Alaska ranks as the most expensive state for childbirth costs, new data shows
Alaska has the highest average costs, with C-sections estimated at nearly $40,000 and vaginal deliveries around $29,000.
Vaginal deliveries at expensive hospitals in New York and New Jersey can run around $21,800, while C-sections in Maine and Vermont may exceed $28,000.
Disparities in costs are influenced by factors such as provider training, local living expenses, and insurance bargaining power, with racial differences also noted.
The rising financial burden of childbirth is a key reason for the plummeting US fertility rate, as many individuals choose to delay or forgo starting families.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Reuters
9 hours ago
- Reuters
Novo Nordisk expands lawsuits against weight-loss drug compounders
Aug 5 (Reuters) - Danish drugmaker Novo Nordisk ( opens new tab said on Tuesday it has filed 14 new lawsuits in the United States against the sale of unapproved versions of semaglutide, the main ingredient in its popular weight-loss and diabetes drugs, Wegovy and Ozempic. The new lawsuits target pharmacies and telehealth companies producing compounded versions of semaglutide "under the fake guise of personalization", Novo said, without naming the companies. Shares of major telehealth firm Hims & Hers (HIMS.N), opens new tab extended losses to fall nearly 13% in afternoon trade. It had earlier reported weaker-than-expected quarterly revenue. A Reuters search of legal filings found some cases filed by Novo in California dated Aug. 4 but none regarding San Francisco-based Hims. Hims was not immediately available for comment. Compounders copy brand-name medicines that are in short supply by combining, mixing or altering drug ingredients to meet demand. These companies were briefly allowed to produce hundreds of thousands of compounded doses of Novo's obesity and diabetes drugs when the Food and Drug Administration said they were in short supply. When the agency later banned the sale of these copies, Hims and Hers shifted to creating versions of semaglutide in personalized doses not accessible through the branded manufacturers. Novo's lawsuits allege that telehealth providers violate state corporate practice of medicine laws by improperly influencing doctors' decisions and steering patients toward knockoff compounded "semaglutide" under the guise of personalized medicine. In reality, these are knockoffs that have not been approved as safe and effective and are often made with illicit foreign active pharmaceutical ingredients (API), Novo said. It did not immediately respond to a Reuters query on which companies were being named in the lawsuit.
The Sun
13 hours ago
- The Sun
Brit grandad in Greek ICU with £14k bill after failing to declare health issue GP told him ‘not to worry about'
A BRITISH grandad is on life support in Greece with a £14,000 medical bill after an insurance mix-up over a lung mass his GP told him 'not to worry about'. Alan Kirby, 67, from Somerset, is now on a ventilator and stuck abroad with no cover for a £45,000 flight home because he didn't declare a condition previously dismissed as harmless. 5 5 His stepdaughter Liza Whitemore, 40, said: 'There's a talk about him going into a coma, but we don't know if it's cancer or pneumonia doing the damage. "He's fine, then he's not, he's fine then he's not. He's really breathless, on the phone he can't say more than a few sentences. We're just desperate to get him home." Alan, a car valeter from Marston Magna, had been three days into a family holiday in Zante with his partner Helen Whitemore, 62, Liza and her three daughters when he fell ill on July 5. He had an aching pain all down his side during dinner, which he thought was from throwing his stepdaughter's children around in the sea. The next morning he woke up breathless and went to a local medical clinic. After tests, doctors advised he return to the UK for a biopsy on a mass spotted in his right lung. But before they could leave, Alan deteriorated. His oxygen levels dropped to 36 per cent and he began fitting in his hospital bed. Doctors placed him on a non-invasive ventilato and have warned he may need to be put in a coma, but feared he wouldn't wake up due to his fragile lungs. Liza said: 'He looked dreadful, grey and pale. Everyone was petrified. Nobody knew what was going on.' The signs and symptoms of cancer Alan was airlifted by helicopter to a private hospital in Athens because he was too sick to fly commercially. But days later, the insurance company told the family they had checked Alan's UK medical records and discovered the lung mass had been noted by doctors back in December 2024, though they believed it was benign fatty tissue. That made it a 'pre-existing condition', something the family hadn't declared, because they thought it was harmless. Liza said: 'We know we've made the mistake, that's the problem. 'My mum had gone into the bank that she had insurance with and they said, 'just go on holiday, you don't have to do anything'. 'They didn't know about the mass. And he was well before, he was working as a car valeter the day before the holiday.' The insurance company agreed to cover the first five days of care in the Athens private hospital, racking up a £14,000 bill, before refusing further support. Alan has since been moved to a general hospital where treatment covered by his Global Health Insurance Card. This is a free UK card that lets travellers access state healthcare in EU countries on the same terms as locals. 5 5 But it doesn't cover private hospitals or the cost of getting home, such as an air ambulance. He remains on a ventilator battling pneumonia, and doctors still don't know if the lung mass is cancerous. His family have returned to Somerset and are now desperately raising £22,000 on GoFundMe to help cover a medical flight to bring him home. Do I need health insurance to travel? Yes. Travel insurance is essential, even within Europe. It can cover unexpected medical bills, cancellations, lost luggage and other emergencies. Your GHIC (Global Health Insurance Card) lets you access state healthcare in EU countries, but it does not cover private treatment or medical repatriation, such as an air ambulance back to the UK. Failing to declare any pre-existing medical conditions can invalidate your policy, leaving you liable for all costs. Always check the small print before you travel. Source: UK Government and NHS
Reuters
15 hours ago
- Reuters
Pfizer raises 2025 profit forecast as cost-cutting program gains traction
Aug 5 (Reuters) - Pfizer (PFE.N), opens new tab raised its full-year profit forecast on Tuesday while reporting second-quarter results that topped Wall Street estimates, and said it expects to benefit from cost-cutting and a weaker dollar. The New York-based drugmaker said the new forecast absorbs a one-time charge of 20 cents per share related to its licensing deal with China's 3SBio ( opens new tab for an experimental cancer treatment. Pfizer shares rose about 2% to $24 in premarket trading. Pfizer shares have lost more than half their value from their pandemic-era highs as it deals with waning revenue from COVID products and looming patent expirations for key drugs. In response, the company launched cost-saving measures last year across its manufacturing and research operations. Pfizer said it was on track to deliver $7.2 billion in net savings from the programs by the end of 2027, about $4.5 billion coming by the end of 2025. J.P. Morgan analyst Chris Schott said that the quarterly beat and the forecast raise did not come as a surprise given the company's better-than-expected cost management. "We would not be surprised with additional upside to EPS as the year progresses," Schott said. The company now expects adjusted earnings of $2.90 to $3.10 per share, up from its prior view of $2.80 to $3.00. The pharmaceutical industry is facing intense pressure from U.S. President Donald Trump to lower prices Americans pay for prescription medicines, while preparing for 15% tariffs on imports from the European Union. Pfizer shares have fallen over 11% this year, compared to a 1.7% decline for the broader NYSE Arca Pharmaceutical Index (.DRG), opens new tab. The company said its forecast also absorbs the impact of the currently imposed tariffs on goods imported from China, Canada and Mexico, as well as potential price changes this year based on the letter it received from Trump on July 31. "We continue to be actively engaged with policymakers as we navigate a complicated and rapidly evolving geopolitical environment," said CEO Albert Bourla in prepared remarks. Pfizer has said it has enough manufacturing capacity across its 10 U.S. sites to mitigate any tariff impact and is open to shifting some production to those facilities. Total quarterly sales of $14.65 billion topped analysts' estimates by over $1 billion, according to LSEG data, and included a $22 million favorable impact from foreign exchange. Sales of antiviral COVID-19 treatment Paxlovid of $427 million for the quarter far exceeded analysts' expectations of $244.4 million. COVID vaccine Comirnaty, which Pfizer makes with German partner BioNTech ( opens new tab, brought in sales of $381 million. Analysts were expecting $188 million. Quarterly sales of the heart disease treatment sold under brand names Vyndaqel and Vyndamax were $1.62 billion, slightly above estimates of $1.59 billion. Revenue from blood thinner Eliquis, which Pfizer shares with Bristol Myers Squibb (BMY.N), opens new tab, was $2 billion, while analysts were expecting $1.94 billion. On an adjusted basis, Pfizer earned 78 cents per share for the second quarter, topping analysts' expectations by 20 cents.
