Hospitals are bad for financial health

What are your birthing options?

Hospital births are by far the most expensive option for giving birth. A vaginal delivery with no complications can cost upwards of $8,000 depending on what part of the country you’re in. And if you should need a cesarean delivery, you’re looking at a price tag of at least $10,000.

Hospitals are notorious for overcharging patients with no insurance. They negotiate reduced rates with insurance companies and then pass the loss off to the uninsured. Recent news reports have blown the whistle on unethical practices, to no avail. Charges are as high as ever and hospitals are in denial that overcharging exists.

If you are having a high risk pregnancy, you may decide the inflated bill is worth the risk. You should also consider how you will deliver. Don’t feel as if you must sacrifice your comfort for cost, but our society is largely a drug dependent society. Make sure you know the differences between natural child birth and medicated births. Research the effects of epidurals, Demerol and other common delivery drugs. Being proactive can also reduce costs. You can take measures to reduce the likelihood that you’ll deliver cesarean. Not only is it good for baby, it’s good for your pocketbook.

If you go this route, question your health care provider to death. Question the billing department. Know what you’re in for before you get there. Once admitted, ask for the price of every pill, every procedure, and every perk. You don’t want to realize after the fact that you’ve paid $12 for a dose of Tylenol. When you leave, ask for an itemized bill. Then scrutinize it. You may have to conduct a bunch of research and find one-handed activities to fill the time you spend on hold, but in the end, you may be able to have some inappropriate charges removed from your bill.

Hospitals can have pretty aggressive billing departments as well. Don’t assume they are right; don’t assume they won’t budge; don’t assume they won’t negotiate. Most collection departments will work with uninsured patients to set up workable payment plans. Bear in mind that inability to pay medical bills is the leading cause of bankruptcy.

Ninety percent of births take place in the hospital. Accordingly, most people assume the hospital is where they should go. However, there are some options that can help save money. More than just economic incentives, an increasing number of women find some of the other birthing options more relaxing and less clinical than a stay at the hospital.

Birthing Centers
Birthing Centers are a more affordable alternative to hospitals. Besides saving cost, many women prefer the relaxing and more natural setting these centers offer. Usually birth at one of the centers is facilitated by a midwife.

Birthing centers are usually small, intimate facilities that cater to the holistic care of the mother. The stay is usually shorter, but the centers focus on the emotional and physical well being of their patients.

Birthing centers run about half of what hospital deliveries cost, usually averaging around $4000. Some hospitals house birthing centers within their facilities. Make sure you check the cost difference. Sometimes hospitals simply offer a more home-like setting, but charge similar prices.
The premise of birthing centers is that childbirth is natural. Consequently, they don’t encourage reliance on many of the drugs and procedures that hospitals do. Nor do they induce labor, which is typical for 50 percent of hospital births. Proponents of natural childbirth say it is more fulfilling for the mother than being drugged. The baby, also undrugged, arrives more active and alert.

You can expect rooms that look like bedrooms, soft lighting and options such as water births. And if safety is a concern, don’t worry. For normal pregnancies, with no complications, birthing centers have been found to actually reduce incidents of cesarean births.

Most birthing center births are facilitated by midwives, although obstetricians offer services at birthing centers as well. Check the credentials of your midwife as there are different levels of training and certification. Another option is to use a doula. A doula is someone who supports birth. While a partner might want to coach the mother through delivery, a doula is a trained childbirth coach. The doula is also a liaison between healthcare providers, family members and the mother. Many women are including doulas in their birthing process.

In the event of an emergency delivery birthing centers will work in conjunction with local hospitals. For both center births and home births, a mother should plan ahead. Neither is conducive to last minute arrangements.

The number of centers has doubled in the United States over the last decade as this option is becoming increasingly popular.


Home Births
Delivering your baby at home used to be the only option women had. A midwife would attend the delivery and a doctor may or may not be present. Since birthing moved to hospitals over the last century, a small percentage of women continued to deliver at home because of the natural feel of bringing a baby into the world in your own setting.

The trend is shifting again, back to home births. Just like with birthing center births, the advantages to delivering at home focus on the emotional well being of the mother. She can move freely in an environment that is comfortable and familiar to her. Her family members don’t feel as if they are intruding and the mother has the complete attention of the midwife or other delivery specialist.

This too is an option for women seeking natural childbirth. Many women choosing home births rely on midwives and doulas.

The cost of home delivery can be significantly less that hospital delivery. On average home birth is 68 percent less than hospital deliver, about $2500 depending on your region of the country. Laws governing home births vary by state and coverage varies by insurance company.

Fighting for the uninsured and underinsured pregnant moms and their unborn babies,
Advocate Aaron