Glad I Read This Now...

[martian687]

I've been paying out-of-pocket for private insurance since Interbots went full-time, back in 2006. Good thing a baby hasn't been in my plans.

I had always assumed if I got pregnant by accident I would have a choice, but a $500 pill from planned parenthood vs. a $22K delivery is not really a choice when you've got < $1000 in your bank account. I

Comments

[color_so_loud]

Obscene. The US is not supportive of mothers at all, when you add consideration for the weak maternity leave standards -- barely enough (usually unpaid) time to form a bond, recover from birth, and establish a breastfeeding relationship before you're expected back in the office.

Of course, you can always go homebirth with a midwife and cut your costs by some $20,000 ;) And get better care to boot (assuming healthy normal pregnancy).

[martian687]

This phase of my life is a long way off, but I'd always assumed that barring any medical emergencies, I'd go as natural as possible at a birthing center. I'm not sure how birthing center costs compare to homebirth and hospital delivery; I'm guessing somewhere in between. 2gouda4u?

[madduckdes]

If you have a completely natural-ish birth at the hospital, it's not that much. But on average the hospital will be more likely to put you on a heart monitor or suggest drugs, more likely to keep you in bed for longer after, and your chance of a C-section goes up if you start at a hospital rather than a birth center. So on average a hospital bill is much higher than a birth center bill.

On the other hand, if you start at the birth center and end up at the hospital, and if you want the person you've been working with the whole pregnancy to come with you to the hospital, it's an extra $1000ish on top of whatever the hospital charges you.

[erinpie]

Really? Not even an epidural? You're hardcore. :)

[martian687]

Well, I can say that now, but who knows what'll actually happen =)

I had always assumed that I'd have my kids in a hospital like "normal", but then I read about 2gouda4u and aardvark428's experiences and saw The Business of Being Born, which paints a troubling picture of delivery-associated drugs. I'm not hardcore enough to do a homebirth - the women in my family have a history of complicated pregnancies, and as the child of doctors I'd feel much more comfortable in/next to a hospital in case anything went wrong.

[paperclippy]

FWIW, a lot of hospitals are now building wings or levels that are basically birth centers. That way you have midwife birth-center-type care, but you are only an elevator ride away from the OR if something goes wrong.

[color_so_loud]

It's really not so bad, if you get yourself into the right mindset. I mean, yes, childbirth hurts, but just about every woman is capable of it.

Also, better for you and for the baby, too.

[2gouda4u]

I'll have to check out our insurance claims and let you know.

[madduckdes]

Interestingly, though, the US has a lot more motherhood than some of the more supportive EU countries. I wonder if all that support often comes packaged with plenty of other support for women, which might lead to women making choices other than motherhood. At some point I'd like to double check the statistic to see if it is still true even without counting US immigrant mothers.

[color_so_loud]

Do you think there might also be some correlation to birth control access and education between US and those other countries? IDK, but that's one of the first things that comes to mind.

[madduckdes]

Well, I would bet that we have a lot more teen pregnancies than they do. But I should double check that too.

[bobbzman]

We do. The wikipedia entry has a nice chart. We're on par with Indonesia as far as teen pregnancies.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teen_pregnancy#Global_incidence

[martian687]

It would be nice if they split these numbers into "in wedlock" and "out of wedlock". Saudi Arabia has a worse incidence than the US, but I'm guessing that very few of those births are out of wedlock.

[paperclippy]

the weak maternity leave standards -- barely enough (usually unpaid) time to form a bond, recover from birth, and establish a breastfeeding relationship before you're expected back in the office.

At some companies (like mine), if you opt-in for short term disability insurance, the disability insurance will pay you during your maternity leave and you can extend it longer. (I think it is hilarious that pregnancy/babies are considered a disability.)

[color_so_loud]

Yeah, that's what we did. But you have to do it before you become pregnant, because if you get pregnant and want to add it it's a pre-existing condition. Also, mine only paid I think 40% of one's wages, or maybe 60%, and I don't think it was extendable. Not that it mattered for me, as I didn't go back to work.

[camlost]

Mary has short-term disability insurance more or less for this reason. IIRC, 60% of salary for duration of disability: 6 weeks for normal birth, 8 for Cesarean section.