Curious question to all you americans...

mummy2girls wrote: What did it cost for you to have your baby...with and without insurance. Im just curious. Here in alberta our alberta health insurance covers the birth of our babies...

MommyToAshley replied: You really want to know? This will come as a shocker to those who have insurance!

The doc visits, the U/S, the labs, the delivery, the hospital stay, and the anesthesiologist all came to about $8,500. This was with a generous 20% discount (or more) from everyone, and we also pre-paid for the hospital stay which reduced that cost from $4800 to $2400. (If we had done the amnio, it would have added another $2,800) Before any procedure or lab, I would call and ask for a self-pay discount. It also helps if you have your labs and U/S sent out and not done in the hospital... the hospital adds a charge on to everything.

However, maternity insurance would have been more expensive. And, you have to carry maternity insurance at least 6 months before you get PG. If you get PG one day before the 6 months, then it is null and void. And, if it takes you awhile to get PG, you have to continue to carry the insurance.

You are now hearing about the one major draw-back of being self-employed. But, I would definately say that Ashley is worth way more than the cost!!!

MomofTay&Sam replied: from start to finish..(I was high risk)
the grand total was almost 40, 000. That is a c-section with many problems(on my end not Sammy), many many u/s, lots of doc appts and a extended hospital stay. I had no insurance either, still do not. Medicaid covered 98% of the bill. But I have worked all my life to be able to use that.

MommyToAshley replied:
You're lucky that medicade paid for most of your bill. That would have really sucked if it didn't. I know what you mean when you say you worked all your life to pay for it... I have worked since I was 13 years old and have paid my taxes all these years. We have only been self-employed for about 5 years, and we even pay higher taxes with the self-employment tax. The only complaint I have about the U.S. is our medical/insurance programs. National insurance would be a welcome thing. But, then again I have heard of long waits for needed procedures in countries that have national insurance (and they have higher taxes). So, I guess there are pros and cons to both systems and none is perfect.

mummy2girls replied: WOW...that is so expensive!!!!!!! I knew it was expensive in the states but wow i never expected that much...

CantWait replied: Everywhere except Alberta in Canada we pay nothing for our Health Care. Although I hate to pay it out cause we're the only province that does it, I'm glad I don't live in the U.S. for the reasons you guys are describing, that's crazy

maestra replied: All right- you all are going to hate me! With going to L&D 6 times (10 copay each time) and the drs copay- my pregnancy and birth cost me $70. (Would have been 10 had I not gone to L&D so much!)

Insurance is free for me through the school, but Henry and Jaci are covered through his work since it would cost me 600 a month to cover them. It only costs him 100.

Jamison'smama replied: 210.00

10.00 copay first OB visit
200.00 copay for the hospital stay.

Add other appts and u/s were covered.

A&A'smommy replied: medicade paid for everything except my private room we paid $250.00 and im glad we did it to because there were LOTS of babies born that day/week.

DansMom replied: I didn't even have copays---I spent nothing. Insurance covered everything---I know how lucky I am!

Kaitlin'smom replied: hummm lets see

first doc visit $15 co-pay all others were covered
all lab covered
U/S co pay $15
Hospital/anast/surgen total copay on thoes $670?

so total I guess for me out of pocket was about $700.

Guess that was not to bad............

Schnoogly replied: Well we have about the best insurance you can get in the states (PPO) and it cost us:

No co pays per visit, only $25 for one u/s and $20 co pay for the AFP test.

Then for hospital I had to pay our $500 deductable and then the insurance paid the rest (around $3000-4000 I think?)

But for Iain's hospitalizations and surgeries, we would have been better off if we had no insurance because there is a state plan that pays for special needs kids 100%. As it was we had to pay the maximum out of pocket for two years (he was in the hospital over new year's) or $3000, then insurance covered all except $15 doc visit co-pays.

But we were in a payment plan to the neonatologists most of this year. We just paid him off! (Now they can't repossess him).

You Canadians are so lucky!! As it was we made just enough not to qualify for state assistance, which really screws middle class families who just miss the cut off. Yeah, we weren't destitute but we had to borrow money from friends and have a payment plan. If we couldn't borrow money then we would have been screwed.

If I didn't have insurance I would have had a home birth w/midwife. They are relatively cheap compared to hospital!

jen replied: We are pre-paying the deductible to the OB which is 1,100 and the deductible to the hospital which is 1,000 for a private "lake-view" room ha ha! Like I am really going to care about the view when I am in labor!! But that is the only private room offered! The insurance pays the rest. I think the OB and the Hospital do a great job in collecting the deductible ahead of time. My husband is self-employed and his insurance is more a discount plan which is going to reimburse us the difference in the discounted amount as my secondary insurance. My primary insurance I have through my job and it is unaffordable to add him to it. The heathcare in this country is ridiculous ESPECIALLY if you are self-employed. I can't even quit my job right now without losing my insurance coverage or having to pay unreasonable rates on a COBRA. My husband is the primary source of income we have, he makes much much more than I do but unfortunately the insurance is ridiculous. It is funny how my insurance is covering the birth of my baby but will not COVER my birth control after the baby is born! But really ironic how they do cover VIAGRA!!!! If that doesn't appear to be a problem I don't know what does!

natjasem replied: I paid about $2,400 total including co-pays, sonograms, Labor and delivery. I don't think that's too bad.

MommyToAshley replied:
Hi Jen!
Do you mind if I ask about your husband's discount program? I thought I had checked into all the options, but it is possible that I missed one. What is the program called? Do they have a web site or is there a number I could call for additional information?
Thanks in advance!

jen replied: I am not sure what the name of the provider is, I called my husband and his card is at home. I got an offer over our fax here at work which said health care entire family $59.95 which covered vision, dental, accidental injury ER, PPO Hosiptal network, PPO physician network and prescription program and ALL pre-existing condition accepted. So I figured if it was 1/2 true it would be good enough for me! and I called them and they were legitimate but were a Discount plan. If Josh went to the hospital for something very serious they only cover up to 5,000 so it is a chance we are taking the deductible is 100 for the hospital and that is all but after the 5,000, the rest is up to you to pay. As far as doctor visits etc they told me the discount through a network and a doctor's visit typical 70 to 100 would never cost him over 20 - 35 dollars depending on lab work etc. And prescriptions are discounted 80% with the prescription plan I believe. We paid 130 to sign up with them and then 59.95 a month. I am sure as with all of them there rates will go up and we will be searching for a NEW provider! I am not sure if I am going to come back to work after Maddy is born, so we will need to find something with a little bit more coverage for her :-). I will get you the name of the company as soon as I find out. They have a website too but I can't seem to find it, there are so many that pop up!

coasterqueen replied: This is horrible, but I honestly don't know My insurance covered all of it, except maybe co-pays for the ob/gyn visits which would amount to $10 each time, but I honestly don't know if I had to pay them. I know our insurance would cover us to have our baby at one hospital and if we had it at the other it would have cost us $400, but we decided we liked the one that was covered. I know it was ~$20k plus, just looking at the statements from the insurance company, but not quite sure.

MomToJade&Jordan replied: We didn't have to pay for anything. My DH is in the Air Force so we have Tricare. This insurance is so we don't have to pay for medical.

supermom replied:
Funny, funny girl!

OK, no insurance, my OB was about $5000 with all of the non-stress tests and things (he does them in-house) - plus another $1500 for the epidural. Then the hospital for a regular delivery was about $5000 (with Anders emergency C/S it was over $10000)

But, they are both worth every dime!

aspenblue1 replied: I paid 2 copay of 10.00 that is all for the insurance we had at the time.

Hillbilly Housewife replied:


That is AWFUL! That is SOOO expensive!!!!!The only thing I paid for was the cost of the pregnancy kit, and some diapers!!! OMG!!!

Maybe next pregnancy, yo uguys can come over to Canada for an extended visit...stay with me....until you give birth.... lol

jk

Seriously though...if I would have had to pay for anything, it would be the 60$ to upgrade me from a semi-private room to a private room.... but since they only have like 4 semi private rooms and like 8 private rooms, we were bumbed up free of charge anyways at no cost, since there was just so many babies being bormn at the same time as Zach (well later in the day, we were the only ones when we got there)

Maddie&EthansMom replied: When we thought we weren't going to have our insurance, I called the doctor and asked them how much their part would be. It was $5,000. The hospital was $6500 (if we paid before the baby was born). U/S were $200 each. So, we were looking at over $11,500. Very stressful to think about, but it all worked out. DH's insurance is $800/month. If we would have had to pay that for 9 months (plus the deductible) we would have been out more money. Thankfully it worked out to where we will only have to pay it for one month. Then we will get on a private policy when Ethan is born.

We paid $500 for Maddie (our deductible)

3_call_me_mama replied: I switched insurance in the middle because i moved from Massachusetts back to VT and i paid
10 for my first visit while living in mass ( i had blood work done twice there and 2 ultrasounds)
Then i moved baCK HOME TO vt and has3 more ultra sounds, 2 blood tests and several appts and no co pays!

I was induced and had a drug free labor, except for the pictocin
AND a private room (standard at the hospital in our town)

plus my husband got meals when i got mine, at no charge

our grand total was $10! WE only had to pay for the initial visit, even after switching insurances at 5 months along.... we actually switched a third time b/c of my husbands job, and we got that coverage on Nov 1 and cameron was born nov 5! ( plus they covered the first well visit and my six week check!) But we saw the statement and it was SEVERAL thousand dollars. ( they charged our insurance for his nusery stay when he never left our room, they said it was available to him so they were charging for it?!
But anyway , we lucked out by having really good insurance, and my husband having a great employer who covers ALL of our FAMILY PLAN except $75 a month!!

alice&arik replied: I had Medical Assistance and didn't have to pay a dime. Even the first visit to find out if I was prego was covered. So I guess I am lucky. Arik is still covered under it til he is 4 or 5 i think. So i never pay for anything for him. So I don't feel bad taking him in all time. (It is for lower income people) But now I have to pay 20% of my own med. bills cuz I have insurance through work. And man does that suck, I have always had it free cuz I was under my mom, then I joined the Army and they paid for everything then had Medical Assistance. So I guess I have to join the real world and pay for it! But at least I am finally getting my knee fixed for a small price.