So upset regarding insurance and choices « Back to Group Discussions

[oregon2010]

So I am attempting a VBAC with my previous midwifes, home birth.  However, I just found out the shocking news that my deductible is 4000!!!!! That means that basically we would have to pay out of pocket for a home birth, 3000 which we CANNOT afford.

For an in network hospital, they pay 80% after deductible.  I have no clue what it costs to birth at a hospital!

I just am so upset right now.

[oregon2010]

And the problem is, if we decided to just make payments and attempt the home birth and then for some reason I have to be transferred, we would have 2 bills. 

This is my last pregnancy and I really wanted to just have a good birth experience!

[harmie0515]

That's really frustrating.  :(  I hope you can figure out what will work  for your family.  

[oregon2010]

Thanks.  Does anyone have a clue what a hospital birth could cost (I guess it depends on length of stay, interventions, c-section) but the average cost?  I will be back on the phone with people tomorrow.
 

[CrunchyMama19]

We had similar insurance with #2 and did a hospital birth last time. I hate to tell you but we STILL ended up paying 3000 dollars out of pocket. The total bill was over 10K. I hand no idea a hospital birth was so expensive and I had no epidural, no pitocin. So you might want to explore what it will truly cost you and compare it to homebirth. Most hospitals will have a financial counselor sit down with you and go over what your insurance will cover and what you will end up paying. I really wish we had done that because I would have gone for a homebirth as the cost came out almost the same. We are going a homebirth this time and it turns out we MAY get reimbursed for some of the cost as an out-of-network provider.

[BKGreen]

I'm so sorry your in such a position :( It's really not fair that there have to be so many roadblocks in the way of people birthing how they want and being able to afford it. If you did birth at a hospital, would you still have to pay the 4000 deductible and then they would cover 80% of the remainder? I may be totally misinterpreting that...sorry if I did. I had an intervention free hospital VBAC with my second and the bill was around 8,000 I think. I'm sure that varies a lot from hospital to hospital. When I had my first and it was a c-section, my bill was over 20,000...crazy!

[somegirl99]

We also paid about $3k out of pocket last time (or maybe even more) for natural hospital birth with DS.  Like pp, total bill was pretty expensive.

I switched insurance since then (from DH's work to my work insurance) and I think (and hope!) the coverage is better on this one.
 

[Banana731]

A hospital birth is about $10,000 in most parts of the country.

It sounds like You get a much better deal claiming your HB and paying the $3000. In the very small chance that you do have to transfer, you will only pay an extra $1000 plus %20. If you go to the hospital right off you pay $4000 for certain and you have to give birth in the hospital....

[oregon2010]

Thank you all for responding and for understanding.  I am still am sorting through it all.  And yes, the more I think about it, it just makes sense to pay the home birth fees.  I had a c-section because I developed pregnancy induced hypertension at 36 weeks (never turned into pre-eclampsia) but I could not get it down.  I also had diet and exercise controlled gestational diabetes.  I am just so nervous that I will get both again and end up at the hospital.  I barely failed the GD test and controlled it pretty easily but the hypertension was just too hard to control--I tried acupuncture, herbs, relaxation....My midwives think it was just a funky placenta/pregnancy but I know that both can re-occur. 

I have read a lot of things I can do to help prevent.  Increase Vitamin D, fish oil, exercise, eliminate sugars, eat a high protein diet, greens, etc.  I was at a lower weight when I conceived and I nursed my DD until she was 2.5 years old (I randomly read nursing helps with GD but that is not why I nursed her, obviously).  This first trimester has been a disaster for me because of extreme nausea and food aversions.  All I can stomach is carbs!!! Fruit, bread, etc.  I just want to feel normal so I can start taking care of myself properly so I can work towards my goal.

I am a petite woman- 5 feet tall, 120 pounds and I had this terrible midwife at the hospital who told me she doubts I could ever deliver vaginally because I am so small as is my birth canal.  These things have really affected the way I feel about birth! and prior to my DD's birth I was so empowered.  I am a doula and I have seen so many lovely births!

Okay, I am venting now.  Hoping this all works out!
 

[Banana731]

Vent away, that sucks! But it sounds as though you are doing everything you can to stay ahead of the game this time, so now try to relax and enjoy your pregnancy. I know it's hard to think about your deductible, but you'll have to pay it no matter right? What's the use in worry?

Did you have a planned HB the first time or were you at a hsp based mw practice? If it was the latter, the nice thing about homebirth midwives is that you are going to be so much happier with your prenatal care that even if you do have to turn over to OB care at the end, you have saved yourself that much stress.

And fwiw, I've always had low bp. At the ob's office it was always my dr office norm, about 100-110/ 60-70. When my MW took it at home it was so much lower all the time. It was always about 80/50. She said once that it was actually lower than that, but she refused to write it any lower! XD

[CrunchyMama19]

Originally Posted by oregon2010 

Thank you all for responding and for understanding.  I am still am sorting through it all.  And yes, the more I think about it, it just makes sense to pay the home birth fees.  I had a c-section because I developed pregnancy induced hypertension at 36 weeks (never turned into pre-eclampsia) but I could not get it down.  I also had diet and exercise controlled gestational diabetes.  I am just so nervous that I will get both again and end up at the hospital.  I barely failed the GD test and controlled it pretty easily but the hypertension was just too hard to control--I tried acupuncture, herbs, relaxation....My midwives think it was just a funky placenta/pregnancy but I know that both can re-occur. 

I have read a lot of things I can do to help prevent.  Increase Vitamin D, fish oil, exercise, eliminate sugars, eat a high protein diet, greens, etc.  I was at a lower weight when I conceived and I nursed my DD until she was 2.5 years old (I randomly read nursing helps with GD but that is not why I nursed her, obviously).  This first trimester has been a disaster for me because of extreme nausea and food aversions.  All I can stomach is carbs!!! Fruit, bread, etc.  I just want to feel normal so I can start taking care of myself properly so I can work towards my goal.

I am a petite woman- 5 feet tall, 120 pounds and I had this terrible midwife at the hospital who told me she doubts I could ever deliver vaginally because I am so small as is my birth canal.  These things have really affected the way I feel about birth! and prior to my DD's birth I was so empowered.  I am a doula and I have seen so many lovely births!

Okay, I am venting now.  Hoping this all works out!
 

During my first pregnancy my OB told me if I ever had anything over 6 lbs he would C-section me! (DD1 was 5 lb, 7 oz.) Well lo and behold DD2 was born naturally at 6 lb. 13 oz.! I really don't believe your body makes a baby bigger than you can birth, you can do it!

[CraftyMcGluestick]

Originally Posted by oregon2010 

Thanks.  Does anyone have a clue what a hospital birth could cost (I guess it depends on length of stay, interventions, c-section) but the average cost?  I will be back on the phone with people tomorrow.

 

I am so sorry for this Oregon. Birth is so expensive! Even homebirth, which is considered "cheap," is no financial picnic. Yikes!

What I do know is that range of hospital cost really varies. My sister lives in Chapel Hill, NC and she usually has homebirth, but when her last was breach with a nucal (sp?) cord, she had to transfer for a c-section. Her stay, outside of her surgery, was many thousands.

On the other hand, I live in semi-rural Texas in a town of about 30,000. I am paying a cash price for my hospital birth and it will be about $2800. The OB services are separate and we are paying out a cash price for that, too, of about $1900. So overall, it's not INexpensive, but it is WAY less than my sister would face at UNC Hospital.

So I guess what I mean is: it varies a TON. I second the advice of the PP who urged you to get financial counseling from the hospital. Good luck! I hope you experience the birth you want, wherever it ends up being.

[oregon2010]

I am going back to my original midwives who are not hospital based.  They have a lovely birthing center in a Victorian home and do home births too. I am going to try not to stress.  I have just had some bad days lately (10 weeks) and just feeling so sick, tired, and sometimes lonely. My husband is getting his butt kicked at his job and grad school so our life is just a little busier right now. Luckily, my DD is a sweetie but I feel like a bad parent these days. She has never watched TV/movies and I have been letting her watch several episodes of Mr. Rogers and I let her watch Mary Poppins. Glad she has Montessori school 3 days a week ;)

I feel kinda overwhelmed with the paperwork piling up, the lack of healthy meals and my to-do lists are growing. I have NO motivation to do any of it! I have plenty of friends/support but when you feel sick like this, it just makes you want to hibernate! None of my friends are pregnant right now and they are planning trips to Hawaii and doing all these cool things and I am just feeling sorry for myself as I throw up and grow fat ;) I don't usually have this kind of attitude at all but lately I just feel BLAH! Anyway, I will figure this part out and hopefully start to feel more like myself again soon.  I know things will get better, its just a funky time called First Trimester. So glad to have this board to come to and chat with other mama's who can relate!!! Whew, I just vented, again!

Thanks for the support!

[CraftyMcGluestick]

Oregon, I'm right there with you. My 2 year-old DS is watching iPad movies (I got several Pixar ones) all the time. Our meals are highly questionable in nutritional content, if not downright bad and the stuff I need to do vs. what I can do is dramatically out of balance. I am just super, super sick and trying to get by. I hope you can be gentle with yourself and remind yourself this is a short time. It will not be like this forever. <3

[HeatherB]

Crafty, I continuously feel like you're describing my life! I'm so there. No motivation, no decent food (oh, I made a smoothie today!), too much tv... Sigh.

Oregon, sounds like HB is the way to go! That's an awful deductible but at least you know what makes sense. I thought my deductible was bad at $1000. :/

[oregon2010]

So I found out my husband's work has a HSA account that goes towards the deductible that has 4,000 in it....
 

[Banana731]

Yay!

[HeatherB]

Awesome!!

[thecoffeebean]

Originally Posted by oregon2010 

So I found out my husband's work has a HSA account that goes towards the deductible that has 4,000 in it....

 

That's wonderful! So are you going to go the home birth route?

[oregon2010]

Yes:) just hoping my body lets me (meaning no hbp). I totally have white coat syndrome when my blood pressure is read now so I want to get my own monitor. I feel like its a wait and see situation. I need to start reading up on VBAC's too!