Prepaying for Delivery?

mmshuler · November 2015

I got a notice from my OB that they want me to pay 20% of the estimated delivery fee (copay from my insurance) in monthly installments until a month before my due date. I dont believe in paying for services that havent been rendered- has anyone had experience refusing to pay their OB up front or have any advice?

splsmama2016 · November 2015

I've never even heard of that being done. But I'd certainly have an issue with it. And I certainly wouldn't pre-pay. I hope you are able to not pay in advance.

bootsware · November 2015

I'm on a payment plan. I'm usually fall into the camp you're both in, but this time I'm ok with the prepayment. If your insurance company and coding Dept at your obgyn are correct about what you will owe just before delivery, you'll never pay a $ after being discharged. I'd rather have the expense before baby arrives rather than pay a lump sum or negotiate payments when I am trying to figure out how to parent. I may be totally wrong on this, I'm mainly trying to do a good job at budgeting baby expenses.

cattlebride · November 2015

I would be worried about that simply because my ob is 45 mins away. If we don't make it and only make it to the er, I don't want to fight to get reimbursed.

likeabel · November 2015

I received a similar request from my OB at my appointment yesterday but the cost includes all of my prenatal care appointments in one lump sum. So the the amount I was asked to pay 4 times leading up to the appointment don't seem strange to me. I also know someone from the practice will deliver my baby unless I give birth on my kitchen floor.

lilp2015 · November 2015

My dr doesn't doesn't even charge the visit co-pays till after you have delivered. I wouldn't prepay.

BagelsandBrowsing · November 2015

My OB requires that you pre-pay the full amount before delivery. Since I have an HSA, most of these types of accounts won't let you pre-pay for services not rendered so I have to send in a statement of my HSA every month to prove I have enough money to cover the cost. After I deliver, I will just pay it all with that account. I've never heard of pre-paying before but their billing department acted like it was very normal!

cdnrunning · November 2015

I had to prepay a significant sum of my knee surgery a few years ago. I was highly irritated. I mean, what if they do a shitty job? What if the out come isn't what was expected? I would prefer to wait - it seems easier to reconcile all the bills that way.

MrsAlliKat · November 2015

I also am on a payment plan that includes all of my prenatal visits and the costs they expect I will need to pay for delivery. I'm actually happy to space this out and know what I will owe and when. I am only about 2 miles from my doctors office and the hospital, so I am pretty confident that I will make it there for delivery.

Knottie86418473 · November 2015

I'd be worried mostly for what cattlebride mentioned. What if, for whatever reason, you did not need services you'd already paid for? It sounds like this is a somewhat normal practice for some places, but I'd check the policy on refunds. My hospital is anywhere from 20-90 minutes away depending on traffic, so I wouldn't want to pay all that in the unlikely event I ended up having a car baby.

NLewis1 · November 2015

I prepaid with my last delivery. They didn't bill anything until you delivered, that way all your expenses ended up in the same year. I liked it. I paid 200 a month until delivery and only ended up owing a couple hundred after delivery. But that did not include the bills from
The hospital stay - just all the care I received from my OB before delivery since they are separate offices. I'm at the hospital clinic this time around and they bill after each service and don't ask that you pre-pay.

NLewis1 · November 2015

And if you didn't end up needing services you already paid for, they would just refund your money

purplefan1 · November 2015

I just got a notice yesterday at the doctors office requesting a payment plan. I had never had that before. They called it their "global package" and it outlined the services I would be provided both now and after delivery, factored in the deductible and out of pocket I've already met this year and came up with a total that I'm requested to pay monthly or weekly or up front. I wondered the same thing- what if something happens and I don't need the services and will it change again after the new year when I have a new deductible to meet. I plan to ask more questions when I go in next month. I also wanted to see if my HSA would cover it, but that doesn't go in to effect until the new year. I agree in some ways, I like knowing how much I am going to pay and actually don't mind paying a portion of it monthly. Maybe if I go that route I only pay each month I go in unless something goes awry. Then we can figure it out from there.

nicolesmith0624 · November 2015

Just a quick FYI for those who may not know- because of all the obamacare stuff, you also cannot use 2016 HSA funds to pay for anything from 2015....so if you were waiting for those funds to kick in, you can't use them for anything from this year.

MynaBird · November 2015

My OB requires a delivery deposit between 24 and 28 weeks. He ended up being on call at the hospital the night before I delivered, so he didn't deliver my baby, so the deposit ended up being applied toward other charges.

splsmama2016 · November 2015

I have healthcare via the NLCA (national letter carriers association) because my husband works for the government. We have yet to pay a co-pay or see a bill from the appointments I've already had. I think the only thing we end up paying for is the hospital stay, if it's extended longer than an "arrive, birth, sleep, leave" type thing... Not sure though. I still would have a hard time pre-paying, as I know from friends' experiences the likelihood of YOUR OB actually delivering isn't 100%.

AmberLiz99 · November 2015

I have had friends who had to pre pay, I think it's becoming more common.

This discussion is making me very grateful for federal government employee insurance.

ashleyrobertson0113 · November 2015

I'm in the process of looking for a new OB and apparently this is becoming a common practice now. I refuse to do that. I will continue my search until I find a doctor that doesn't do it.

Jgar2u2 · November 2015

I have a payment plan for delivery and prenatal visits. I like spacing it out. With my last pregnancy we had to pay $500 after we scheduled our induction but they refunded us that money later. It stinks initially but they will refund the money if you don't end up spending that much.

Lilwatz · November 2015

I pay for the prenatal care in equal installments at every prenatal visit. Started at my 10 week appt. Did the same thing last time. Then, at the hospital, they sent someone in to collect payment (or set up a plan) for the delivery. Unsure why they can't just bill. I paid it all then got half of it back. It was only an estimate apparently. WHY BILL THEN?

HighFive16 · November 2015

With my last I had to prepay for the delivery at 30 weeks. I didn't know the logic of it and ended up getting a couple of hundred back 6 weeks after the birth.

Marisac888 · November 2015

My ob also sent me a payment plan for my last pregnancy but because of my HSA I paid for everything after delivery. They just made a copy of my HSA debit card to show that was why I wasn't pre-paying.

sthomas1222 · November 2015

I refused to pay my OB upfront with my first & im glad I did. My prenatal care is 100% covered, no deductible applies. They wanted me to pay my $1500 deductible. I declined b/c they are assuming at delivery they'd be the first to file. If the hospital did they'd be owed the $1500 not the OB. Also, I ended up leaving that office at 26 weeks due to him not being supportive of an unmedicated birth.

PBear93 · November 2015

I think it boils down to them having so many people that ended up not paying them, that they want the money before hand. I understand the reasoning, even if I don't like the practice.

My first OB last time wanted us to make payments, but I knew I was moving to a different state before I delivered so they let me just pay my copayments each visit.
My current OB doesn't ask for prepayment, and I'm not sure if that's common practice around here or not.

june2016baby · November 2015

My current OB doesn't, but my old one did. But they also had you talk to a financial person to go over everything and ask questions. They said that yes, unused costs are reimbursed.

huskypuppy14 · November 2015

This is so strange to me. It must be insurance based not OB based. I have no prenatal costs and only have to pay 250 dollars after delivery because my insurance covers everything else. I've heard of prepaying elective things like cosmetic surgery or something like that, birth isn't elective. You have to go through it once you are pregnant.

purplefan1 · November 2015

My letter from my OB said it was insurance company driven.

Bear14+ · November 2015

I don't have to do this. After the birth, the hospital called me to pay my deductible...my ob office didn't get any of it. Plus, what if something were to happen before birth and you end up paying your deductible to a different hospital/Doctor. Seems a little weird to me.