So now i have to find a new doctor...

cm716 · February 2016

I will try to make a long story short. I started seeing a new OB for this pregnancy and loved him. two weeks ago I got a letter from the office saying that I would need to pay for my delivery 3 months in advance. basically they were demanding that I pay my deductible before they file a claim. I have had two other children and have always paid for my delivery after I have delivered. they refused to budge on this policy and I told them that I would not pay for the delivery of the baby until after the baby was actually born and they have filed a claim with my insurance. they told me if I did not make a payment of $850 by March for the delivery that I would be terminated from care.

after talking with my husband and insurance we felt that it was extremely unfair to demand payment for a baby being delivered in advance and I have called the practice to let them know that I am leaving over their policy and will be finding a different doctor. I'm just really bummed. Has anyone else gone through something similar?

searchingforameaning · February 2016

I have not, but have struggled enough with dr offices and insurance that I say to go with your gut and if it seems like bad business practices, then don't wait around. doctors to provide care, but they are a business like anyplace else.

JournoGrl23 · February 2016

Mine requires the entire OB payment before delivery as well. But where I live this is really common. I've always paid my doctors for surgeries or procedures beforehand and if things change then they adjust accordingly. My OB already said they would adjust later on if something changes. But definitely go with what makes you comfortable. I've learned you definitely need to be comfortable with your OB and the practice.

bearsandbeets7 · February 2016

We have to pay our OB in advance for our part of all the services through out the pregnancy. We pay 40% and it's broken up into 4 or 5 payments. That includes some of our deductible which will help us when we pay the hospital. I would call and see if I could speak to someone and get the details regarding this and see exactly what it's for.

cm716 · February 2016

@lynnlove28 i did call to check this and the payment was not for services currently heing remdered.Iwould be happy to pay for anything that is for services that are currently being rendered. they specifically told me that this charge was for the delivery of the baby.

my fear is that we will have other things in our insurance that will meet our deductible in the next 6 months and I don't want our money tied up with our OB.

I'm just confused becausr I never had to do this with my other kids.

bearsandbeets7 · February 2016

My OB includes the delivery in our 40%, that's the majority of what our payments are. They say that depending on who files what first we may owe a little more when it's all said and done or they may owe us a little bit. @cm716

kattyleigh · February 2016

Honestly I think that's kind of a normal practice...

ramoseecology · February 2016

Mine just made me sign a form that listed what delivery was estimated to cost, what my insurance was estimated to pay, and what they estimated I'd need to pay. It included language about me being on the hook for the final costs, although I don't have the paperwork to refer to with me. My insurance is pretty great though so most of my care is covered in full (visits, delivery, etc).

JournoGrl23 · February 2016

Mine is exactly how @Lynnlove28 described it. Mine is in payments too and adjusted in the end if things change. I don't have to make the entire payment at once.

katiedidthat · February 2016

I have to pay my delivery and prenatal car before 32 weeks, and then my hospital bill after delivery. If I overpay- they'll refund the money once the insurance pays. That's standard here, so the doctor doesn't get stiffed for the prenatal care when you deliver with an on call doctor and don't bother to settle your bills. You'd be surprised how often that happens at my husbands hospital.

DSMLove · February 2016

I think it's interesting that some people using an OB and hospital are being required to pay upfront.

I have to pay in full by 34 weeks gestation, but I was guessing that was just because I'm planning to deliver at home with a CNM. So we'll need to pay the midwifery practice before the birth. Then we file with our insurance company and they'll reimburse us whatever measly amount they're willing to pay.

AmandaG225 · February 2016

We have to pay our portion before hand as well. Our OB portion is due in April (we are currently making payments) which include all our OB appts throughout the pregnancy as well as delivery. When baby comes we will only have hospital bills to deal with. It was the same way with DD.

jamiesc58 · February 2016

I have never heard of paying in advance.

QueenBeeFamily · February 2016

We pay for all of our prenatal care at each appointment which is just our $15 copay. But we had to sign a promissory note to pay after the delivery for the delivery charges otherwise agreeing they can send us to collections. I've heard each area/state has different standards. My sister lives in Texas and had to pay for her delivery upfront by 32 weeks so I think it's just different areas and different doctors. Obviously if you feel uncomfortable with this policy changing is best but did you move or just change OBs so other OBs in the area may have a similar policy.

bananers · February 2016

I'm trying to remember how it worked last time, but I think the OB's office estimated our OOP delivery costs and we agreed to pay half by 30-something weeks. Then we paid the balance after delivery.

Pepper6 · February 2016

Standard practice here. The fees for the OB prenatal care and delivery service is due in full prior to 32 weeks. The hospital fees, anesthesiologist, labs, ultrasounds (since mine aren't done in office) are all billed after service. Trust me... You'll be getting random bills for months after delivery, so I find it kind of nice that you know exactly what your ob charges and that's already taken care of before delivery.

I get being a little surprised by it, but if you're happy with the care you're receiving, I'm not sure it's a reason to switch practices since chances are their policy will be similar.

irohspupil · February 2016

*lurking*

I'm in Texas and have never heard of this practice. I never paid for any of my OB services in advanced. I was always mailed the bill after.

TCUFrog08 · February 2016

I live in Houston and this is exactly how my OBs practice works.

irohspupil · February 2016

msdidonato said:

I live in Houston and this is exactly how my OBs practice works.

Crazy! Seems location has nothing to do with it. Just depends on the individual practice.

haboobjob · February 2016

I'm in AZ but it seems pretty standard wherever you are. We pay our OB bill in advance (I think 30 or 60 days before due date). We also had to take care of our hospital bill upon arrival. Kind of stressful going through payment during contractions. We received additional bills after delivery for anesthesia and any other extras that occurred and weren't already covered in the initial payments. I was also issued a check or credit after delivery as I had overpaid at both the hospital and my OB's office.

cm716 · February 2016

Ok, this is so puzzling to me. My first daughter was born in AZ. My second daughter was born in texas and i paid for the delivery after the delivery with each kid. It makes no sense to me to charge for the delivery before you deliver because deliveries can be very unpredictable.

Requiring me to pay for prenatal care whilst I am receiving it? I am totally on board.

Leeny3 · February 2016

Thank you for the heads up, I'm new to the US and had no idea they do stuff like this. Now I know what to ask when I pick my OB. I was seeing another one and they tried to charge me for blood tests I declined, so I'm looking for a new one now too, super shady...

ellehobbs · February 2016

Yes. My dr's office did the exact same thing. I also feel this is unfair. However there must be a reason they have started this policy.

Leeny3 · February 2016

ellehobbs said:

Yes. My dr's office did the exact same thing. I also feel this is unfair. However there must be a reason they have started this policy.

I guess people are skipping on their bills too often. It just seems weird to me to pay for services before they're performed especially if you end up going to another hospital in an emergency situation and not even using your OB, etc... even if they refund it then you're going to have a problem with cash flow

SkiChic626 · February 2016

I've never heard of such a thing and I would do the same as you. Not a chance anyone is getting any money from me until services are rendered, I don't care what business you're in.

Edited to add: Plus, what if you have other medical bills between then and now that would have covered your DED, so then you'd end up not having to pay anything OOP at the time of birth. We're talking August here, so you have over half the year to rack up other doctor bills and such, which would apply to your DED - given the number of times I've been sick already this year (thanks daycare) I'm pretty close to hitting my DED, if I haven't already. In March you still have FIVE months until the birth of your child, that's a long time. And it's a pain in the tush to get money back from insurance or doctors.....nope.

amccul20 · February 2016

I've never heard of this before and I have mom friends all over the US!

tmk0325 · February 2016

We had to sign a form that we agreed to the cost, which includes all the appointments and the standard birth. This does not include if there are complications, extended stay, etc. I have no idea if we need to pay up front, they did not say that. I have not received a statement yet from my insurance either...

Ceventa · February 2016

My docs's office did a run down of my insurance on my second appointment showing me everything that's covered and what's my share. I was not asked to pay anything in advance, especially after showing what my insurance covers. So no, I would not consider this a standard practice in the industry, it sounds more like an office policy. I understand if there are complications that go beyond the analysis the office did, but even then it would go through my insurance first. The only thing they have asked me for is a $300 deposit for the circumcision if we decide to do it. However with DS I didn't pay the deposit (I just never did it) and at the hospital we told them we wanted the circumcision, they did it and billed it through the insurance = all good.

I don't blame you for switching, that's a lot of money to just give them because they want it "just in case".

HeyStVincent · February 2016

We had to pay around that amount last year before my daughter was born, but we didn't have to do it until third trimester started. We also ended up getting some of the amount (like $120 or so) refunded because my insurance covered much of the delivery and it was a low-risk vaginal birth.

cm716 · February 2016

@SkiChic626 My thoughts exactly!!!! I brought this up to the office lady and it was clear she didn't care. They just wanted my money now which i thought was very unreasonable hence my leaving.

SkiChic626 · February 2016

tmk0325 Yeah, I've signed things like this, too, that say I agree to pay for services blah blah blah - but it always goes through insurance first and then they bill me the difference, which is usually wrong, but that's a whole other issue.

Ceventa What if you don't know the sex of your baby, how would they go about billing you in advance for a circumcision?!? Argh these "pay in advance" medical policies can kiss my tush.

Ceventa · February 2016

@SkiChic626 Once I find out the sex of the baby for sure at the anatomy scan (20 weeks), if it's a boy that's when they ask if we want the circumcision. I remember for DS they asked me a few times about it after we found out the sex, but they didn't push immediate payment, they just kept saying, "Ok! Just remember to pay the deposit before your due date!". I would just smile and nod because I already knew my insurance covered it 100%.

charmedlifex3 · February 2016

This is strange to me. Perhaps it's related to the rise in high deductible plans? (And the guaranteed portion from the insurance being much less than in years past?) I asked for an estimate from my doctor and they seemed reluctant to even guess at what the delivery costs could be, because there are so many variables.

sunkised0489 · February 2016

I had a similar experience. At 15 wks I had to find a new OB. when I finally found someone that I liked within my insurance network they waited until I filled out all my new patient paperwork to tell me I had to pay my entire $3500 deductible up front. I asked about a payment plan and she said they'd give me until my 28 week to pay in full..so 13 weeks from then. I told them to pack sand. I only paid $300 total when I had my 1st child...
Anyway, finally found a great doctor that I love!

holmeskatie117 · February 2016

I have to pay upfront

ChrissyFromMD · February 2016

I had an oral surgeon's office do that to me in my 20's. I had never dealt with that situation before. I didn't like it but went through with it anyway. I ended getting a refund for the surgery.

Thank you for the post. You have me thinking that I need to speak with OB's office regarding delivery payment. Better to know up front.

MamaKSquared · February 2016

We have to pay in full by 32 weeks, but we're delivering at a birthing center. Other friends who are delivering at hospitals in my area don't have to pay for their delivery until after the baby is born.

SkiChic626 · February 2016

This pay in full thing is crazy....hello, isn't that why we all have insurance. At a MINIMUM, they should check your insurance policy and tell you what YOUR portion is estimated to be and charge that, no way pay-in-full.

JournoGrl23 · February 2016

When I said earlier I had to pay in full before delivery, that's after insurance. So I actually don't owe that much. And if something happens where I lose the pregnancy or need more services, then they adjust it afterward and either refund me money or charge me for more. I think it's a fair practice. I've never had a doctor that didn't do that.

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