How can anybody afford to have a baby

[Alienwho]

This is total bullshit. It's so unfortunate that our health care system is so broken in this country and it will NEVER get any better. It will only get worse every time the morons up top try to fix it.

I have done all the math and calculations, and there is no way it is possible for my wife to have a baby for less than $8000 out of pocket expenses. It doesn't matter if I use my work health insurance ($5000 deductible and $320/month) or find some independent insurance (~$100/month, $7500 maternity deductible). Supplemental insurance is not offered by anyone in my state.

The kicker is that the average birth costs about $7000. So after paying for all the insurance payments, chances are it won't even be used anyway (hence the $7500 deductible).

It's total bullcrap that I can bust my balls working a job to make enough money to afford a baby and come out with no money at the end of the ordeal when I can quit my job and watch TV all day, qualify for medicaid and have a baby for free. Either way I'm broke at the end of 9 months, so why bust my balls working for no reason?

 

[edro]

There is a reason Medicaid babbies perpetuate the Medicaid cycle...

Be thankful you can afford good health care. 8k doesn't seem that bad for a babby.

 

[ch33zw1z]

This is total bullshit. It's so unfortunate that our health care system is so broken in this country and it will NEVER get any better. It will only get worse every time the morons up top try to fix it.

I have done all the math and calculations, and there is no way it is possible for my wife to have a baby for less than $8000 out of pocket expenses. It doesn't matter if I use my work health insurance ($5000 deductible and $320/month) or find some independent insurance (~$100/month, $7500 maternity deductible). Supplemental insurance is not offered by anyone in my state.

The kicker is that the average birth costs about $7000. So after paying for all the insurance payments, chances are it won't even be used anyway (hence the $7500 deductible).

It's total bullcrap that I can bust my balls working a job to make enough money to afford a baby and come out with no money at the end of the ordeal when I can quit my job and watch TV all day, qualify for medicaid and have a baby for free. Either way I'm broke at the end of 9 months, so why bust my balls working for no reason?

That's the main argument against public assistance, it doesn't leave anyone with a desire to actually achieve...

I'm sorry to hear about your dilemma. We just had our 2nd, and last, and will be paying for it for about 2 years total. I understand your outrage.

 

[TwiceOver]

Yeah, so far I am at $4300 out of pocket for my son born July 5th. The solution is to be poor and let the state foot the bill.

Thankfully formula prices dropped so my weekly mouth and ass expenses are at about $54.

 

[DesiPower]

Surrender your US citizenship and have you baby as an illegal alien = WIN!!!

 

[Krazy4Real]

Just have your babby in the bathtub.

 

[highland145]

Bust your balls because I don't want to have to help pay for your kid. We had no maternity ins. either and I paid until he was 5 yrs old.

 

[rcpratt]

Wait another year and save?

I'm not going to be doing this anytime soon, but here's my coverage:

Maternity Care
-Office visit: Pre/postnatal $15 copay; Enhanced plan; $30 copay Standard
-In-hospital delivery services 100% covered
-Newborn nursery services 100% covered
-Prenatal care management No; however, care management has high risk pregnancy and neonatal case management programs

Are there hidden costs beyond that?

 

[RKS]

My wife works at a hospital and I think our OOP costs have been in the hundreds for both of our kids. I just had ACL replacement and it was under $300 OOP for a $25K surgery.

 

[MiniDoom]

damn, my daughter cost less than 2k about 13 months ago. would've been 20k without ins.

 

[Matthiasa]

Just have your babby in the bathtub.

I knew someone that basically did that. Works out quite well, unless there are any complications. So even doing that you should still have someone there just in case.

 

[IndyColtsFan]

At my last company, you literally paid $10 to have a kid. The insurance picked up the rest. Not sure at this company but the deductible is $2500 for a family so I assume that has to be met unless there is a maternity provision that differs. I don't plan on having kids, so it doesn't matter to me.

 

[waggy]

when my wife was working her insurance was great. both kids birth were cheap. my daughter was $20 (from pre-natal to birth) and my son was $35 (from pre-natal to birth).

 

[Homerboy]

pffft if you're having issues paying for the BIRTH of the baby, wait until you see what they cost AFTER.

That being said, welcome to grown up life. We just had ours, got the bill and worked through it.

 

[Homerboy]

My wife works at a hospital and I think our OOP costs have been in the hundreds for both of our kids. I just had ACL replacement and it was under $300 OOP for a $25K surgery.

Nice deal for you! meanwhile the rest of us with normal insurance will pick up your slack.

 

[ThePresence]

I paid $400 each. Also, if she's not pregnant yet you can get Aflac to send you some money.

 

[coloumb]

Most of the birth/hospital costs should be covered by insurance. Do you happen to have the worst insurance on the planet - HMO? Deductible & monthly cost seems a bit excessive.

With PPO insurance (my cost is about $180 per month, employer picks up the rest), the total cost for our 2 kids was about $200.00 each out of pocket with the rest picked up by insurance. That was at the local hospital. Pretty sure it would've been a lot more costly if we would've gone to an "expensive" hospital...

 

[SunnyD]

It doesn't matter if I use my work health insurance ($5000 deductible and $320/month) or find some independent insurance (~$100/month, $7500 maternity deductible). Supplemental insurance is not offered by anyone in my state.

Good lord your work insurance fucking SUCKS. And your independent options are even worse! $5000 deductible? Jeeez!

Not sure if I've been lucky or what, but most employer provided insurance plans I have been on have $0 deductible for maternity care. I think the worst one I had to date was $500 deductible, and that was by far the crappiest insurance plan I've ever been on. Ever.

Thankfully formula prices dropped so my weekly mouth and ass expenses are at about $54.

Breast feeding is free. Plus it makes for some nice perky boobies to admire.

 

[WaTaGuMp]

Plenty cant afford it, but why would that stop them. Illegals make sure they get here so they can have the kid delivered and paid for by someone else.

 

[Alienwho]

Wait another year and save?

I'm not going to be doing this anytime soon, but here's my coverage:


Are there hidden costs beyond that?

In your situation it appears there aren't any hidden costs beyond that. Consider yourself lucky. In my work insurance under maternity it says "see general insurance deductible and costs". So either way they aren't paying one cent until I throw down the 5k deductible.

 

[Kntx]

AFAIK all doctor and hospital visits are free? Ohh, USA. Nevermind.

 

[ThePresence]

Good lord your work insurance fucking SUCKS. And your independent options are even worse! $5000 deductible? Jeeez!

Not sure if I've been lucky or what, but most employer provided insurance plans I have been on have $0 deductible for maternity care. I think the worst one I had to date was $500 deductible, and that was by far the crappiest insurance plan I've ever been on. Ever.

No hospital copay?

 

[ThePresence]

AFAIK all doctor and hospital visits are free? Ohh, USA. Nevermind.

It's not free anywhere in the world that I know of. The only differences are who bills you for it and when you pay for it.

 

[illusion88]

Insurance is a joke. My company insurance costs $140/month with a "$300" yearly deductible. Yet when I dislocated my shoulder they found a way to not pay for a lot of things. Like the x-rays after the procedure to put my shoulder back in place and the sling to hold it there!

 

[SunnyD]

No hospital copay?

It may have been $30 with the crappy insurance, I can't remember to be certain. But everything else was covered, including the first 30 days post-natal care.

My first three kids (different employer at the time) had no copay and no deductible. I never once saw a bill for any of them until their first official doctor's appointment about a month later.