America is one of the few countries that put more emphasis on protecting “the sanctity of life” than they do on easing the financial hardship of young mothers after giving birth.
It goes without saying that the United States is one of the most expensive countries for mothers to give birth in . Now, thanks to the subreddit r/beyondthebump, Americans are sharing their stories of how much it cost them to give birth in a hospital .
That doesn’t sound like a very attractive discount to me.
“10k for vaginal delivery no complications and was in the hospital thurs-sun[sic]. no[sic] insurance so with a “self pay[sic] discount” my total out of pocket was $4800.” – Reddit u/lexmillionairee
I would’ve hit the floor.
When Mari Roberts gave birth to her daughter, it cost a whopping $100,000 ! Her 30-day hospital stay alone clocked in at $67,375, the bill for the gynecologist/anesthetist combined was over $6000, and the blood tests/ultrasounds averaged out to roughly $1000 apiece.
Don’t forget about the deductible…
Reddit user cozynwarm_taurus explained that the individual hospital costs for her rang in right at $12,000, with an additional $4000 being allotted to her son. Luckily, her Medicaid Insurance was able to cover the entire bill.
Always make sure to review your bill.
Reddit user lostmyshade said that the hospital billed her insurance company $12,000; $3000 of which was to be paid out of pocket. Upon inspecting the bill, she received several charges for services (like the NICU) that she never actually used.
I have no words.
“$10k out of pocket after insurance bc I didn’t know how to fight them when they decided to decline things. Vaginal birth, no serious complications. Was induced at 41 weeks, got an epidural, was in the hospital < 3 days." - Reddit u/bunhilda
There’s no such thing as a free baby. At least, not in America.
Reddit user LoveTeaching1st18’s newborn was forced to stay in the NICU for a period of longer than 30 days , and as a result, racked up a bill of $625,000. They were forced to pay $6000 out of pocket, and luckily, the state Medicaid insurance covered the rest.
Sometimes, having “great insurance” doesn’t mean a damn thing.
Reddit user Ld862 claims to have impeccable insurance, which they pay $500 a month for — in addition to what their employer pays. Despite this fact, they still were forced to pay just over $2000 in out-of-pocket costs.
Making mothers choose between breaking the bank and giving birth is just wrong.
Reddit user megzdead said that her twin C-section, as well as a one-week stay in the NICU, cost her upwards of $500,000. She herself was in the hospital for one day and was forced to pay $17,500 of her own money.
Could you afford a hospital bill that totaled 17% of your total household income?
Redditor Basileas said that she and her husband were made to come up with nearly $13,000 to pay their bill. They have insurance through United Healthcare, she had a vaginal birth and only stayed two nights in the hospital. Combined, they have a total household income of $70-80k.
These types of practices feel highly predatory.
“$30k. For my stay (4 days), and my son’s NICU stay for 6 days, including his specialty ambulance ride to the NICU ($1400 for a 1.5-mile ride). We only paid a total of $1k out of pocket for our copays ($500 each). We are fortunate to have great insurance coverage.” – Reddit u/mtwomey08
I’ve known loansharks to charge a lesser vig.
Reddit user ninjaduckyswim said she had to prepay her OB nearly $2000 in advance. Her birth resulted in an emergency C-section and a 4-day hospital stay. All in all, the grand total was $10,000 — and that’s after insurance stepped in.
That sounds like a total scam.
Reddit user Bombdotcomm explained that since she became pregnant in the summer and gave birth in the spring, she was forced to hit the out-of-pocket max twice in the same pregnancy. At the end of the day, it wound up costing her over $14,000.
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A stay at the Trump Hotel would’ve cost less.
Reddit user baconcheesecakesauce’s total came to $7900 after the insurance had stepped in. To be clear, this didn’t cover the cost of a private room. She was charged out of pocket an extra $300-$500 a night for that luxury!
Some people don’t earn that much money in a decade.
Redditor Pilamito19’s bill came to a jaw-dropping $309,58.63. She was charged $251,892.61 for a one-month stay in the NICU and another $57,693.02 for her three-day admission into the hospital. She was made to pay $1,493.37 out of pocket, and her insurance company handled the rest.
You say that like it’s a good thing.
“$1,600 for OBs services with insurance $3,000 for 5 days in hospital and ICU, NICU 10 days for baby. My deductible was $1,000 per person and $3,000 total family and after I hit that I didn’t owe any more[sic].” – Reddit u/Emirii_Mei
h/t: Reddit
