- Pregnancy
- Baby & Toddler
- Parents
- Getting Pregnant
- Baby Names
- Product Reviews
-
Registry
- Community
-
More
Want a personalized experience?
Download the free app
Maryland Babies
OB cost comparison
Hi, I have a silly question I'm hoping y'all can help out with...
I'm not in love with my OB/GYN and i didnt really shop around. just sort of picked the doc that could see me the soonest and went with it. So I'm considering making a switch to a more personable DR. but at 20 weeks is that a little late?
Also, i feel my doc is a little pricey. Do costs vary much from doctor to doctor and hospital to hospital? I'm currently set to deliver at St. Joe's
Any advice is appreciated! TIA ladies!
xoxo-B
~Welcome to the world, Presley Ann!! *8/16/11* 8 days late!
This discussion has been closed.
Re: OB cost comparison
I don't think 20 weeks is too late to switch providers, you still have half of your pregnancy ahead of you.This is a life changing experience and I think of all things you should be comfortable with your provider!
As for costs, I don't really know how all of that works. But my thought would be it really would depend on your insurance provider and level of coverage. I am sure some of the other ladies are more knowledgeable with regards to things like hospital and doctor costs.
I agree with this. I don't think 20 weeks is too late to switch. And I think the cost really has to do with your insurance provider. My OB's office sent me an information sheet a couple of months ago breaking down my costs. It looks like I will owe $25 total to my OB practice for all of my prenatal care, and delivery. I'll believe that totally once the baby is born, but my insurance is really good, so it could be true. The only thing I have paid a cent for so far was my NT scan (because that was non-standard, though still covered by ins). Not sure about the hospital charges.
BFP#1: 01/10, M/C 6w
BFP#2: 06/10, M/C 5w
BFP#3: 09/10, DS born June 1, 2011
BFP#4: 07/12, M/C 5w3d
BFP#5: 12/12, EDD 08/18/13
My Blog: Decorate This
SK- That is probably just the physician's part of your bill. You will likely also have to pay whatever your normal in-patient hospital co-pay is when you deliver.
Here is what I had to pay for the hospital:
In-patient co-pay- Mine was $100 a day for 3 days
Upcharge for private room- all GBMC post-partum rooms are private, the fee was pretty small
Charge for TV- you have to pay whether you use it or not, fee was minimal a couple dollars a day I think.
Phone- You get charged for any non-local calls you make
Spouse Meals Food was good, it was delivered to the room with mine and it was cheaper then the cafeteria!
I think all the miscellanious fees added up to less than $100, so my portion of the hospital bill was about $400.
I switched providers at 30 weeks so 20 weeks is definitely not too late.
ETA: I am SUPER glad I switched even though it made me nervous at the time. I would definitely do it again if I could go back.
As for the cost, providers chargers don't really vary. The cost is going to depend on your insurance. One provider may "charge" more than another, but insurance will only cover up to a certain amount and the rest will be "written off".
Everyone spends different amounts on their pregnancies and deliveries based on the insurance they have. Some people have little to no out of pocket. More and more there are deductible and coinsurance causing patients to pay more out of pocket. I had a $100 copay each day in the hospital for up to 5 days. So did my son. We were the longer than 5 days so that was $1000 right off the bat. I also had 90/10 coinsurance for testing and diagnostics. I had 3 nonstress tests and my son was in the NICU and had tons of tests. The total cost for everything was close to $5000. It would have been the same with a different doctor.
ETA: I worked in billing in an OB office before I had the baby so I may be able to help if you have any questions. I always encouraged patients to call their insurance company and find out what their coverage was. It is so important to be informed so you know that the doctor's, hospital, etc are covered.
I didn't know they did this until recently. How do you go about ordering these? I know DH spent a ton at the cafeteria so we would definitely like to do this next time.
Thanks for the feedback so far! I'm sort of an insurance idiot...I've got it, but I'm not well versed on what it covers. After these posts, i think I should look into it - I've already paid close to 800 for check ups, tests and sonograms - all standard and that includes insurance coverage!
thanks again, keep it comin'!
At GBMC they have "room service" which basically means instead of them bringing meals at a pre-set time you call and order what you want. So, when you call to order your own meal, just tell them you are also ordering a spouse meal. They can order anything off the menu too, it doesn't have to be the same thing you get.
One thing they told us in the class was that when you order a meal you can order up to 3 beverages. I always ordered as many drinks as I could because DH is a Camel and the vending machine adds up. All I wanted was water anyway and they were bringing that to me for free!
At GBMC they have "room service" which basically means instead of them bringing meals at a pre-set time you call and order what you want. So, when you call to order your own meal, just tell them you are also ordering a spouse meal. They can order anything off the menu too, it doesn't have to be the same thing you get.
One thing they told us in the class was that when you order a meal you can order up to 3 beverages. I always ordered as many drinks as I could because DH is a Camel and the vending machine adds up. All I wanted was water anyway and they were bringing that to me for free!
It definitely sounds like you have a deductible, probably $2000 (that's pretty standard). Assuming it renews on Jan 1, the $800 you have already paid should come off of the total that the dr's office gave you since you already will have paid that out.
You said you were an insurance idiot so no offense meant, but do you know what a deductible and coinsurance are? I ran into lots of women when I worked at the OB office who didn't and I would always try my best to run through it with them.