When women find out they are pregnant, they are usually over-the-moon with excitement and joy. Bringing a baby into the world and becoming a mother is something that many women look forward to. The adventure that awaits in being a new mom can be exciting for those who want to have and raise children. However, the cost is something many need to plan for.
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Moms Share How Much Their Hospital Bills Were For Giving Birth
Everyone knows that raising children can be expensive.
Unsplash | Luma Pimentel
From diapers to clothes to baby necessities, it can be pretty pricey to raise a child. However, many new moms take this into account. What they don't take into account sometimes is exactly how expensive it can be to just give birth.
In some countries where healthcare is not universal, the cost of giving birth in the hospital can differ based on what insurance provider you have.
Unsplash | Jair Lázaro
In the United States, where healthcare is not universal, many mothers are charged different prices and fees for their hospital stay while delivering their babies.
Recently, one TikTok user asked people to share how much they "paid" for their child in terms of hospital bills.
TikTok l @alycia.michelle1
The TikTok user happens to be from Canada, where they have universal healthcare, and does not have to think or worry about the hospital bills for childbirth.
However, many mothers from the United States shared how much it cost them to give birth.
TikTok
Some mothers said that it cost them over a million dollars to deliver in the hospital and that the insurance "refused to cover it." Some have never even paid the final bill.
Others say that it was the deductible that really got them.
TikTok
Some insurance companies have such a high deductible rate that it comes out to be an insane amount of money out of pocket before the insurance even covers anything.
Even with a good insurance company, some people still paid thousands of dollars to deliver.
TikTok
One mom said that as a teacher, she has pretty good insurance, but she still owed the hospital over $5,000 to deliver her child.
Some of the insurance bills even went into collections already.
TikTok
One mom said that her $4,000 bill already went into collections after a few months and the insurance is still "reviewing" the claim. Yikes.
One mother on Reddit said that while doing "research" on the labor and delivery process, she realized bringing her own medication was "important."
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"It’s ridiculous. I just watched a labor tips video that reminded me to bring my own ibuprofen because they will charge you individually for each ibuprofen pill you take while you’re in hospital. I was especially depressed that I wasn’t even surprised by that," one Reddit user said.
It's hard for other women to even think about how much it could cost for mothers to give birth.
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One Canadian mother said that sh eonly paid $75.
"After giving birth to my first I had to pay $75. It was for the surcharge for a private room for 3 nights (hubby's work benefits covered 50% of that cost, so it would have been $150 without).
Almost $35,000 to have babies... I cannot wrap my head around it, and also feel so incredibly blessed to be Canadian," she said.
Some countries charge for just the materials and medicine.
Unsplash | Fé Ngô
"That's sooo expensive! In Ukraine, where I am from, and where delivery can be almost free of charge, you only need to buy medicine and disposable materials. Having a contract with the hospital on individual services would never reach more than 2k," one mother said.
Another mom said that when she gave birth in Australia, they only paid for her husband's food.
Unsplash | Adhy Savala
"Australian-American here, I'm so glad I live in Australia. My husband's food during my three days in hospital was the only thing we paid for. Public health cover is wonderful," she wrote.
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