Planning on Having a Child? Read This, First!

Guess which country is the most expensive in which to give birth?  That's correct--the United States.  I suppose this really shouldn't be a big surprise, but in light of this fact, shouldn't we expect to have the lowest infant mortality rate?  I wrote about this in my May first blog entitled, "The Business of Being Born," in which I list a number of surprising countries that have a lower infant mortality rate than we: Cuba, Brunei, Croatia and Cyprus being among them.  What number are we in the US?  Number 34! Why is it that we pay the most of any nation in the world and receive, at best, mediocre results?

Did you know that the average hospital bill (this does not include the doctor's fees) for a C-section is over $14,000.00 and that for a simple vaginal delivery is over $9,000.00?  Why?  The answer appears to be, "fee for service," billing.  In layman's terms, "nickel and diming," practices.  Charges for every least little service/therapy that is delivered (no pun intended).  However, it really isn't as simple as that.

Recently, a medical doctor delivered her baby at a hospital.  She waited until the last minute, delivering 15 minutes after arriving.  She stayed that night and took her little one home early the next day.  Her baby stayed with her in the room and she received no medications during her short stay.  What was her hospital bill?  Over $14,000.00!!!!  She was appalled.  Now, we in the medical profession are pretty adept at understanding "billing-speak" and she combed over the bill.  It turns out that she was billed for two nights at $2200.00 a night (can you imagine what kind of high end spa at which we could pamper ourselves for that price?), pain medication that she was never given, nursery fees for two days in which her baby never stayed and numerous other fees, representing services of which she never received. After considerable negotiations with the hospital, it generously reduced the bill to around $9,000.00.

This story is not an isolated incident.  Indeed, it most likely represents the norm.  I believe part of the reason for these outrageous billing practices is because hospitals need to make up for fee losses as the result of being mandated to treat uninsured and under-insured people.  However, I think we need to be honest, here, and call out the hospitals for what many might consider to be outright lies and and deceptive billing practices.

What can be done about this, I truly do not know.  Most consumers find the bills they receive complex and difficult to read....perhaps, by design.  If we stay quiet, these deceptive practices will most definitely continue.  I see no relief offered by our President's health care reform.  Indeed, as we will all be forced to obtain health care in order to pay for those who cannot afford it, I see no reason the hospitals should change their billing practices.  Until consumers demand full disclosure and easy-to-understand hospital billing, nothing will change and we will continue to live in the country that charges the most to have a child without being held accountable for our high infant mortality rate.
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