The Briefing Room
General Category => Health/Education => Topic started by: Suppressed on January 18, 2018, 01:04:31 am
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Why does it cost $32,093 just to give birth in America?
The US is the most expensive nation in the world in which to have a baby – and it may factor into thousands of bankruptcies each year
Jessica Glenza in New York
Tue 16 Jan 2018 02.00 EST Last modified on Tue 16 Jan 2018 16.44 EST
Bankrupted: why having premature twins cost me everything (https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/commentisfree/2018/jan/16/bankrupted-by-giving-birth-having-premature-twins-cost-me-everything)
(https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/7cca1b3ee32c874d12469667bf5b8c8e8f6d6acd/0_693_1128_676/master/1128.jpg?w=1920&q=55&auto=format&usm=12&fit=max&s=149aaedc8666fa46e68689ef97dfad0e)
Stella Apo Osae-Twum and her husband did everything by the book. They went to a hospital covered by insurance, saw an obstetrician in their plan, but when her three sons – triplets – were born prematurely, bills started rolling in.
The hospital charged her family $877,000 in total.
“When the bills started coming, to be very honest, I was an emotional wreck,†said Apo Osae-Twum. “And this is in the midst of trying to take care of three babies who were premature.â€
America is the most expensive nation in the world to give birth. When things go wrong – – from pre-eclampsia to premature birth – costs can quickly spiral into the hundreds of thousands of dollars. While the data is limited, experts in medical debt say the costs of childbirth factor into thousands of family bankruptcies in America each year.
It’s nearly impossible to put a price tag on giving birth in America, since costs vary dramatically by state and hospital. But one 2013 study by the the advocacy group Childbirth Connection found that, on average, hospitals charged $32,093 for an uncomplicated vaginal birth and newborn care, and $51,125 for a standard caesarean section and newborn care. Insurance typically covers a large chunk of those costs, but families are still often on the hook for thousands of dollars.
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Even the luxurious accommodations provided to the Duchess of Cambridge for the birth of the royal family’s daughter Princess Charlotte – believed to have cost up to $18,000 – were cheaper than many births in America.
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It is more expensive to deliver a baby in the United States than in any other country
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The US also has the worst rate of maternal mortality in the developed world. That means America is simultaneously the most expensive and one of the riskiest industrialized nations in which to have children.
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Laughing gas is being used successfully during contractions with no side effects for mom or baby. That doesn’t sit well with anesthesiologist who get paid big bucks to jam catheters in moms’ spines, therefore, more expensive births. I had all three of mine without epidurals and my insurance was still charged because an anesthesiologist had to be ready in case needed :shrug: That’s just one example of what I experienced.
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OB/GYN pay about 60% of their income for malpractice insurance.
We show as riskiest for two reasons. Better and more accurate reporting. Most countries including the UK do not report all infant deaths. Also the opioid abuse and other drugs create a lot of problems.
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I’ve posted this before: The way to fix health care is to remove any and all laws, at both federal and state levels, requiring employer sponsored insurance. The chain reaction would be painful at first, but the final results would be worth it.
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My first kid was one scare after the other, leading to a $25k C-Section... 'Just to be safe', over and over and over. Twins, Spinabiffida, german measles, the whole 9 yards. Exhausting, expensive, and frightening.
The next three cost between $1200 and $1500 through a midwife... Peaceful, joyous, and without incident.
SCREW them doctors. It's a racket.
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"The hospital charged her family $877,000 in total."
$877,000 ??
Declare personal bankruptcy and be done with it.
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Declare personal bankruptcy and be done with it.
I think that's the point of the article...many are having to do just that.
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My Mom kept the Hospital Bill from when I was born, The total was something in the neighborhood of $124.75. The doctors bill was $30 bucks I think.
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Lawyers.
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Lawyers.
Lawyers, Guns and Money
Zevon at his finest!
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Lawyers.
Or, as driftdiver suggested, the cost of insurance to protect the docs from lawyers.
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Lawyers, Guns and Money
Zevon at his finest!
Now there's an idea - use a gun. "Out - NOW!"
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About $85 when I was born in 1964.
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My Mom kept the Hospital Bill from when I was born, The total was something in the neighborhood of $124.75. The doctors bill was $30 bucks I think.
I think I cost the folks a total of about $225, including a post-natal stay of at least a week for my mother and me.
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Lawyers. It's getting harder to find doctors to deliver babies.