How much does childbirth cost? How to reduce your out-of-pocket costs
Before and after giving birth, you will need a lot of money for medical checkups, hospitalization for delivery, and purchasing baby goods.
You can feel safe if you have savings and other preparations, but even if you don't, you can significantly reduce your financial worries by making good use of public subsidies. Let's take a look at the approximate amount of out-of-pocket expenses while sorting out what kind of assistance is available.
What expenses will I need before and after giving birth?
During pregnancy, you will have regular prenatal checkups to check on the health status of you and your baby.
Maternity products such as pre- and post-natal clothes and underwear for pregnant women are required to match your changing body shape, so purchasing these items also costs money. It is common to prepare baby items that will be used after childbirth before giving birth.
When giving birth, there are so-called "birth costs" such as hospitalization fees, delivery fees, and treatment fees.
After giving birth, you will need consumables such as baby diapers, milk, birth pads and breast milk pads for the mother.
How much does it cost?
The biggest expense is definitely childbirth costs.
There are regional differences as well, depending on whether the hospital is a public hospital, such as a national or public hospital, or a private hospital, such as a private university hospital or a medical corporation hospital, but according to the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare,Survey on understanding the actual state of childbirth costs (FY2021)According to ``, the national average is about 480,000 yen.
Generally, pregnant women undergo medical checkups about 14 times during pregnancy, but the content and cost of the tests vary depending on the number of weeks and also between medical institutions. The amount per session is approximately 3,000 to 5,000 yen at the lowest and 10,000 to 40,000 yen at the highest.
Each local government subsidizes the cost, so you do not have to pay the full amount yourself, but according to the experiences of senior mothers, it is often necessary to pay between several thousand yen and around 10,000 yen each time.
Maternity and baby products vary depending on what and how much you buy, but they generally cost around 30,000 to 50,000 yen each. When purchasing child seats, strollers, baby carriers, etc., each additional item will add about 20,000 to 30,000 yen. Some products are expensive depending on their functionality and brand, with some costing between 50,000 and 70,000 yen.
Is there public economic support?
If you are enrolled in social insurance or national health insurance (including enrollment as a dependent) and give birth after 22 weeks of pregnancy, you will receive a "Lump-sum Childbirth and Childcare Grant" of up to 500,000 yen per child after giving birth.
There is also a system where payments are made directly to the medical institution where you gave birth, so if you use this system, you don't have to pay at the counter when you leave the hospital.
The procedure is simple, as all you need to do is submit your insurance card and required documents to the hospital before giving birth. However, please be sure to check in advance as some hospitals do not have this service.
If you need to pay for childbirth, such as when you are not using the direct payment system, there is also a childbirth expenses loan system that allows you to borrow money interest-free until the childbirth and childcare lump-sum allowance is paid.
The condition is that you are enrolled in the National Health Insurance Association's health insurance or that you are a dependent of the insured person and are expected to receive a lump-sum birth and childcare allowance, and that you are required to make a lump-sum payment to a hospital, etc. within 4 months (85 days) of your pregnancy and within 1 month of your expected birth date. You can borrow up to 80% of the expected amount of the Childbirth and Childcare Lump-sum Grant in units of 10,000 yen.
Generally, medical examinations and procedures related to childbirth are not covered by insurance, but if treatment is required, such as for severe emesis or threatened miscarriage, it will be covered by the high-cost medical care fee system if the amount exceeds the monthly co-payment limit. Submit the necessary documents to your health insurance and apply.
Childbirth expenses are also eligible for medical expense deduction. If the medical expenses you paid in a year exceed a certain amount, you can claim the money back as an income deduction when filing your tax return.
If the mother is working and takes time off from work to give birth, a maternity allowance equal to 2/3 of the standard daily salary multiplied by the number of days taken off will be paid. Eligibility applies from 42 days before the birth date or due date to 56 days after the day after birth. Apply to your health insurance association.
What kind of assistance can I receive from the local government?
When you submit your pregnancy notification to the municipality where you live, you will receive a pregnancy checkup ticket along with your maternal and child health handbook. In many cases, the ticket is a single ticket containing 14 tests, and the test items may be listed, and the subsidy amount may also be listed.
Depending on your local government, you may be able to subsidize transportation costs for medical checkups and hospital visits.
There is also a national policy called childbirth and childcare support subsidy.
This economic support aims to "create an environment where all pregnant women and families raising children can safely give birth and raise their children," and will provide a total of 100,000 yen, 50,000 yen each during pregnancy and after childbirth. The Tokyo metropolitan government provides 100,000 yen after giving birth, including its own supplement, so you can receive a total of 150,000 yen.
Grants may be paid in cash, coupons, or online points, and both are intended to help reduce the need to purchase childbirth and childcare-related supplies and use childcare support services.
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In the end, how much will you have to pay out of pocket?
If you use a prenatal checkup ticket issued by your local government, the total out-of-pocket cost will generally be around 50,000 yen.
The national average for childbirth expenses paid at a hospital when giving birth is around 480,000 yen, so if the amount is not above the average, it can be covered by the childbirth and childcare lump sum allowance. Since the amount of expenses differs depending on the hospital and region where you are hospitalized, the amount you will have to pay will also vary.
The average price for maternity and baby supplies is 50,000 to 100,000 yen, and if you want to include child seats, strollers, baby carriers, etc., it will cost around 100,000 yen, but since the childbirth and childcare support subsidy is 100,000 yen, and in Tokyo 150,000 yen, the out-of-pocket expenses can be kept to about 0 to 100,000 yen.
Of course, in addition to the typical expenses listed here, there may be various other expenses, and the possibility of unexpected situations occurring is not zero. Please secure your budget as much as possible, make good use of public financial subsidies, and have a happy encounter with your baby.
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