I heard recently on the Dave Ramsey show that you can talk to the billing department at the hospital before you deliver in order to negotiate your bill before the baby is born.
Sounds like a great idea in theory, just wondering if anyone has ACTUALLY done this? If you did, did you have insurance?
Not pregnant right now, just looking at my options. THANKS:)
ETA: I do have insurance that would cover 80%, but with my first two kids that meant I still paid $1500-$2k out of pocket (uncomplicated vaginal births with epidurals). Would love to lower that bill when #3 comes around!
ETA again: My pregnancies are high risk due to my T1 diabetes. I have and will always be induced at 38-39 weeks for the sake of the baby. Homebirths and midwife centers are not an option. Pitocin=definite epidural for me:) That being said, really I'm just interested in advice on negotioating with the hospital. Thanks again!
My midwife gave me a substantial discount for paying cash up front, but I've never tried that with a doctor or hospital.
Well, as stated, one way to lower the cost would be to eliminate the epidural. That gets rid of all the associated doctor bills as well. You could also contact a midwife if you are willing to consider homebirth. If your previous pregnancies were low risk, than you would likely be a good candidate. Costs range from 2k-4K or so but insurance is usually accepted so 80% of 4K would still cost 1/2 of what you have paid on the low end.
If you are unsure about homebirth, meet with a midwife or two (initial consultations are free) and then make a decision.
C.
I've heard this and it makes sense to me. Hospitals will not charge cash paying patients the same as what they charge insurance companies.
If you are paying cash, aiming for a medication-free birth would also save you a substantial amount of money. The only medication I received was a Motrin, the day after birth. On the hospital bill, they charged my insurance company $100. From what I've heard this is not unusual. I cannot imagine the charge for epidurals or spinal taps.
Anything is negoitable. Hospitals and doctors provide discounts to insurance companies - they would to it for you if you promise to pay right away (within 30 days) etc. But don't expect that the first person you talk to on the phone has the authority to make that decision. You'll have to talk to a manager. (I've worked in the health insurance business for more than 20 years.)
My sister negotiated the fee after the baby was born. They cut it quite a bit. When I had my breast biopsy done they sent me the account showing the regular fee and then I got the information from my insurance showing their contracted fee, which was about 1/3 of the "regular" fee. It seems to me that there is a lot of wiggle room and negotiating a better fee should be possible.
ive never heard of this... ide call the hospital once that time comes and ask tho.
I know that hosp give a "discount" for paying in cash, (for not having ins). I have not heard this w/ins though. Even if you are paying in cash or ins, take a look at the bill, make sure you are not charged for items you didn't use,(i.e., socks, tooth brush, etc). Where I live they don't have birthing centers but from what I hear they are they are substatially cheaper than hosp. I'm unsure how you can negoitate ones bill beforehand, (maybe some hosp have birthing suites that are cheaper than others). But yes, lets say you don't have the epidural you could save yourself the anesthesiolgists bill along w/the medication charge).
I was working FT at a job that didn't have ins when I got preg, I applied for medi-cal and got a share of cost of 3,000(which did seem like alot at the time), but since I got sent to a fetal specialist it saved me a mint.
They're not really allowed to reduce the amount the insurance company indicates as your portion due to their contract with the insurance company, but it never hurts to ask. Yes many places will discount for prepaid cash services.
Nowadays everything is negotiable. My good friend is a dr and granted he is a single practitioner, but patients try to negotiate all the time even the co-pay. The billing manager handles all this for our office, and it's a case by case basis. It can never hurt to ask.
I also paid about $2000 out of pocket for our first. Our second was a little less because our insurance was better. Oh and if you have an FSA for health, and you think you might be getting pregnant, put some $ into that to help lower the costs. :)
On a separate note, I wrote a blog post about having 3 vs. having 2. I come from a family of 3, but my family now is a family of 2 kids. Check it out if you're bored. ;)
http://educationmom.com/2012/05/13/two-is-the-new-one/
