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Cesarean section hospital stay, no complications in Chicago, IL-IN costs $14,382 to $50,881. Here's every hospital's price.

7 hospitals in the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN metro area publish a cash price for cesarean section hospital stay, no complications (MS-DRG 788). We read their files every month so you don't have to.

Across the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN metro area, 7 hospitals list a cash price for cesarean section hospital stay, no complications (MS-DRG 788). The lowest is $14,382 at Northwest Community Hospital 1, the median is $29,533 and the highest is $50,881 at Methodist Hospitals INC. The most expensive hospital lists 3.5 times the cheapest for the same code.

The Chicago, IL-IN median of $29,533 is 156% above the national median of $11,538 across 111 US hospitals with a cash price for this code.

30 of these hospitals also publish the rates they negotiated with insurers, from $526 to $49,621. With insurance you pay a share of the negotiated rate, which is sometimes higher than the cash price; you may ask for the cash price instead.

The files behind these prices are dated between January 2025 and August 2026. 51 other hospitals in the metro area have no readable price for this code: some publish no file, some block automated reading, some leave the code out. They are listed below so you can call them.

$14,382
lowest cash price in Chicago, IL-IN
Northwest Community Hospital 1 · 23 mi
$15,151 below the median
$29,533
median cash price
7 hospitals
3.5×
highest ÷ lowest
same procedure, same metro
7/82
hospitals with a cash price
51 don't · see who

Sorted by cash price

Hospital facility fee only
1
Northwest Community Hospital 1

Arlington Heights · 23 mi · File Mar 2026

$14,382
list $14,382
2
University of Illinois Hospital and Clinics

Chicago · 12 mi · File Apr 2026

$16,334
list $54,447
3
Northshore University Healthsystem - Evanston Hospital

Evanston · 23 mi · Older file Jan 2025

$25,077
list $38,580
4
Northwestern Medicine Mchenry

Mchenry · 45 mi · File Apr 2026

$29,533
list $42,190
5
Northwestern Medicine Delnor Community Hospital

Geneva · 27 mi · File Apr 2026

$30,188
list $43,126 · lowest of 2 lines
6
Northwestern Medicine Kishwaukee Hospital

Dekalb · 47 mi · File Apr 2026

$32,526
list $46,466 · lowest of 2 lines
7
Methodist Hospitals INC

Gary · 27 mi · File Aug 2026

$50,881
list $72,687 · lowest of 2 lines
8
Loyola Gottlieb Memorial Hospital

Melrose Park · 10 mi · File Mar 2026

9
Advocate Sherman Hospital

Elgin · 33 mi · File Nov 2025

10
Advocate Trinity Hospital

Chicago · 14 mi · File Nov 2025

11
Macneal Hospital

Berwyn · 6 mi · File Mar 2026

12
Uchicago Medicine Adventhealth La Grange

La Grange · 3 mi · File Apr 2026

1

What's in the price

The hospital facility fee for MS-DRG 788. The doctor, anesthesia and lab work usually bill separately.

2

Cash vs. insured

Cash is what you pay without insurance. With insurance you pay a share of the negotiated rate, which can be higher than cash. You may ask for the cash price.

3

What to say on the phone

"I'd like the self-pay price for MS-DRG 788, in writing, and whether it covers facility, physician and anesthesia."

About cesarean section hospital stay, no complications

MS-DRG 788 is the hospital stay for an uncomplicated cesarean birth: operating room, nursing, the mother's room for two to four nights, supplies and medications. About a third of US births are cesarean, and this DRG covers the uncomplicated ones.

What the price covers, and what it does not

The mother's stay only. Not included: the obstetrician (global package 59510), the anesthesiologist, the assistant surgeon, the newborn's own stay and pediatric care (billed to the baby), and laboratory tests. Plan for several separate bills if paying cash, and ask for each in advance.

Why prices vary

Cesarean stays vary two to four times between hospitals in the same area, and the gap between a cesarean and a vaginal delivery at the same hospital is usually 50 to 100 percent. Many hospitals offer a fixed self-pay maternity package that includes a cesarean if needed; it is often the best protection against surprise costs.

Questions to ask

  • What is the self-pay price for DRG 788, and what is the newborn's stay?
  • Is there a self-pay package that covers both vaginal and cesarean birth?
  • What do anesthesia and the assistant surgeon cost?

Hospitals in Chicago, IL-IN without a price for this procedure

Listed so you know who to call. The reason is what we found on their website.

Questions people ask