Pregnant and Uninsured - How much am I in for?

[Anonymous]

I just found out I'm pregnant with my second - a huge surprise. I've been laid off and am uninsured. Not the most choice situation. Has anyone gone thru pregnancy uninsured? And if so, how much did you have to pay for care and delivery?

[Anonymous]

labor and delivery alone will cost you at least 10k. I saw the bill before submitted to insurance and it was something like 4k for the dr bill and 5k for the hospital bill. That was for a completely uneventful, quick labor (so quick I was unable to get the epidural, which I am sure is about another $1000).

[Anonymous]

Call your county's social services office and find out if you qualify for Medicaid. No sense in adding a huge medical bill if you don't have to.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:labor and delivery alone will cost you at least 10k. I saw the bill before submitted to insurance and it was something like 4k for the dr bill and 5k for the hospital bill. That was for a completely uneventful, quick labor (so quick I was unable to get the epidural, which I am sure is about another $1000).

My "eventful" labor and delivery cost about $25K. And this is not including all the pre-natal appointments.

[Anonymous]

I had a planned c-section and all went well and it cost $15K

[Anonymous]

Vaginal delivery at SGH with MCA in 2010, no complications - my portion of the hospital bill was 5800, baby's was 1400, can't find the epidural bill if that was separate. Not sure what the global fee for prenatal care MCA charged the insurance was.

[Anonymous]

If you had health insurance with your job prior to being laid off you may qualify for cobra insurance.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If you had health insurance with your job prior to being laid off you may qualify for cobra insurance.

Only if she if within the time period for opting for Cobra.

[Anonymous]

I had to pay $6,000 for the prenatal care (had a couple small issues) and the delivery and hospital stay cost $27,000. I had an emergency C-section so I don't know how much it would have been without the c-section. But I lucked out and got on my partners health insurance because he got a new job a week before I delivered. So I"m not exactly sure of your situation but depending on company policies you can get on some health care policies. Good luck!!

[Anonymous]

$14K total at WHC. That was for a longggg but uneventful labor and an early Sunday morning-late Tuesday afternoon stay. I also had a private room, though I don't remember asking for one (but I probably did in my post-birth haze).

[Anonymous]

You should qualify for some social services either from your state or the feds, there is definitely coverage for you based solely on the fact that you are pregnant. Is your first child insured through their other parent? If not and they are also uninsured, you can get coverage for them through the CHIPS program and should ask about that as well.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I just found out I'm pregnant with my second - a huge surprise. I've been laid off and am uninsured. Not the most choice situation. Has anyone gone thru pregnancy uninsured? And if so, how much did you have to pay for care and delivery?

I used Birthcare in Alexandria, and the entire bill for pregnancy, birth, and post partum was $3900. They are absolutely wonderful. There are other great midwifery options in the area who might charge less or be willing to arrange an extended payment plan. Good luck.

[Anonymous]

My statement from Kaiser said that my uneventful vaginal delivery should have cost a bit over $7K 3 years ago. My first doctor's visit was about $100 and the ultrasound panel at 20 weeks was $450. The quad screen tests probably cost around $800. Amnio and followup appt (we suspected down syndrome) was somewhere around $1800. There were a lot of doctor's appointments during the 9 months; i'd be nervous about having to pay for those uninsured.

One cautionary tale: if the doctor prescribes ANYTHING, see if you can sub in something over-the-counter. I got the shock of my life when I went to pick up some iron supplements and the bill came to $128. I almost cried. I could have bought a bottle of OTC iron supplements for $10. Same with prenatal vitamins - you can get those OTC, along with the Viactiv calcium supplements.

The other PP's have some good ideas. Good luck.

[Anonymous]

I don't have much to add, but I just wanted to say best of luck, and I'm sorry you have the financial stress right now.

[Anonymous]

i also think you can get some kind of public assistance in paying for this. the govt is very invested in helping women get prenatal care. the thought is that it is much easier to help women take care of babies growing in their womb than treat the problems kids have later from not.

anyway, the bill from vhc submitted to my insurance for the birth was about $8k 2 yrs ago. this was for 9 hrs of labor, 2 days inpatient, no nursery stay. i've seen at my ob practice that they have prenatal visit packages for uninsured. don't remember how much, but you can inquire with offices.