Does a Cesarean section delivery always cost more than a vaginal delivery?

Unlabelled: There is evidence that average total charges per episode of child birth depend on maternal plus child length of stay, neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) utilization, maternal race and mode of delivery. In particular, when maternal and child records are linked, this study suggests that when adjusted for maternal characteristics, the cost of vaginal deliveries followed by NICU utilization may be higher than the cost of Cesarean sections and NICU utilization.

Objective: Cesarean section, one of the most frequently performed surgical procedures on women, is rising globally and in the USA.