I know a few of you are “expecting to expect”.* And of course babies can happen whether expected or not. So if you’re in the US,** and especially if you purchase your own health insurance,*** this article is absolutely worth a read: Health Insurance Woes: My $22,000 Bill for Having a Baby.****
* Forget who came up with that wonderful phrase — Jenna? Shortie? Anyone?
** ‘Cause some of you have national health insurance, sigh.
*** Employer-provided insurance usually has much better maternity coverage than single policies. (Though it still wouldn’t hurt to double-check.) I’m insured by the same company mentioned in the article, but through the federal government. And our total bill came out around $500, almost entirely because Elsa’s newborn jaundice and heart murmur fell outside the superb “maternity” coverage.
**** And then stop back! I’d be curious to know your thoughts!
Absolutely appalling. I don’t agree with government run healthcare (husbands aunt suffered for years and then died because of the bureaucracy associated with the government run health care in Poland) but the inability to get good maternity care in the US infuriates me. Pregnancy is not a sickness. It’s not a “condition”. It’s what brings life into the world so that insurance companies can suck more money out of the next person!I really, really hope my natural birth center birth (with a $5000 bill, all but $100 of that being paid by insurance) goes as planned so we don’t have to deal with any of that. And now I’m extra grateful for husbands job and the excellent coverage it provides us.
Oh and I will take credit for “expecting to expect”.
I am so happy I am german. I knew our health insurance system is better, but I never realized how much better!
I saw that article and am planning to post all about why we’d like to take our (if/when/if) babymaking/birthing to England. In fact, England will give you a 100 pounds just for having a baby. I have no idea why, but I’d rather be given 100 pounds than pay $22,000!
Wow, that’s a crazy article. I still need to find out what my company provides in the way of maternity benefits and insurance…unfortunately, if you push to much for information, they think you’re trying to have a baby and find some reason to boot you out!
A tangent I know, but I keep meaning to ask you if Elsa’s murmur is a VSD. Catherine has a VSD, so if Elsa has one, it is further proof that they are, in fact, the same baby.
Jenna, very good point on the fact that pregnancy means more customers for the insurance companies! And your natural birth sounds quite reasonable in price and probably would be more positive to boot; hope all goes according to plan.Busylizzy and Christiana, I know what you mean about the government plans. Not to mention the countries (France, anywhere else?) that pay for a baby nurse to come in and help around the house for a while. Sign me up for THAT!Jen, totally know what you mean about asking too many questions at your company. You can usually find your insurance company’s full plan booklet online. But be sure to read it VERY carefully — I was shocked that the woman in the article found her coverage limitation in a tiny blurb in the appendix!And Margy, Elsa has an ASD murmur — apparently less common than VSD, but still not much concern. Maybe it’s because she’s “Katherine” instead of “Catherine” — they’re the same child but spell everything differently?
Yeah, I was going to say – Jenna said that, not me. She’s the hopeful one!
Joking, but thank goodness Canadians have a different health system!