Today, I received perhaps the most disturbing piece of mail i've ever seen: a bill from the hospital for my baby's birth and our recovery. The total?
$30,000.
: That's right-- $27,000 for me and $3,000 for her. And they were kind enough to include a return envelope. Not the stamped kind, but at least they saved me an envelope, which would have cost roughly $43 judging on their scale.
For your edification, here are some of the charges I can identify:
Lactation Education, 30 minutes: $41.80 (She walked in, asked if I had questions, I said no, things are going well, she walked out. 30 seconds, maybe.)
Blood Typing: $55 (It's written on my chart, actually. Or you could ask me.)
Misc. Injection: $99.30 (Dear God, even *they* don't know what it was??)
Cleansing Bottle: $10.80 (That one just speaks for itself, really.)
Pen Marker Surgery: $37.50 (The most expensive pen i've ever bought, actually...)
Mesh Briefs (2 pair): $18.20 (Wow, that's money well spent! Undies!)
KT OB Father: $62 (And to think he threw the scrubs on the ground afterwards. We could still be using those!)
4 gown/towel packs: $325.20 (I hope they were high thread count!)
4 Perineal Cold Packs: $72.40 (Anybody see the problem there? I had an emergency section, so my perineium was not in need of cold packs. I never used or saw these items!!)
And for the baby, we were charged $4.80 for a pacifier, even though we specifically requested no pacifiers and never saw one.
I am completely shocked, outraged and deeply amused at this "bill". I immediately called my insurance, who assured me I was 100% covered and would not owe a dime. But it still seems outrageous and dishonest and frustrating.
Cost to delivery a baby after 24 hours of labor and an emergency c-section: $27,000
Cost to keep baby alive at hospital for 36 hours: $3,000
Having insurance cover 100%: priceless.
$30,000.
: That's right-- $27,000 for me and $3,000 for her. And they were kind enough to include a return envelope. Not the stamped kind, but at least they saved me an envelope, which would have cost roughly $43 judging on their scale.For your edification, here are some of the charges I can identify:
Lactation Education, 30 minutes: $41.80 (She walked in, asked if I had questions, I said no, things are going well, she walked out. 30 seconds, maybe.)
Blood Typing: $55 (It's written on my chart, actually. Or you could ask me.)
Misc. Injection: $99.30 (Dear God, even *they* don't know what it was??)
Cleansing Bottle: $10.80 (That one just speaks for itself, really.)
Pen Marker Surgery: $37.50 (The most expensive pen i've ever bought, actually...)
Mesh Briefs (2 pair): $18.20 (Wow, that's money well spent! Undies!)
KT OB Father: $62 (And to think he threw the scrubs on the ground afterwards. We could still be using those!)
4 gown/towel packs: $325.20 (I hope they were high thread count!)
4 Perineal Cold Packs: $72.40 (Anybody see the problem there? I had an emergency section, so my perineium was not in need of cold packs. I never used or saw these items!!)
And for the baby, we were charged $4.80 for a pacifier, even though we specifically requested no pacifiers and never saw one.
I am completely shocked, outraged and deeply amused at this "bill". I immediately called my insurance, who assured me I was 100% covered and would not owe a dime. But it still seems outrageous and dishonest and frustrating.
Cost to delivery a baby after 24 hours of labor and an emergency c-section: $27,000
Cost to keep baby alive at hospital for 36 hours: $3,000
Having insurance cover 100%: priceless.
