Birth Center Cost, Insurance & Fees
The Birthing Inn Advantages
Among the many advantages of a stay at The Birthing Inn, you will find the birth center cost to be a lower than a hospital stay for your birth. However, it is important that you understand what your individual out-of-pocket expenses will be as part of your birth center cost, based on what your insurance policy covers for midwifery and birth care.
PLEASE NOTE:
Midwife fees are additional to the birth center cost, and fees and are billed separately!
Request a birth center cost & insurance Estimate
To request an estimate of your insurance benefits for birth center cost, or discuss your specific concerns about billing and your insurance coverage, please contact our Billing Director, Kim Olson at kolson@thebirthinginn.com or 253-761-8939.
How to Register to Give Birth at The Birthing Inn.
Your midwife can register you to give birth at The Birthing Inn once you have reached 36 weeks gestation. Clients are eligible to use the facility for their birth between 37 and 42 weeks of their pregnancy.
We will reach out to you to begin the registration process after the Clinical Director has approved your delivery with the facility.
At the time of registration, there will be consent forms to sign and policies to review. We will take the time to answer any questions you may have and make sure you feel ready to have your baby at The Birthing Inn.
Be sure to have all of your updated insurance cards available, as all policies must be billed by The Birthing Inn. There may be secondary policies for coverage that you may not have considered, such as that of a spouse, or a parent if you are under 26 years of age. A non-refundable reservation fee of $475 is due upon registration. We accept Visa, MasterCard, American Express, money orders, personal checks, and cash.
All Washington birth centers must follow WAC 246-329-095, which requires a second trained person on-site for every birth. To meet this standard and ensure safety, The Birthing Inn reserves a qualified midwife assistant (MA) for you. MAs are trained in neonatal and adult resuscitation, familiar with birth center protocols, and available to assist your midwife day or night, year-round. Beyond this coverage, the birth center also manages extensive administrative work, from registering clients to maintaining the facility at the highest standards.
Paying For birth center cost and Insurance Questions
How much does it cost to deliver at The Birthing Inn?
The birth center cost of care at The Birthing Inn is variable depending on the coverage of the client’s insurance. The cash-pay cost is $5,500 for midwifery services, cut to $4,500 if paid in full before 37 weeks.
The facility fee is $3,000 plus the $475 reservation fee for the room.
The facility fee is covered by many, if not most, insurances but the reservation fee is the responsibility of the client.
Will my insurance pay for the cost of giving birth at The Birthing Inn?
The Birthing Inn is contracted with most insurance companies. We strongly advise you to contact your insurance company and ask if your policy covers The Birthing Inn. Our Tax ID # is 91-1912740. This code can aid your insurance company in quoting benefits to you. They may also ask for a procedure code, the code used is 59400SG. Once you’ve confirmed that your insurance will cover your birth here, please make sure they cover the affiliated midwife you have chosen. This is an important step that should not be overlooked. Be sure to ask your midwife which insurance companies they are contracted with.
To request an estimate of your insurance benefits or discuss your specific concerns about billing and your insurance coverage, please contact our Billing Director, Kim Olson, at kolson@thebirthinginn.com or 253-761-8939. Be sure to have all of your updated insurance cards available, as all policies must be billed by The Birthing Inn. There may be secondary policies for coverage that you may not have considered, such as that of a spouse, or a parent if you are under 26 years of age. A non-refundable reservation fee of $475 is due upon registration. We accept Visa, MasterCard, American Express, money orders, personal checks, and cash.
Do you take insurance like DSHS or Medicaid?
All DSHS/Medicaid health insurance starts out as Provider One. Once established, you select and/or are assigned an insurance carrier that supports DSHS, called Apple Health.
The Birthing Inn is contracted with many of the insurance carriers through DSHS; however, some companies are more supportive of out-of-hospital birth than others.
If you do not specify an insurance carrier through DSHS, you will be assigned one automatically. This choice of insurance carrier can affect your experience. If you are using Apple Health, we suggest that you sign up with Molina or Amerigroup. These two companies are generally quite supportive of out-of-hospital births, and we have had good experiences working with them.
Please provide your assigned carrier card when you register.
Do you take Tricare insurance?
The Birthing Inn (facility only) is now certified with Tricare!
To get in touch with the midwife that Tricare contracts with, please visit Kay Jackson CNM, ARNP so you can begin prenatal care with her right away and prepare to give birth with us here at The Birthing Inn. Tricare does not contract with Licensed Midwives, if you would like to work with one of our other providers, reach out to them individually and discuss their Self-pay rates. We look forward to giving back to our military families with the gift of personalized attention and care.
Will you accept Cost Share Insurance such as Christian Health Ministries?
Christian Healthcare Ministries (CHM) is for married women who:
- Wish to become pregnant
- Are currently expecting
- Desire a Christian community to provide spiritual and financial support during their pregnancy and beyond
- Want a budget-friendly model of health cost support known for integrity and longevity
Important note: For a pregnancy to be eligible for sharing, the mother must have joined the Gold program at least 300 days before their provider’s estimate of due date.
For more information, please call 1-800-791-6225 for eligibility questions.
Can I self-pay for my birth at The Birthing Inn?
If you are a self-pay client for your birth center cost, please contact the billing director, Kim Olson, at kolson@thebirthinginn.com. The self-pay fee does not include the reservation fee of $475. We accept all forms of payment. Credit/debit cards are subject to a 3.5% convenience fee for self-pay payments
What is your refund policy?
Classes and Workshops
There is a 7-day grace period during which you may cancel your registration and request a refund. A $25 cancellation fee will apply. If your registration fee is $25 or less, the class is non-refundable. Cancellations will not be accepted after 7 days.
Exceptions for Parents
If your baby arrives before your class does (we know that babies sometimes don’t want to wait for their parent(s) to take a class!), we will refund the cost of your class minus the $25 cancellation fee.
For Professional Classes
There is a 7-day grace period during which you may cancel your registration and request a refund. A $100 cancellation fee will apply. Cancellations will not be accepted after 7 days.
Billing Director for Questions
Please contact Suzie and Sarah at connect@thebirthinginn.com or (253) 761-8939 for questions regarding this policy.
Why is the birthing center fee separate from the midwife fee?
The Birthing Center Fee covers the use of the physical space, amenities, equipment, and staff administration necessary to provide a safe and comfortable environment for labor and delivery. Birth center cost typically includes facility overhead, supplies, and healthcare support staff. In contrast, the Midwife Fee pertains to the professional services provided by the midwife, such as prenatal care, labor management, postpartum care, and other clinical services.
Does this cost less than a hospital?
Birth centers are generally more affordable than hospitals because they focus on natural birth methods, minimize medical interventions, conduct fewer tests, and provide less resource-intensive care, all of which contribute to lower costs.
Does a water birth cost more?
Generally, water births tend to cost slightly more than traditional births due to additional equipment, water setup, and specialized care. Fortunately, all three birth suites at The Birthing Inn are equipped with high-quality birth tubs to enhance your birthing experience.
Terms & Conditions
It is The Birthing Inn’s policy to have credit/debit card information on file for each registered client. We accomplish this by creating a MindBody account where you can store your payment information, buy classes and products as needed.
After the completion of your registration, our Billing Director, Kim Olson at kolson@thebirthinginn.com or 253-761-8939, will verify your benefits. A Maternity Benefits Verification (MBV) will be developed showing an “estimate” of what you will owe for the facility services. The information will include your deductible and co-insurance. Kim will email an estimated out of pocket calculation letter promptly. We ask that you pay your portion upon receipt of this letter/invoice.
Once services are rendered, the Billing Director will bill your insurance. Once your insurance has paid their contracted portion, a statement will be generated for the remaining balance, if it exceeds your estimated patient portion.
Keep in mind, The Birthing Inn will bill for services as a facility. Your midwife will bill separately as a provider for your prenatal care and birth.
If you transfer to a hospital, both The Birthing Inn and the hospital will bill for facility services.
The Birthing Inn has a 2 – statement policy, we are not able to carry balances.
1st Statement – payment for any remaining balance is due within 30 days after receipt of your statement.
2nd Statement – you will receive a phone call or email as a reminder that you have a balance due. If we do not hear from you within 2 weeks, TBI will use your payment information to collect your current balance due.
The Birthing Inn accepts all forms of payment including Visa, MasterCard, American Express, money orders, personal checks and cash. A $50 non-sufficient fund fee will be added to all returned checks.
Please note that payments completed via credit or debit are subject to a 3.5% convenience fee.
Please note that payments completed via credit or debit are subject to a 3.5% convenience fee. All Washington birth centers must follow WAC 246-329-095, which requires a second trained person on-site for every birth. To meet this standard and ensure safety, The Birthing Inn reserves a qualified midwife assistant (MA) for you. MAs are trained in neonatal and adult resuscitation, familiar with birth center protocols, and available to assist your midwife day or night, year-round. Beyond this coverage, the birth center also manages extensive administrative work, from registering clients to maintaining the facility at the highest standards.
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