Birth really does work. Trust your body. I wish it were just that simple. - Page 2

[TabithaB]

They have me listed as "pending application with AllKids" currently.  I just am not sure if we are going to be eligible or what is going to happen.  I am a paralegal and my husband is an attorney so that is why we are having the problem with all this.  We aren't exactly poor but we aren't wealthy enough to just have $20,000 laying around either.  He is paying on his 2 kids college now and we have an 8 year old son.  So we all know how much kids can shrink the wallets.

If we are not eligible for AllKids I am going to see what their Christian Care program will write off and then just start paying on it I guess.  That is his plan anyways.

[TabithaB]

I was just bummed about adding 2K to our list of debts.  I am gonna stop being a big crybaby about it and buckle and work harder and pay it.  She is worth it. 

[oliversmom7213]

You are not being a cry baby. I would have had a heart attack if it was me. As it is I have hit our out of pocket max and have to pay about 2200 and this is causing me stress, i have no idea how you are managing. Money is very stressfull for me (unlike dh who thinks everything magically works out) and I hate it. But what are you to do? There is never an ideal time financially to have a baby unless you are oprah or bill gates.

[Eresh]

I've had two "successful" HBs and feel the same way -- if you count shoulder dystocia and two post-partum hospital transfers as successful.  Another part of it is grieving the idea of having that perfect birth.  DH is adamant about no more kids, so I know the possibility just isn't out there for me to have that experience.

Regarding the hospital bills, I have a friend who ended up with massive medical bills related to an illness.  Both were self employed and had too much savings to qualify for Medicaid.  She got an itemized bill and successfully challenged $40,000 in charges (incorrectly coded charges, double charges, etc).  So not sure if that would help in your situation, but it's a thought.

 Good luck to you.  And congratulations on your beautiful baby. :)

[TabithaB]

Oh my goodness.  Don't get me started on the itemized bill.  They charged me $8.00 for every Ibuprofin they gave me.  Ugh.  Had I known that, I would have taken the ones in my purse.  And then they charged a fee for basically matching up the meds with me.  $100 for Advil.

They charged me over $200 for drug tests, which is fine I guess.  I did just pretty much walk in off the streets with no "prenatal care".  Or no care that they could recognize anyways.  But they charged ANOTHER $200 some dollars to drug test the baby.  Come on if mom is clean.  Baby is gonna be clean of drugs also. 

I was also looking at the charges they put on there for prenatal vitamins and iron supplements.  They took those off each time though.  Those I did bring with me and take because I didn't want to take theirs.  I am glad I did that.  They were like $8 for each vitamin and $9 for each iron supplement. 

[pregnant@40]

Just remember that no matter what any of your creditors tell you, legally you can pay these debts off at your own rate (since they are medical). This can be $5/month for the rest of your life. Just send in money w/ a written plan, keep all receipts, and document everything. Medical debt looks very different on a credit report (ie. can always be explained to your favor), and may not even show up if you continue to pay low monthly payments via a written agreement.

Then forget about the debt and enjoy your baby.

[pregnant@40]

Originally Posted by oliversmom7213 

I just wanted to jump in here about the bills. I work in customer service for 12 hospitals. 3 in illinois and the rest in Iowa. I am just stating the facts and am not intending to scare anyone.... you have to have a mutually agreed payment arrangement or else it will go to collections. Even worse it can go legal and they can just take your money, from paychecks or your bank. Plus there are legal fees on top of the bill. Most hospitals have financial aid and they may require a lot of financial information. While this seems intruding, there are a lot of people who have money and just don't feel like paying (obviously this is not you). Our hospitals will take care of the bill if we have proof you are on state assistance like wic or food stamps and we do offer extended payment arrangements now but they still can be high. ( i work there and are unsure how I am going to pay my bill, there is no preferencial treatment). I just wanted to say this b.c too often I see patients who pay $5 a month on their bill of even 100 thinking it is find b.c their lawyer friend told them it was. It's not, it can and most likely will go to collections and yes they can serve you and take your money. I am not saying this is right, I'm saying talk to the hospital. Let them know you are working with allkids, give them updates, they most likely will set your accts back while you are trying to get them covered. But if you don't call they will assume you won't pay and it will go to collections (we don't look at accounts unless someone calls so even if you are sending money for good faith payments the systems are usually automated and will just ship accts to collections without a person at the hospital doing it). Good luck!

Hmm. I just gave bad advice to the OP, then. However, it has worked for me. Call and see what happens.