I just had two kids back to back. Both born in California and at Kaiser. The only thing we had to pay for was my wife’s post-partum medication, I think $50 total between both kids.
All prenatal appointments/care? Covered. Two separate scares where wife was admitted overnight? Covered. Both births with epidurals and overnight stays and meals(for mom)? Covered. We didn’t even pay for parking.
Idk if it’s because we planned this and intentionally had a HMO plan, but wanted to share my recent experience.
While I appreciate the personal anecdote, what was the cost paid by your insurer? Being covered by private insurance is great for you, but what happens to the people without the means?
The subtext of your post is an insinuation that it isn’t as bad as others make it out to be, but it sounds like it wasn’t bad for you because you have good private insurance, and the means to obtain and manage that insurance. Not everyone is in that situation, and those who don’t have access to good private insurance, or simply make a mistake in managing their insurance, shouldn’t be forced to pay absurd fees out of debt/pocket.
I don’t know what the cost for my insurer was, because we never even got a bill in the mail. I even called the financial office or whatever it’s called for Kaiser and made sure we didn’t owe anything and they said that we were covered and owed nothing out of pocket.
My post was a reflection of my own personal anecdote because I see stuff online all the time that insurance is terrible in the US and that we all pay $20k for a birth when that isn’t the case for everyone. I mean if the average is $18k then someone is definitely paying that amount(or more, because average) but some also pay zero. My post wasn’t meant to diminish. I also think all of this should be free for everyone anyway.
I do also think some people pay more than they have to, as in they are having unprotected sex and can switch to a HMO over a PPO, but they stay on the PPO plan because it’s “cheap” and end up paying $20k for a birth when they could’ve switched to a HMO before hand and paid the $50-$500 a month(depending on employer or if your state has a marketplace) and saved the difference. But they don’t think that far ahead.
So when my wife was have an emergency with our first she had to be rushed to the hospital (non network). My insurance would not cover and that one visit was almost 200k.
Dont get me started on the cost from the actual birth. Since it too happened out of network.
In America, a birth in hospital costs $18000 on average.
(plus tip)
I just had two kids back to back. Both born in California and at Kaiser. The only thing we had to pay for was my wife’s post-partum medication, I think $50 total between both kids.
All prenatal appointments/care? Covered. Two separate scares where wife was admitted overnight? Covered. Both births with epidurals and overnight stays and meals(for mom)? Covered. We didn’t even pay for parking.
Idk if it’s because we planned this and intentionally had a HMO plan, but wanted to share my recent experience.
While I appreciate the personal anecdote, what was the cost paid by your insurer? Being covered by private insurance is great for you, but what happens to the people without the means?
The subtext of your post is an insinuation that it isn’t as bad as others make it out to be, but it sounds like it wasn’t bad for you because you have good private insurance, and the means to obtain and manage that insurance. Not everyone is in that situation, and those who don’t have access to good private insurance, or simply make a mistake in managing their insurance, shouldn’t be forced to pay absurd fees out of debt/pocket.
I don’t know what the cost for my insurer was, because we never even got a bill in the mail. I even called the financial office or whatever it’s called for Kaiser and made sure we didn’t owe anything and they said that we were covered and owed nothing out of pocket.
My post was a reflection of my own personal anecdote because I see stuff online all the time that insurance is terrible in the US and that we all pay $20k for a birth when that isn’t the case for everyone. I mean if the average is $18k then someone is definitely paying that amount(or more, because average) but some also pay zero. My post wasn’t meant to diminish. I also think all of this should be free for everyone anyway.
I do also think some people pay more than they have to, as in they are having unprotected sex and can switch to a HMO over a PPO, but they stay on the PPO plan because it’s “cheap” and end up paying $20k for a birth when they could’ve switched to a HMO before hand and paid the $50-$500 a month(depending on employer or if your state has a marketplace) and saved the difference. But they don’t think that far ahead.
So when my wife was have an emergency with our first she had to be rushed to the hospital (non network). My insurance would not cover and that one visit was almost 200k.
Dont get me started on the cost from the actual birth. Since it too happened out of network.
the tip goes directly to the hospital CEO’s pockets
Oh god. This is gonna get weird …
[Checkout terminal] How much do you want to tip:
10 % (poor man’s foreskin)
15 %
25 % (public favorite)
nothing at all (🥺)
🍆
25% ( pubic favourite)