An IUD costs anywhere from $0 to $1,800, depending on your insurance status, the brand you choose, and where you get it. Most people with private insurance or Medicaid pay nothing out of pocket. Without insurance, the total bill typically falls between $500 and $1,800, covering the device itself, the office visit, and the insertion procedure.
Cost Without Insurance
If you’re paying entirely out of pocket, expect to spend $500 to $1,800 for the device and insertion combined. That range reflects differences between IUD brands, geographic location, and the type of clinic you visit. Hormonal IUDs tend to cost more than the copper IUD, though pricing varies by provider. These figures typically bundle the consultation, the device, and the insertion into one charge, but some providers bill each component separately, so it’s worth asking for an itemized estimate before your appointment.
Planned Parenthood locations offer cash-pay discounts. At one California affiliate, for example, a standard IUD insertion with a follow-up visit costs up to $766 on a sliding scale, while insertion using the Liletta brand (a lower-cost hormonal option) tops out at $380. These prices already include lab fees but not any prescribed medications like pain relief.
Cost With Insurance or Medicaid
Under the Affordable Care Act, marketplace and employer-sponsored health plans must cover all FDA-approved contraceptive methods, including IUDs, with no copay or coinsurance when you use an in-network provider. This applies even if you haven’t met your annual deductible. In practical terms, most people with qualifying insurance get their IUD at zero cost.
The main exception is grandfathered health plans (those that existed before the ACA took effect and haven’t made major changes) and certain employer plans with religious or moral exemptions. If you’re unsure whether your plan qualifies, call the number on your insurance card and ask specifically about IUD coverage.
Medicaid also covers IUDs in every state. Federal law classifies family planning services as a mandatory benefit and prohibits states from charging out-of-pocket costs for contraceptive care. Even if you don’t qualify for full Medicaid, 31 states extend family planning coverage to people whose incomes are above the standard Medicaid threshold. Your state’s Medicaid office or a local family planning clinic can tell you if you’re eligible.
Sliding Scale and Low-Income Options
Title X-funded clinics, including many Planned Parenthood locations, use a sliding scale based on your household size and income. At the lowest income level, all services are free. As income rises, so does your share of the cost, but it stays well below the full retail price. At the Planned Parenthood affiliate mentioned above, the sliding scale ranges from $0 to $766 for a standard IUD insertion, and from $0 to $380 for a Liletta-specific insertion.
To find a Title X clinic near you, search the federal Office of Population Affairs clinic locator. You don’t need to provide proof of immigration status, and services are confidential.
IUD Removal Costs
Removal is simpler and cheaper than insertion. Without insurance, it typically costs $0 to $250. With insurance or Medicaid, removal is generally covered the same way insertion is. If you want your old IUD removed and a new one placed in the same visit, the combined cost without insurance can reach around $600 to $980 at a sliding-scale clinic, depending on the brand.
How IUDs Compare to Other Birth Control
The upfront cost of an IUD looks steep next to a monthly pack of pills, but the math flips over time. A budget analysis published in The American Journal of Managed Care found that over three years, the total cost of hormonal IUDs for a group of 1,000 women was roughly $1.98 million, compared to $3.37 million for generic oral contraceptives. That’s about 41% cheaper on a population level, driven by the fact that an IUD requires one procedure instead of years of refills, pharmacy visits, and associated appointments.
The savings grow the longer your IUD lasts. Here’s how long each brand is FDA-approved to work:
- Paragard (copper): up to 12 years
- Mirena: up to 8 years
- Liletta: up to 8 years
- Kyleena: up to 5 years
- Skyla: up to 3 years
If you pay $1,000 out of pocket for a Paragard, that works out to about $83 per year of pregnancy prevention. A Mirena or Liletta at the same price comes to roughly $125 per year. Generic birth control pills, by comparison, typically run $20 to $50 per month without insurance, adding up to $240 to $600 per year, every year.
What Drives the Price Differences
Several factors determine where you land in that $0 to $1,800 range. The brand of IUD matters most: Liletta was designed as a lower-cost alternative and is commonly stocked at public health clinics, while Mirena and Kyleena tend to carry higher list prices. Your provider type also matters. A private OB-GYN office in a major city will generally charge more than a community health center. Finally, some providers charge a separate consultation fee if they require a pre-insertion visit, while others handle everything in one appointment.
If cost is a concern, ask the clinic three questions before scheduling: whether they offer a bundled price for the device and insertion, which IUD brands they stock, and whether they accept your insurance or offer sliding-scale fees. Those answers will narrow the range considerably.