Pregnancy Info HOME

Seriously, how do people with no money have a baby in the states?? Do they get turned away?

I was in the Army and when I found out I was pregnant I wanted out. ...... I was on extended leave until I was discharged. I got to keep Tri Care insurance until my discharge went through.........at any rate, I had an extremely hard time finding a Dr in our area (we had moved back home) who would even see me with that insurance. I couldn't get any type of prenatal care until I was almost 4 months pregnant. The Dr that I see now told me about medicaid insurance. What ever Tri Care didn't pay, the medicaid pays, so I won't have any out of pocket expenses. In our state -apparently as long as you are pregnant you are able to get the state insurance. It's really sad at the same time that the state's is better than our military's. YOu may want to look into your state's medicaid program, they may pay it all or they may pay a portion.....but it's worth a look.

I don't know what the hospital is charging yet just my ob. I also pay 20%. Doctors visits plus delivery at my OB was like 300 for my first visit then 450 dollars I have to pay off at 90 per visit till its paid. I think I just pay 200 a day at the hospital and the anesthesia is seperate. I would say total about 2000 and thats being generous, if the labor goes well.

For all you "Canadians" with "Free" healthcare who thinks the US is so bad, how much $$ do you make a year? How much of your income is taxed?? Could you afford to pay for healthcare? The US does NOT turn away people who do not have insurance. We have many programs to help people with no insurance. My sister had a miscarriage in Canada 9 years ago, the hospital in Canada DID NOT accept her US insurance, the hospital called my mother demanding payment of a few thousand dollars before the performed a D&C on my sister. When my mother told them she had to call the insurance company first, they told her they would just let her bleed to death in the street. I'm sorry but NO US hospital would do that to anybody! Believe me you country and "FREE" healthcare is not all that!

i never said canada was great, i just said I dont know how I would afford it if my care was not free..im sorry about your sister.

I've lived in both countries (US and Canada) and I WAY prefer the US system

Well you took a pretty big chunk out of me.. and yes maybe my life is not perfect, and I AMM still working right now thank you very much, its the father who isnt. I pay for all of the things I need, and its still not enough. Im sorry Im not an expert on your country...but holy do you really have to be so b___hy about it....god!

candaceann1 - whoa that was a little bit harsh... I live in canada too and there are some provinces (bc and alberta) where you have to pay a monthly fee (in BC the highest is $54/month) but it's also based on ur income.. So if you are under 20grand a year, then u don't have to pay for your health care.. while each country has its own quirks, i would rather have free healthcare and not have to worry if I can afford to go to the doctor. also candaceann1 if you go to another country, it would be the person's responsibility to pay the bill and then present it to the insurance company.. at least that's how things work here and I know when my husband went to africa and had to go to a hospital there, he had to pay the bill and then submit the receipts here to get reimbursed. Was your sister living in canada or just visiting? Because even if you come on a visitor visa, you can purchase the health care on a monthly basis and get a health card.. that way if you need to use the hospital then u use the healthcard from that province and u don't pay. So before you go and bash our health care system, it would be nice to know the facts.. But again, having free healthcare does have its drawbacks, such as if you need a surgery, there are long waitlists and sometimes people will go to USA to have that important surgery.. But just for every day stuff and doctor visits, you don't have to pay anything out of pocket.

Vanja-FYI I wasnt bashing your fantastic healthcare. I'm really not concerned about knowing more about it because I have no intentions of ever crossing over into Canada. I was simply stating what our Country offers people without insurance and that you do not get turned away if you do not have insurance. We have the best doctors and hospitals in this Country, that is why people from other countries come here for surgeries. I would rather pay for my healthcare anyday than be put on a waitinglist.

We all pay for healthcare. It doesn't matter were you are from. in the states they pay for health care either from out of there pockets or through insurance. In Canada we pay taxes. The doctor has to get there money from somewhere. There is no such thing as free. All I can say is that being Canada seem alot nicer since we get the 50 weeks Paid Materanity leave but in the long run it doesn't matter which country you live in you pay some how for your health care.

OMG!!! I knew you had to pay for everything an America but that sure is a lot to pay to have a baby> Here in Wales we just pay 23% tax on our income and everything is free from major surgery to a small prescription. They are also talking about paying people to have babies because the number have dropped. I dont know how much they would pay i would guess about £500.00 that is what they give to a mother who doesnt work but it could be more. My husband told me our sister in law (who lives in texas) paid about £30,000.00 for her treatment throughout her pregnancy (she was in and out of hopital and had loads of probs) but i didnt beleve him. I guess has right OMG!

I gathered my medical bills from my first c-section which was 7 years ago to compare how much todays costs. The total paid by my insurance to my doctor and hospital for my entire pregnancy was over $17,000 USD. My insurance cost me $300 a month and I had a $1500 deductible. So it costs me $4200.

Does labor count as an ER visit? I think I have a deductible of a few hundred for that.

I'm a tard, nevermind. ha. I found out that fortunately, the only thing I had to pay for out of pocket was a $15 copay at my first prenatal appt.

I think paying 30,000 out of pocket for L&D isn't the norm in the US. Although you may have heard in the grapevine. Insurance covers 80% of my medical costs, and I have it through my university. Although medical costs are sky high, insurance pays most of it. Those people with no insurance can apply for federally funded medicaid. The women that pay 30,000 out of pocket usually didn't have insurance and had complicated L&D.

p.s or complicated pregnancies not just delivery