Finances & Insurance

How much does home birth midwifery care cost?

Out of hospital midwifery care is significantly less than an OB-GYN or CNM in hospital simply because there are less interventions and people involved in your care. We generally keep the prices similar to a co-pay or deductible.

The initial consultation is free of charge, where we go over all the specific details about Harmony Home Birth fees. The midwife can give you a financial agreement document to view upon request at the initial consultation.

We strongly believe that every woman and her family deserves the opportunity to give birth in the place most comfortable for them. If you are concerned about finances, we can discuss it and create a payment plan that works for your needs. We just ask that you have an honest and open communication with the midwife if you are in need of financial assistance. 

What does the midwifery service fee cover?

This global fee covers all prenatal visits, 24 hour access to the midwife while she's on call, labor and delivery, waterbirth equipment, regular newborn care, and postpartum visits, including:

• All labs done in clinic 

• Regular prenatal and postpartum visits

• Birth kit filled with disposable supplies for the midwife, brought to your home at the 37 week prenatal visit

• Any necessary medications for you or your baby during your care

• Routine newborn screenings, like the Critical Congenital Heart Defect Screening (CCHD) and Newborn Screen Test

• PAP smear, if requested 

• If your home is further than an hour away from the clinic, an additional fee will be calculated into the cost

What could I expect to pay in addition to these services?

• Ultrasounds. The midwife will give you a referral and requisition.

• If the rare instance occurs where you are transported to the hospital in labor, your midwife will remain by your side throughout your birth at the hospital. There is no refund on midwifery fees, and there will be additional costs from the hospital.

• If you wish to include additional services, like a birth or postpartum doula, birth photography, chiropractic adjustments, or placenta encapsulation, we can give you referrals.

• Cost of seeing another provider, if you so choose.

• Minimal expenses relating to simple supplies you need to have available at your home such as towels, cleaning supplies, etc. You will be given a list of items to get and set aside for the birth whenever it occurs.  

Does my insurance cover out-of-hospital midwives?

Private insurance companies usually cover parts of prenatal services like ultrasounds, but not midwifery care in general. If you have Medicaid, you can expect to pay a significantly lower co-pay fee as it covers some but not all of the service fees. 

Similar to insurance, healthshare companies (also known as medical cost sharing companies) tend to be very homebirth friendly and likely to cover the majority of the midwifery fees. Some common healthshare companies include Christian Healthcare Ministries, Samaritan Ministries, Liberty, Solidarity, and Medishare. 

Even if your insurance doesn't cover the midwifery fee, it is still affordable. A typical uncomplicated hospital delivery regularly costs over $10,000, with the deductible generally ranging from $3,000-$8,000 (depending on your individual plan). Our midwifery fee is comparable to the deductible cost of most insurance plans.