Maternity leave...

harperk555 · September 2016

How does everyone's maternity leave look? I feel like I can't take as much time off after having the baby b/c of maternity leave sucking. It's hard enough to save for the baby and pay bills, take care of the house, etc.... does anyone else feel those pressures? Does anyone know how payments at hospitals work? Do they set you up on a plan after birth?

SnarkasaurusRex · September 2016

You will have to ask your employer how your maternity leave works. Workplaces have a lot of freedom in what they do and do not have to offer to recovering mothers.

I am a public school teacher and I received 6 weeks that I was allowed to apply my sick leave to. Unfortunately, I did not have 6 weeks of leave built up, so most of that was unpaid. I also took some FMLA leave (2 weeks), which was also unpaid, because the day care I wanted did not take babies younger than 8 weeks.

As for the hospital bills, I contacted my insurance company and they assured me that I would not pay more than my co-pay for a hospital birth, which was $300, and that was accurate. If your insurance does not cover so much, most hospitals will set you up with a payment plan if you contact the hospital and ask.

Mamabeagle · September 2016

Every state, employer, and hospital will be different, I'm sorry to say.

I had 6 weeks at 2/3 pay, 4 weeks at 1/2, and 2 at 100%, but had to use one week of vacation before disability kicked in.

My employer supplemented one week to 100% per year I have been employed by them.

My hospital called my insurance and confirmed my deductible, and I had to pay it in full before being admitted, which was $1600.

KVela724 · October 2016

**Removed for TOU violation**

BelhurstBride · October 2016

@kvlazo84 you've been reported. It's clear you only use your account to sell stuff on the boards.

SKZW · October 2016

Mamabeagle said:

My hospital called my insurance and confirmed my deductible, and I had to pay it in full before being admitted, which was $1600.

@Mamabeagle Did you know this ahead of time, as in, weeks ahead, in order to plan for it? Or were you surprised by this fact when you were actually in labor and needing to be admitted? You didn't have to sit and wait in some admin's office or anything, right?

Mamabeagle · October 2016

SKZW said:

Mamabeagle said:

My hospital called my insurance and confirmed my deductible, and I had to pay it in full before being admitted, which was $1600.

@Mamabeagle Did you know this ahead of time, as in, weeks ahead, in order to plan for it? Or were you surprised by this fact when you were actually in labor and needing to be admitted? You didn't have to sit and wait in some admin's office or anything, right?

As soon as I did the pre registration at the hospital, about a nonth before my due date, I got a call from their billing office. I was basically told they wouldn't admit me until it was paid but I don't know how true that was.

SKZW · October 2016

@harperk555 It's good that you're asking these types of questions now, in order to plan for the financial aspects with as much lead time as possible. I'd suggest to definitely make the calls to the insurance companies and hospitals now, in order to best make your plans and arrangements. Especially if you're looking for a payment plan with the hospital---getting that set up in advance will be one less thing to worry about later. (And you likely won't feel like making these sorts of phone calls/decisions when there's a newborn around!)

When talking with the health insurance company (that'd be my first call), make sure to get info on what payments fall under the deductible (meaning, what is applied to the deductible to meet that total) and exactly what's covered and at what rate. I'm just making up an example, but labwork might be covered at a different percentage than room&board. Once you have that info straightened out, you can get best-estimates from the hospital as to what your final expenses out-of-pocket might be.

A reminder to everyone that it's almost open-enrollment time for health insurance plans. If you're able to level up in coverage now---and pay more per week over the next year, but pay less after delivery due to much better (or even slightly better) coverage---it's at least worth looking into to see if it works for you and your situation.

yanet0527 · October 2016

Don't know about payments to the hospital but with my employer, I get 4 months fully paid maternity leave, which I know is more than most.

oneblessedmess · October 2016

I got 12 weeks, only 1 week paid (vacation time) the rest completely unpaid.

As far as the hospital, the way the billing department explained it, they billed my insurance beforehand as if I was having a basic unmedicated vaginal birth. They then told me what I would owe after insurance, which had to be paid before I left the hospital. However, if I incurred any extra charges during my stay, the bill would come to my house later because they had to run it through my insurance first. I ended up getting an epidural and unplanned c-section, so I got bills for those items later on.

Definitely call your insurance and hospital billing department to find out approx. how much you need to plan on paying before you leave the hospital. Our bill wasn't extravagant but, had we not known beforehand that it would need to be paid before I could be discharged, it would have really sucked.

stokesm21 · November 2016

I don't have anything to add in the way of advice but just wanted to say that I hope your country comes to its senses, and soon. I think it's terrible that they don't give you guys proper leave. I really hope that changes for you very, very soon! *hugs*

ashleyorm · January 2017

I agree with @stokesm21, it is sad that such a rich country does not allow parents the time with their babies. In Canada you get 1 year off at 55% of your income and don't pay a cent at the hospital to give birth. Take as much time as you can afford.

juliebeannn · January 2017

Our company is very generous (by American standards) with their maternity leave and offer 16 weeks paid in full.

I have yet to call my insurance company about how much labor/delivery will cost me. It's on my to-do list for when I get back from vacation next week.

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