How Much is Baby Costing You?

birdytn · September 2014

I agree that I think many people are going to be surprised at all the bills that are going to come after delivery. While all my prenatal visits are covered 100%, I will be receiving bills from: the hospital for delivery, room and board/supplies, anesthesiologist + the cost of epi, nursery bills, and pediatrician bills for baby's hospital visits. Did you also know that your OB will charge each time they come to see you in the hospital postpartum?

I just think all you first time mom's should be prepared for quite a few unexpected bills--ours kept trickling in for months. Just because your OB's office says you won't pay anything, doesn't necessarily mean you won't. I recommend to all my new mommy friends to have $1000-$1500 set back for all those "surprise" bills.

rshamos · September 2014

I have horrible insurance. We are planning on $7000 for everything. And to add to the dental work part, go get your teeth cleaned, most insurances will cover a third yearly cleaning if you are pregnant. You just have to call them.

nolanova85 · September 2014

We were told that after we meet our $350 deductible for me & $350 deductible for LO, then we'll have our 20% co-insurance...and Aetna estimated that our total OOP expense would be around $2000 (including care for me & LO, assuming an uncomplicated vaginal delivery).

We have also paid $25 for each in-office ultrasound. We could have gone out of office and would have paid 20% of total billed cost, but that money would not have counted towards our deductible, so for convenience sake we just do them in-office.

This also doesn't include the $1995 bill I'm currently negotiating with Quest. Though Natera has great payment plans for the Panorama test, for some reason my doc office sent it through Quest instead of straight to Natera, and I've now found out Quest is not required to honor the $140 I was quoted from Natera (you know. before we decided to even do the test). So I'm hoping I can get that down...

I'm definitely jealous of those who will end up paying almost nothing. But, I don't feel like $2000 is all that much to bring human into the world. We're fortunate in that we have it.

ETA: I forgot about misc. lab fees. I've probably paid about $200 total for various blood tests throughout.

AllTheTeaInChina · September 2014

Reading other responses, appears hospitals bill differently. With DD, there were 2 claims submitted to our ins for me and one for DD. For me was the OB fee and the hospital fee; for DD just the hospital fee. I didn't have an epi so not sure how that gets billed. I never requested an itemized bill but think the total billed was about $17,000, ins only allowed about $11,000. Our share was about $1800 left on our deductible.

My OB and DD's pedi are part of the same hospital/clinic system so maybe that makes a difference too.

bowlwoman · September 2014

birdytn said:

I agree that I think many people are going to be surprised at all the bills that are going to come after delivery. While all my prenatal visits are covered 100%, I will be receiving bills from: the hospital for delivery, room and board/supplies, anesthesiologist + the cost of epi, nursery bills, and pediatrician bills for baby's hospital visits. Did you also know that your OB will charge each time they come to see you in the hospital postpartum?

I just think all you first time mom's should be prepared for quite a few unexpected bills--ours kept trickling in for months. Just because your OB's office says you won't pay anything, doesn't necessarily mean you won't. I recommend to all my new mommy friends to have $1000-$1500 set back for all those "surprise" bills.

The only thing I had to worry about is the blood draw in the hospital for the baby's blood sugar check after he's born. Apparently the lab the hospital uses is owned by the same parent company as the normal labs I use, but they're technically not in-network for some reason. With both girls I got a $19 bill for labs from the hospital. All I had to do was call my insurance, explain the situation, and they expressed a check to the hospital that day.

We have the same level of coverage and general policy as before, so I don't see this as changing. If it does, then I just get to fight with United.

SeahorseMama · September 2014

Based on what I still have left to satisfy for my family's out of pocket maximum, we could pay up to about $1100. It's really just going to depend on how much of that we meet between now and when we leave the hospital.

[Deleted User] · September 2014

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fallfever · September 2014

I'm estimating about 3500 when it's all said and done...(I have a HDP with Aetna. My copay for the OB is 50. But I have coinsurance and a deductible to meet for delivery.)

RicKeyBaby · September 2014

Zero for maternity care. $300 deductible the day of, then we're only responsible for 30% of whatever bill is left, up to a max of 2,500. Fun times.....

jayellekay · September 2014

US healthcare is so confusing. Mine is a little simpler because all of the doctors, labs, etc., that I will see are all employed by the same major hospital system here, so I only get one bill. There are line items for all of the things previously mentioned (doctor fees, hospital stay, anesthesia, drugs, lab draws, etc.), but they come under one bill for me. My insurance pays regardless (as long as I see network providers, which I do).

kellyo0131 · September 2014

$15 co-pay at first appointment, $1,000 deductible & then I think a $2,000 co-insurance max. So total probably about $2,800 since I already paid on my deductible when I broke my foot.

With DS I worked at a small company and they raised the deductible half way and we ended up paying $4,400 I think.

Beevol · September 2014

I have a $600 deductible so that (my AS was ~$400, so the rest will get paid out to the hospital, last time the bill would have been ~$2000) plus the $20 copay for my first visit, the $200 copay for when my hyperemesis sent me to the ER and then the $200-300 I spent on copays for the butt loads of zofran, reglan, and OTC meds I was on in order to function. My prenatal vitamins are free though, so that's something.

All together this pregnancy's medical costs will be ~$1,000.

Shortstack06 · September 2014

I have Highmark and they actually have a cost calculator on their members site. Total cost of vaginal delivery at my hospital with no complications is at most $18,000. My deductible is $2,500 and I might be looking at Out of Pocket cost after deductible of $1,300. My deductible reset in July and I will meet some of that leading up to delivery.

JesseCingel · September 2014

I have home births. Last time, my insurance refused to pay after many appeals. I paid $4000 out of pocket. This time, I have new insurance and pre-approval. I won't have any copay and my yearly deductible has already been met. All of my labs and testing have been fully covered so far.

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