# Hospital birth here in Indianapolis--I couldn't believe this



## sapphire_chan (May 2, 2005)

They were discussing health insurance in one of dh's classes and one student said that health insurance was really important because he/she (not sure which) had recently paid for a birth at a local hospital. $20,000 for a regular birth!!! The student said that she/he was charged for every time a nurse came in the room to check on them and that was like every 30 minutes*. Either this person decided not to share a multi-day NICU stay or this hospital overcharges a *lot*.

*Interesting side note, dh told me that the teacher responded to this "oh, in that case I think I'd just tell the the nurses 'no thanks, I'm fine, you don't need to come in'" and the rest of the class laughed in a "who would ever really do such a silly thing?" kind of way. Of course the first thing I thought of when he told me about being charged for the nurses to come in was "so they come and bother you repeatedly and then you have to _pay_ for it?!?







:" Dh is totally supportive of homebirth so it's really funny that the universe keeps conspiring to convince him further.


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## Hayes (Nov 20, 2001)

My last hospital birth, vaginal, natural, was billed at $24,000. I did have havy meconium and did an amnioinfusion. I went in around midnight, and ds was born about 9am. That was cost for birth services only, not my 2 day stay or my doctor's bill.


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## angelpie545 (Feb 23, 2005)

Wow...I had no idea hospital birth was that expensive. I know that having a homebirth or even a birthcenter birth is much cheaper.


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## sapphire_chan (May 2, 2005)

:














:
*choke* *deep breath* well at least I understand why many insurance companies list pregnancy as a "preexisting condition" now *cough* *choke*


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## mary3mama (Apr 2, 2004)

I have no idea what my hospital VBAC here in Indy cost. My HMO paid all of it except a co-pay and I never even saw an itemized bill. That figure does not surprise me at all though.

I just told DH the other day that when the do bidding for insurance at work in January (like they have the last 3 years) that he shouldn't let anyone blame it on our pregnancy costs. With the homebirth and all, the insurance company will pay, at maximum, less than $2,500 for the whole shebang...


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## sapphire_chan (May 2, 2005)

How would it even be close to $2500? Because of U/Ses?


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## Mavournin (Jul 9, 2002)

Vaginal hospital births here in the Northeast are $15,000 minimum. Add in all the extra crapola and it just adds up to an ungodly number. C/S rates are insane. Even my homebirth midwives charge $6000.


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## Kaitnbugsmom (Dec 4, 2003)

Methodist? I know my sister paid {well paid 1/3 of} $17,000 two years ago at Methodist. Em's birth was at Clairian West though and the bill with SICU stay came to $9,000 for her part and $9,800 for mine {C-sect and three days in-patient stay}


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## ChristineIndy (Jan 3, 2006)

Who knew there were so many of us in Indianapolis?!?!

That's why I'm using Nurse Midwives of Indianapolis on 38th Street.

Carla Cleary is the best!









Christine


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## sapphire_chan (May 2, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Kaitnbugsmom* 
Methodist? I know my sister paid {well paid 1/3 of} $17,000 two years ago at Methodist. Em's birth was at Clairian West though and the bill with SICU stay came to $9,000 for her part and $9,800 for mine {C-sect and three days in-patient stay}

This was St. Vincent's. Okay, so it *is* just the hospital charging a lot.

We actually live in Lafayette, dh goes to IUPUI and my co-op (like an internship that you go to every other semester) is here in Indy too.


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## Hayes (Nov 20, 2001)

Isn't it AMAZING! Imagine how much money could be saved if low income women were offered amazing midwifery care versus crappy doctor care for 10 times the cost!


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## Kaitnbugsmom (Dec 4, 2003)

yeah really. I love St. V's, they've done some awesome things for our family {saved our five year old when she got toxic jaundice and our county hospital refused to treat her or test her levels til she was *purple* and provided awesome PT & OT services to our 7 year old for free after insurance refused to continue paying} but geez...


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## Attached Mama (Dec 4, 2005)

that is excessively high! I had an emergency c/s with a 3 day stay and it was "only" 20k plus a few other bills for several hundred. And that was right outside of Philadelphia. Then again, maybe c/s are "cheap" there because they are so common - 30-40%.


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## the_queen (Nov 3, 2005)

oh my goodness... will you all hate me if i say that birthing both my kids cost me absolutely nothing? First child I was under the care of an OB, a Prof no less (big jerk that he was LOL) and second child I had a community midwife, one who was with me through the whole pregnancy, came to my home at 2am when I was in hard labour, stayed with me the whole time, came with me when I transferred to hospital at 10:30am, stayed with me the whole time (except for an hours lunch break) and caught my son at 3pm. Cost me absolutely nothing.
Australians complain about the health care system here but after reading this thread, I am so thankful. Wouldn't it be cheaper for y'all to fly out here to birth your babies???


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## USAmma (Nov 29, 2001)

Mine was 14,000 for Abi's birth 5 years ago. No complications and we stayed for about 1.5 days after the birt. I was shocked by the price! I am glad we have insurance and can't imagine how we would pay that bill otherwise-- especially if there were complications.

My dad said my mom's bill for having me was around $400. That was in the '70's. They did not have insurance and paid it all themselves. Dad was working a slightly more than minimum wage job at the time.

ETA: Medical costs are high no matter what! A lot of people travel overseas to India and Thailand to get surgeries and treatments done for a fraction of the cost here. Case in point: I need braces sometime. I was quoted $5900 locally. In India I can get it done for $1000 by an American-trained orthodontist.


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## sapphire_chan (May 2, 2005)

Hmmm, medical care as an excuse for overseas travel, could be fun!

Homebirth with a midwife will cost about $3500 including a carseat for the baby and student health insurance for just in case (if I do have an emergency there is no *way* I want to also have to deal with huge bills). Fortunately, and I already checked this, the student health insurance policy does *not* consider pregnancy to be a pre-existing condition, so I can get that after I get a BFP.


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## jeanine123 (Jan 7, 2005)

For Connor's birth it was $20,000 for me and another $40,000-$45,000 for his 6 day NICU stay in So. CA. Thank God for great insurance! For Alex's homebirth the whole deal cost $3560 start to finish, pre-natals and all.


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## angelpie545 (Feb 23, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Hayes* 
Isn't it AMAZING! Imagine how much money could be saved if low income women were offered amazing midwifery care versus crappy doctor care for 10 times the cost!

I know! Here in Washington, I was on medicaid for both of my births-and it paid for an out of hospital birth center and midwives. I ended up with water births both times. I think it's awesome that state insurance would cover that.


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## djinneyah (Sep 4, 2004)

in omaha...ds's birth was $3,000 for prenatals with an OB and $5,000 for vaginal birth with 1.5 day hospital stay.

no costs w/dd..UP/UC.

i agree w/what a PP said about midwifery care vs OB for low-income mamas. but then, i think prenatal and labor/birth care should be next to nothing anyways.


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## annekevdbroek (Jun 5, 2005)

Friends without insurance paid about 15K for a natural hospital birth. I think the 15K might have included the prenatal care, but I'm not sure.

Cash patients can negotiate prices with the hospital prior to any care - but the hospitals don't tell you this. The billing rate for cash patients is MUCH higher than the reimbursement rates that insurance actually pays.

We have great insurance (military) and got care outside of the military hospital and paid only $50 last time. This time it will be $150 total due to selecting some other care options, plus $14 per day for hospitalization.


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## BetsyS (Nov 8, 2004)

Our birth was billed at around $30,000 for 19 hours labor and delivery, emergent c-section, then 36 hours postpartum. Insurance paid $5000 (they wrote off the rest)


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## mommy_e (Feb 15, 2006)

Community North, 1.5 yrs ago, natural birth and 2 day stay w/no complications:

Hospital billed (mother's care) 4286.87 ins allowed 3386.63
Hospital billed (baby care) 1629.23 ins allowed 1287.09
OB billed 2600 ins allowed 2037.68
House ped billed 203 ins allowed 148.04

Total billed: 8156.78
Total ins allowed: 6859.44


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## mary3mama (Apr 2, 2004)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *sapphire_chan* 
How would it even be close to $2500? Because of U/Ses?

Well, I said less than $2,500, since I don't know what they'll end up paying. They paid about $200 for their part of my one u/s. And then they'll get a bill from the MWs, of which they will pay whatever portion they deem necessary. They may end up paying only about $1,000, depending on how much of it they trim off, and then my $1,000 out-of-network co-pay.

Whatever the actual number, the insurance company is getting off SOOOOO easy. Pity they are too entrenched to realize the cost savings available to them if they'd only just open up to 'alternative' birth options...


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## Kitten (Jan 10, 2005)

I have no idea how much our hospital actually charged for our birth or how much our insurance actually paid. We paid nothing out of pocket, not even for prenatal appointments. We will still pay nothing out of pocket with our new insurance but still plan on hiring a midwife for a home birth. Stupid ins company, it would cost them way less but they refuse to pay for home births.

Hospitals charge a LOT more to cash patients than insurance patients. You could always ask for an itemized bill and then try talking them down, if you waited til after. I didn't know that you could negotiate beforehand.


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## sapphire_chan (May 2, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *mary3mama* 
Well, I said less than $2,500, since I don't know what they'll end up paying. They paid about $200 for their part of my one u/s. And then they'll get a bill from the MWs, of which they will pay whatever portion they deem necessary. They may end up paying only about $1,000, depending on how much of it they trim off, and then my $1,000 out-of-network co-pay.

Whatever the actual number, the insurance company is getting off SOOOOO easy. Pity they are too entrenched to realize the cost savings available to them if they'd only just open up to 'alternative' birth options...

They'll cover a homebirth, even partially? Here? What insurance company is this?


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## MamaTaraX (Oct 5, 2004)

There ya go, it's St. V's! They have all the technology in the universe. Gotta cove that cost some how...

Namaste, Tara


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## Kaitnbugsmom (Dec 4, 2003)

True that, tara. same could be said for clarian west [Or mini methodist as some people call it. but like I pointed out, they have used the updated techniques Methodist is 'implementing' since they opened the doors]


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## rpar003 (May 19, 2006)

My hospital charges were ~$16K. I don't know what the dr (OB) charge was, we didn't see that bill. All I can say is thank the Lord for insurance!

We're in Colorado, went into the hospital for an induced birth (something I was practically forced into and would NOT agree to again!) on Thursday am, baby was born Friday evening, and we went home Monday midday.
Of course they probably did put thousands of dollars worth of pitocin into me!








(but they didn't make me have a c-section either, so I have things to be grateful for!)

A local midwife charges ~$3-4K I believe for the whole birth & prenatal visits.


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## wannabe (Jul 4, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *the_queen* 
oh my goodness... will you all hate me if i say that birthing both my kids cost me absolutely nothing? First child I was under the care of an OB, a Prof no less (big jerk that he was LOL) and second child I had a community midwife, one who was with me through the whole pregnancy, came to my home at 2am when I was in hard labour, stayed with me the whole time, came with me when I transferred to hospital at 10:30am, stayed with me the whole time (except for an hours lunch break) and caught my son at 3pm. Cost me absolutely nothing.
Australians complain about the health care system here but after reading this thread, I am so thankful. Wouldn't it be cheaper for y'all to fly out here to birth your babies???









And don't forget the (non-means tested) $4,000 cash in hand for boosting the population.

I loooove our public health system.


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## Persephone (Apr 8, 2004)

I gave birth at Bloomington Hospital, and I paid ~7000 for it. Out of pocket. The most expensive thing was the Cervidil, and the room. (I also got Nubain and a TON of bloodwork done, but that didn't cost nearly as much as that Cervidil!)


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## Kaitnbugsmom (Dec 4, 2003)

you hush, unless you revive the bloomington mamas tribe...


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## Wabi Sabi (Dec 24, 2002)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *sapphire_chan* 
Homebirth with a midwife will cost about $3500 including a carseat for the baby and student health insurance for just in case (if I do have an emergency there is no *way* I want to also have to deal with huge bills).

That still seems high. I paid $1600 in fees to my midwife for a homebirth in Bloomington. The other midwives I interviewed had very similar fees- I can't imagine that there'd be such a big difference in between here and Lafayette! A carseat wouldn't add that much more to the cost, LOL. Are the student health insurance premiums pretty high?


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## Full Heart (Apr 27, 2004)

Cash pay is a lot less than what is billed to insurance co. I know, I pay cash, I have seen the break down in drs offices and hospitals. http://www.wvhospital.com/services/ob_prepaid.shtml That is the hospital closest to me. Those prices are prepaid, not sure what they would be time of, but its less than what I am paying for my hb, of course I get pre and post natal care.


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## sapphire_chan (May 2, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Wabi Sabi* 
That still seems high. I paid $1600 in fees to my midwife for a homebirth in Bloomington. The other midwives I interviewed had very similar fees- I can't imagine that there'd be such a big difference in between here and Lafayette! A carseat wouldn't add that much more to the cost, LOL. Are the student health insurance premiums pretty high?

$1500 midwife fees
$1705 annual insurance rate
$300 for Britax Boulevard
$28 for fishy pool
$50 for other supplies like pads and a sheet
=3583

So, yeah, the student insurance is high.


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