How Much Does a Vasectomy Cost?
Key takeaways:
A vasectomy is a surgical sterilization that stops sperm from reaching the semen. The procedure provides permanent birth control and prevents pregnancy.
While some health insurance plans may cover a vasectomy, the procedure is not considered an essential health benefit under the Affordable Care Act.
A vasectomy typically costs up to $1,000 or more without insurance. But it may be a better bargain in the long run than other forms of birth control for you or your partner.
Table of contents
Menstruating people use many birth control methods to prevent pregnancy. In fact, 65% of U.S. women ages 15 to 49 — nearly 2 in 3 — use some form of contraception.
But birth control can be costly. Annual out-of-pocket costs for birth control can be more than $2,000 a year, depending on the method used and your insurance status.
And while most forms of birth control are temporary, one permanent kind for people with male reproductive anatomy is a vasectomy. Here’s how much this procedure can cost, whether it’s covered by insurance, and the pros and cons of getting one.
How does a vasectomy procedure work?
A vasectomy is a surgical procedure that permanently prevents sperm from reaching the semen. The procedure can be performed with an incision or a no-cut (no scalpel) method.
Typically, sperm leaves the testicles through a tube called the vas deferens to mix with semen in the urethra. A vasectomy cuts the vas deferens. Without sperm in the semen, there can be no pregnancy.
What is the average cost of a vasectomy?
A vasectomy typically costs up to $1,000 without insurance, but it can be more. Follow-up care, including semen analysis, to make sure the procedure worked, can add to the cost of your vasectomy. Your out-of-pocket expenses also depend on whether you have insurance and what your plan covers.
A vasectomy is safe and effective for most people. This sterilization procedure can have complications and side effects, but they’re uncommon.
Where does my sperm go? After vasectomy, your sperm no longer enters your semen. Your ejaculate looks identical and sperm is broken down by the body.
If you change your mind, you’ll pay a lot more. Vasectomy reversals can restore fertility. But they cost much more than sterilizations and usually aren’t covered by insurance.
The following are cash prices (at the time of publication) for vasectomies at clinics across the U.S. and may be available only to prepaid, self-pay consumers. The national average comes from MDsave, a price-shopping tool for people who don’t have insurance and those with high-deductible health plans.
Here are some prices for in-office vasectomies at selected U.S. locations.
City-anchored region | In-office, cash-pay price* |
National average | |
Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas | |
Florence, South Carolina | |
Lawton, Oklahoma | |
New York City | |
Naples, Florida | |
Olympia, Washington | |
Tucson, Arizona |
*Note: The listed local amounts may not include other services for which you may be charged.
Hospital price transparency
If you intend to have your vasectomy at a hospital, you can check the standard charge for a vasectomy in advance because of federal hospital price transparency rules. Starting in 2024, hospitals are required to show shoppers standard charges for procedures and other services.
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The information provided typically includes self-pay prices (with any discounts for paying cash) and negotiated insurance rates, which tend to be lower. You can find these amounts on the facility’s website — such as this page published by the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC). It lets you use a pricing tool to estimate costs or download spreadsheets with services and prices. In this instance, having your procedure at a hospital increases the cost above $1,000 because the discounted cash price at the main MUSC hospital in Charleston is listed as $1,974.
HSA, FSA, and tax deduction
You may be able to use funds from a health savings account (HSA) or a flexible spending account (FSA) to pay for a vasectomy. The procedure is also a qualified medical expense that may be deductible on your taxes.
What factors affect the cost of a vasectomy?
Your costs may vary depending on whether you have an incision, which is more costly, or a no-cut procedure.
Most vasectomies are performed in doctor’s offices with local anesthesia. Typically, your costs are highest if you have the procedure in a hospital, as noted above in the MUSC example.
Charges for a vasectomy often include:
Consultation
Anesthesia
Procedure
Follow-up visits
Semen analysis
The total costs may also include your time away from work for your procedure and your recovery.
Does insurance cover the cost of vasectomy?
Some health insurance plans will cover a vasectomy. However, it's not a guaranteed benefit.
Vasectomies are not considered essential health benefits under the Affordable Care Act (ACA). That means private insurance plans do not have to cover them . However, according to a Guttmacher Institute policy tracker, nine states require health insurance plans to cover male sterilizations (vasectomies). They are:
California
Illinois
Maryland
New Jersey
New Mexico
New York
Oregon
Vermont
Washington
If your insurance plan covers the procedure, you still may be responsible for out-of-pocket costs such as your deductible and copays or coinsurance.
Original Medicare
In most cases, original Medicare does not cover vasectomies because the procedure typically is not considered medical necessary. However, if a vasectomy is recommended to treat an illness or injury, original Medicare may cover the procedure.
Your out-of-pocket costs will vary depending on where you have your procedure. Typically, costs in a hospital outpatient department are higher than if you have the procedure in an ambulatory surgical center.
Estimated cost sharing for vasectomy for original Medicare enrollees if deemed medically necessary
Ambulatory surgical centers | Hospital outpatient departments | |
Surgeon fee | $226 | $226 |
Facility fee | $929 | $1,940 |
Total | $1,155 | $2,166 |
What Medicare covers (80%) | $924 | $1,733 |
What you pay (20%) | $231* | $433 |
*Because of a rounding error, the Medicare site shows different numbers.
Medicare Advantage
If you have Medicare Advantage, your plan may cover your vasectomy.
Medicaid
Medicaid programs in most states and the District of Columbia cover vasectomies.
Where can I get a vasectomy?
Vasectomies typically take only 10 to 15 minutes to perform. They generally don't require a hospital stay and are usually performed at outpatient facilities. Most are performed in doctor's offices and clinics, such as Planned Parenthood centers. If you have certain medical conditions or need deep or general anesthesia, you may choose to have your vasectomy in a hospital operating room.
Risks and benefits of a vasectomy
As with many medical procedures, there are pros and cons to vasectomies.
Benefits
If you know you don't want children, vasectomies are considered the most effective type of birth control. They are nearly 100% successful at preventing pregnancy.
While you may have out-of-pocket expenses for a vasectomy, these are one-time costs. And after a vasectomy, you won’t need to spend money on birth control, so you’ll typically save in the long run.
Vasectomies are relatively minor outpatient procedures that can eliminate the stress of worrying about potential pregnancies.
Risks
Since a vasectomy is a permanent form of birth control, you'll want to be sure about not wanting children in the future.
Do not assume that you can get a vasectomy reversal if you change your mind. Reversals don’t always work, they usually cost much more than vasectomies, and they aren’t typically covered by insurance.
Frequently asked questions
While vasectomy and condoms are the main birth control options for people with male anatomy, others are being studied. For example, researchers are exploring a contraception pill for men and a birth control gel.
The only permanent option for people with female anatomy is tubal surgery, also known as female sterilization. There are two types of tubal surgery: tubal ligation and tubal removal.
There are also specific birth control options if you were not born cisgender.
About 6% of people who have a vasectomy seek a reversal. Depending on the type of vasectomy, 90% to 95% of reversals are successful. A vasectomy reversal restores the pathway for sperm to reach your semen. But a vasectomy reversal costs much more than a vasectomy.
The bottom line
If you have male reproductive anatomy and are looking for a form of birth control that is permanent and cost effective, you might consider a vasectomy. This form of surgical sterilization typically costs up to $1,000 without insurance. Your out-of-pocket costs are usually less if you have a health plan. Many private insurance plans, most Medicaid programs, and some Medicare Advantage plans cover vasectomy. But original Medicare does not unless your procedure is deemed medically necessary to treat an illness or injury.
Vasectomy is also simpler, safer, faster, and less expensive than female surgical sterilization. And you may find that you spend less money in the long run for a vasectomy than you would have spent on other birth control options with ongoing costs.
Why trust our experts?
References
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