market.
The free market healthcare system is a for profit system. They see every patient who arrives as a source of revenue to be maximized. They do not wish the mother to have a simple birth at minimum cost. They wish to extend the time the mother is in care and perform unnecessary tests and procedures so that revenue can be maximized with as much hospital aftercare as possible.
In the public health care system it is a limited resource system. For every new mother arriving they organize a simple birth so that the mother is an care for the minimum time, with the minimum use of resources and that she does not need aftercare. Major intervention only occurs when complications arise.
The USA system is broken and the American people are suffering for it. If the USA was to implement a public healthcare system similar to the UK they could at least halve childbirth costs and likely halve maternal mortality.
Unfortunately the US healthcare providers make enough money to lobby government to not change the system that is making them all this money, so chances of change are slim. The whole thing is morally corrupt and costing thousands of American lives every year.
The tobacco industry in the USA for many years managed to escape any penalties and reform but was eventually brought to justice. One can hope that at some point the same will happen with the healthcare system as it is costing many more lives every year than tobacco ever did and wasting much more money.
The outlook for the USA is not good. The recent changes in abortion laws in many states is causing hospitals to refuse to treat some pregnant women. This is one recent case. Nevaeh Crain on the 29th October 2023 in Texas died of miscarriage complications because three different hospitals refused to help after the changes in abortion laws. When one considers that one in six pregnancies end in miscarriages this is going to massively increase deaths if they cannot get professional help. This is certainly going to increase the maternal mortality rate.
The German costs are for 2024 and come from www.lingoda.com
The French costs are for 2024 and come from InterNations France guide to healthcare
The UK costs are for 2021 and come from Birthrights NHS charging
The Maternal Mortality rates are for 2020 and come from CIA world factbook Maternal mortality ratio