Mar 6
For nine months, you worry. No matter what people tell you, you are going to worry about every upcoming test, exam and milestone in your unborn child's life. You're going to worry about lying flat on your back and how much soft cheese you shouldn't consume. You're going to worry about not feeling your baby everyday. You're going to worry about the weight gain (or lack thereof), and if your hubby/partner thinks you're a whale.
The $20,000+ Baby
Then you go into labor. In my case, I went into labor four weeks early and wondered if it was too soon. I wondered if my baby's lungs were fully development. I worried that I worried so much during my pregnancy that I caused the early birth. I worried about my job and feeling horrible for not having conducted the full knowledge transfer that I was in the process of conducting. I worried that the epidural that I didn't want to have, but needed, would have a side effect on our little one. I worried that now that I was a mama, little Lily wouldn't latch on and breast feed right away.
Yes, I worried.
For those of you that have asked me about health insurance, get ready for a doozy. Delivery rates, I'm sure, vary by city, hospital, etc. We chose to deliver at Northwestern's esteemed Prentice Women's Hospital. That's right. A place that is for the ladies 100% of the time - no boys allowed. The building is pretty new and everyone talks about the joys of delivering in a luxurious environment (it really wasn't over the top, as I had expected). After retrieving my line item bill from our healthcare provider, I realized the prices were sure luxurious. I have an employer that is terrific when it comes to women, moms and healthcare in general. Much of our bills were taken care of with insurance, but we did have some out of pockets.
To the ill informed mom-to-be, you may be worrying about the cost of delivering a baby in our wonderful country of no national health care (yes, I'm annoyed). To prep you, I've decided to list the whole kit and kaboodle. Without further ado, I present the breakdown of what it cost to deliver Liljana. Note, these are just fees for the services at Northwestern and do NOT include any of my healthcare needs OR the charge from the midwife. These rates also do not cover the subsequent trips to the pediatrician for jaundice diagnosis and newborn care.
We were very well taken care of, but did have some not-so-great moments in recovery (ie. the revolving door of hospital staff). Many of you work for yourselves and candidly asked me the cost of what it would be to deliver at Prentice. Here you go:
My Bill
Room and Board: $5,475 (two-day stay after Lily was born)
Pharmacy: $799.60
Med-Surg-Anesth. Supplies: $1399
Laboratory: $800
Operating/Recovery Room: $7,676 (we were here for about 10 hours)
Baby's Bill
Room and Board: $1,700 (not sure how the baby was charged room and board, but she was)
Pharmacy: $43.60
Laboratory: $1,080
Respiratory: $613
Diagnostic Services: $613
Grand total: $20,198.60
Does this mean you shouldn't deliver at Prentice? Of course not. It does mean that you should know well in advance of the fees, what they mean and understand your insurance plan. I highly recommend signing up for a flexible spending account through your employer, should you have one. This may offset the fees you need to pay after your insurance kicks in. Another terrific option? Northwestern offers an interest free payment plan to pay off your medical bills. Sans credit hit. A nice perk to space out your payments, should you need a break in this zany economy.
Got more questions? Ask away. You know where to find me:).
Comments (3)
Mar 06, 2010
cheapsuits said...
We had 2 seperate births at Edwards in Naperville, by csection mind you,and both were well north of $20k. I think you did okay actually. How much is the average birth in Chicagoland cost these days I wonder.
Mar 06, 2010
Blagica Bottigliero said...
Dunno.
Mar 06, 2010
Mark Smithivas said...
Or you could have a home birth for 1/4 the price.
