I just found out that I won't have insurance for my next pregnancy and delivery. We are going to set up a health savings account, and try to save up, but I was wondering if anyone has experienced this. How much did everything cost? When did you have to pay? Did you pay for an epidural? I would like to have the epidural, but because of the cost, I am probably going to try to do without. Also, you pay your doctor separately, right? ANY advice or information from any other mama would be GREAT! Thank you!
P.S. We live in Gilbert, but I am willing to travel to Phoenix to have the baby.
Thanks everyone for the awesome advice! We do not qualify for AHCCCS, we are just losing that insurance since my husband got a job. We are grateful for the income, but sad to see the AHCCCS go! I would love to have a homebirth, but I am a VBAC patient (I've already had one in a hospital) and so far I haven't found a midwife who can do a VBAC at home. I did call two hospitals- Chandler Regional and Mercy Gilbert. Both gave me the exact quotes of $6250 for a c-section and $3500 for a vaginal, plus $700 for the epidural (medication) If I wanted that, plus the $1000-1500 for the anesthesiologist, plus the pediatrician fees, plus the OB-GYN fees (which after calling two doctors that would do a VBAC) is $2000-$2500. So even if I just have a vaginal delivery all natural, it will still cost at least $6000, most of that paid before delivery. Dang!!!! We are going to start saving and I am going to keep looking for any other alternative. Thanks again for the excellent ideas.
You could look into state aid, such as AHCCCS and see if you qualify to help with the cost.
Have you thought of an no interest credit card for a year or two and put it on that and just pay it at your leisure ? That helps when we buy big purchases. My friend loved paying cash for the baby and not dealing with insurance. It worked for them. They save a bit for the care of the 9 mths and then afterwards, they paid it on a credit card with no interest and paid it off in a year.
You might ask if you can pay ahead of time, too. I don't know.
Don't know about having a health savings account...have you applied for ACCCHS? I was in a similar situation, if you qualify, it will cover all but your co-pay, which is a lot less financial headache. And as soon as you deliver, they can get the baby insured so that all peds expenses are covered too.
I would start callimg the hospitals that you want to deliver at and ask, they will be happy to help you and ask if they give a cash discount (sometimes I have heard that they do since you are saving them time with not dealing with paperwork with insurance companies) ask to speak to the accounts payable or billing department and they will give you all the estimates of what it will cost and if they offer cash discounts. (it will only be estiantes of course just because they cant forsee everything you might need) Hope this helps even a little
Hi,
My husband is in the health insurance business and he told me that an HSA (Health Savings Account) is a very good way to get tax savings on money that you are going to spend anyway. Depending on the bank, there may be a small annual fee for set up and maintenance. You can contribute to the account as much as you want but can only take a maximum family deduction of $6,150.00 for 2010. HSA accounts can only be used to pay for medically qualified expenses. Obvious ones are doctors, hospitals, prescriptions, but even things like ibuprofen and bandages. For more information on HSA's you can go to www.hsa223.com and for a partial list of medically qualified expenses, you can go to http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p502.pdf
Also, one other things that my husband mentioned is, have you considered purchasing a pregnancy package? Hospitals and some doctor's offer them to help those without insurance to save some money. You can ask your doctor, or go to any hospital.
I hope this helps!
Best of luck to you and your family!
Be aware that no two hospitals are the same, each hosital charges a different amount and usually has a flat fee for a vaginal birth or c-section. But make sure you verify what the quote they give you if for (meaning everyone who touches you; the person who draws blood, the anesthesiologist, etc). Ask point blank if you will receive bills from the other professionals. I've always had insurance but one year we had the type of plan where we paid a percentage of the bill as opposed to a co-pay and we had bills from every person who had anything to do with me in any way shape or form it was crazy (I had a c-section). Good luck and make sure you do your research with each hospital you're considering.
I had an unexpected pregnancy and although I had health insurance I did not have maturnity insurance. My older son was born by c-section and this baby had to be also. My doctor's office sat down with me and had a packet with all the costs and said it would cost $17,000 to $20,000 and I would have to pay that by the 7th month. If there were extra untra sounds or tests it would be extra. I was in a panic! I called my insurance agent and he helped me get state-sponsored insurance that is not for low-income. I had to pay $540 a month just for me. It was a LOT of money but it gave me the piece of mind that incase anything went wrong I would be covered. I also knew I would be able to make decisions that were based on what is best for baby not "how much does it cost". Good Luck!!
When our first was born, we did not have insurance either. After some consideration, we decided to have a homebirth with a certified professional midwife - the cost is only $2000-3000 for all prenatal, birth, and postpartum costs. Additionally, since we were unable to pay the full cost, we found a midwife who was willing to barter for part of the fee. It was an awesome experience, and we stayed with the same midwife for the birth of our second - and will for all future births! I can't recommend it enough. Feel free to message me with any questions. Good luck and blessings!!
My suggestion is to contact the hospital. Banner Desert used to have a program where you setup a payment plan to pay for your labor/delivery. The cost depended on how far along you were and if you wanted pain medication. They had it setup so that you would be done paying before you delivered.
They also had contact information for doctors that had similar plans.
Also, you may want to see if the Baby Arizona program is still around. It is a government subsidized program that helps uninsured pregnant moms to get the proper care needed to ensure you have a healthy baby.
GOOD LUCK!
I hope this helps!
