Hospital Fees for Newborn

[BrownsFan2021]

Hey everyone,

Just wanted to get your opinion, because I'm a little bummed out with how high the hospital bill was after my wife delivered our child recently. Here is the breakdown with the hospital fees we need to pay out of pocket:

-OB fee (+ ultrasounds): 4k
-Hospital stay for wife: 2.5k
-Hospital stay for newborn: 3.5k

Altogether, it was about 9k that we are going to have to pay out of pocket. My wife had insurance through her work (3k deductible, insurance covers 80% after that point, 10k out of pocket max). I thought this was pretty standard, so I was expecting to pay around the average for an uncomplicated vaginal delivery (4-5k).

I'm just trying to understand how this was so high, and if there is anything I can do about it at this point.

Thank you for any advice/recommendations/suggestions.

[Lordosis]

Are you going to owe all 9k? Or do you pay the $3k and 20% of the other 6k? Making the total 4200 which seems about right.

If it makes you feel any better back when my kids were born the beginning of the pregnancy with all the ultrasounds was always in one year and then the kids were born in the spring the following year making me hit the deductible twice. It was rather annoying but we did purposely try for spring birthdays. Just never thought of this aspect of it.

[Craigslist]

Sell the kid to pay the bill.

[BrownsFan2021]

Are you going to owe all 9k? Or do you pay the $3k and 20% of the other 6k? Making the total 4200 which seems about right.

If it makes you feel any better back when my kids were born the beginning of the pregnancy with all the ultrasounds was always in one year and then the kids were born in the spring the following year making me hit the deductible twice. It was rather annoying but we did purposely try for spring birthdays. Just never thought of this aspect of it.

We have to pay all 9k out of pocket. That's why I'm a little upset - I was expecting around 4-5k.

[Tuxedo]

Does this include physician professional fees?

Anything extra done(peds attending delivery, BG monitoring, circ, testing for the jaundice, etc)?

[uksho]

As a resident , I paid 300$ for the first one , second one I paid $2500 and I was upset about it !

[HandFellow]

sounds like the 3k deductible was for her individual coverage and then there was another 3k for the baby, separate from her deductible.
I would look for anything on the bill that insurance says wasn't necessary or covered.

[BrownsFan2021]

Does this include physician professional fees?

Anything extra done (peds attending delivery, BG monitoring, circ, testing for the jaundice, etc)?

Yes this includes BG monitoring, testing for jaundice, peds visit to hospital for checkup). Our baby was born a few weeks early and needed the bili blanket for hyperbilirubinemia

[BrownsFan2021]

sounds like the 3k deductible was for her individual coverage and then there was another 3k for the baby, separate from her deductible.
I would look for anything on the bill that insurance says wasn't necessary or covered.

Thanks I will. I just don't understand how my wife can have pretty standard coverage and get charged such a ridiculous amount compared to majority of other people. Frustrating for sure and trying to figure out if I can fight it or anything

[pierre]

#1 was about $30k to get in and free to get out, even with a c-section. Thanks ivory tower insurance.

#2 is due in a few weeks. He was free to get in and I anticipate about $7k to get out now that I’m on a HDHP.

OP, were you expecting to pay $4-5k solely based on others experience or did your insurance/hospital say it would be that?

[BrownsFan2021]

#1 was about $30k to get in and free to get out, even with a c-section. Thanks ivory tower insurance.

#2 is due in a few weeks. He was free to get in and I anticipate about $7k to get out now that I’m on a HDHP.

OP, were you expecting to pay $4-5k solely based on others experience or did your insurance/hospital say it would be that?

Expecting to pay 4-5k solely based on others experiences. My friends with children paid no more than 1k. I just cant believe my wife's insurance is so bad that we would get stuck with such a high bill. I haven't heard of ANYONE with an uncomplicated vaginal delivery that has to pay over 9k out of pocket like us. Maybe I'm wrong. My wife and I don't have a lot of money to begin with, so this basically took away any emergency fund we had.

[Fugue]

just ask for a breakdown of the bill. It’s really hard to compare to “average “childbirths because the service is offered for different babies born at different time points may be vastly different. Get a breakdown and see what exactly they billed for.

[CordMcNally]

Healthcare is a tough industry to compare prices within. Asking people you know what their prices were is about as good as just Googling costs. It matters what kind of insurance you have, are the providers in/out of network (a hospital can have many different anesthesia groups or even independent contractors), etc. As pierre mentioned, I bet the hospital and/or insurance company could have given you a very accurate estimate assuming no unforeseen complications. It isn't that your wife's insurance is bad. Insurance is a product and you have to pay for various levels of coverage. Given your high deductible and out of pocket max, you have likely been saving money over the years in premiums vs. paying much more for a lower deductible and lower out of pocket maximums that you haven't been needing.

[IlliniGopher]

Depends on insurance and coverage but I think this isn’t abnormal. In the future, can set aside dollars in flex spending accounts

[Tim]

We have to pay all 9k out of pocket. That's why I'm a little upset - I was expecting around 4-5k.

Sorry your expectations were disappointing. I really hope both the wife and child are healthy and making progress.
$6k for the wife and child’s deductible alone.
Rest assured that you might get more medical bills (unplanned) in the future.
About the only thing you can do is review the detail billing with the hospital and the insurance company.
BTW, congratulations!