Oh my goodness

[WantsALittle1]

Just got the NICU bill for a 35-day stay... $299,000! Sheeeeeesh.

So grateful for insurance, and for everyone who took care of our precious baby and helped us bring her home safe and happy. We could not be more blessed.

 

[AP]

I've seen some really scary looking bills from the US! You're right - thank goodness for your insurance!!!

 

[Poorah]

Yikes, that is a lot of money!

Bet she's worth it though x

 

[WantsALittle1]

Yikes, that is a lot of money!

Bet she's worth it though x

Most definitely!

 

[keyahopes]

Our 35 day stay ran up to close to a million. wow.

 

[Agiboma]

Yeah that is very high

 

[mommyof3co]

Crazy!! I have always wondered what Preston's was. He had to be transferred to another hospital which I know costs a ridiculous amount. Plus he needed so much support. He was only there 15 days but from what we've figured out based on others he was probably at least 1/2 million. It's crazy the prices

 

[WTBmyBFP]

That is terrifying. I wonder what our bill will be. I've been here for ten weeks and have three girls with guaranteed time in the NICU. Yay for insurance!

 

[mommy0629]

I just got the copy of Leah's bill yesterday and from birth to her 14 day stay it was almost $100,000. Thank God for insurance is right, but what cost that much seriously? I mean I could see maybe $10,000 for her care but 100,000 really?? Just crazy

 

[WantsALittle1]

I just got the copy of Leah's bill yesterday and from birth to her 14 day stay it was almost $100,000. Thank God for insurance is right, but what cost that much seriously? I mean I could see maybe $10,000 for her care but 100,000 really?? Just crazy

I agree. NICU care runs anywhere from $6,000 - $10,000 a day. I haven't seen an itemized bill yet, but to give you an idea of why it's so expensive... I had to have emergency surgery for a ruptured hemorrhagic ovarian cyst in 2007. I was getting jacked around by the insurance company so I took a look at the EOB (Explanation of Benefits): $28 for a single 200mg ibuprofen dose, $18 for a single benadryl dose, $50 for a shitty hospital meal...

You can get a bottle of 100 ibuprofen for about $6.99 at a drug store. At a hospital, you pay for 'expert dosing' of that ibuprofen and all kinds of ridiculous crap that isn't real. The truth is that the hospital needs a CAT scan machine, an MRI machine, lots of ultrasound machines, insurances, a beautiful entry hall, and so the uber-inflated prices mean that you're not just paying for the medication; you're paying for a small percentage of each of those things. It's terrifying, and it's the reason that healthcare is such a problem in the U.S. Staying the night in a hospital bed is $2,000 - $4,000, even if all you're doing is literally staying the night in a bed.

 

[ahcigar1]

The most agravating thing about our LO's NICU bills wasn't the fact that they were high, it was the fact that we recieved soo damn many of them and are still recieving them a year later! Our hospital contracts our everything and so if a doctor or nurse even just glanced at our LO they sent us a bill. It has gotten so confusing for my husband to keep track of it all.

 

[Lottie86]

I absolutely dread to think of the bill we'd have if we didn't have the NHS over here in the UK as we had a 331 day stay with *lots* of complications, multiple operations, ultrasounds and xrays, an mri, daily blood tests plus others as needed, multiple blood and platelet transfusions, huge amounts of meds and for 8 months when she had intestinal failure her daily intravenous nutrition was over £1000 (approx $1700) per day! Add the general costs of hospital care and basic care to that and she'd be a multi million dollar baby. Her IV nutrition alone works out at over $400,000

Does your insurance pay for everything or do you have to pay any of it yourself? What do they do if parents don't have insurance as no one has that amount of money, do they just refuse to treat the baby?

 

[Srrme]

My son's bill for his first day in the NICU was $20,000.

 

[ahcigar1]

Does your insurance pay for everything or do you have to pay any of it yourself? What do they do if parents don't have insurance as no one has that amount of money, do they just refuse to treat the baby?

With the insurance we don't have to pay very much. Our LO's NICU bills have totaled up to be about $200,000 but we only had to pay about $3,000. But it all depends on one's insurance plan. For us we have to pay up to 10% of the bill before our deductable is met. Then after our deductable is met we don't have to pay anything except for doctor visit copay which is only $25. For someone who doesn't have insurance, the doctors still do the care but it is more costly. And many times the doctors will work through a payment plan with you and more often than not will deduct some of the cost.

My brother and his wife had health insurance but since they weren't planning on having any more children they didn't get a plan that covered pregnancy. But the week after they signed up for the insurance they found out she was pregnant. Because of this her whole pregnance and delivery were not covered. The total cost of everything was about $10,000. They are now on a payment plan of paying $100/month to pay it off (no interest).

 

[Crayz]

My husband and I did the math one day just for shits and giggles.

If it costs 10K a day for a baby in the NICU, plus another 25K for my c-section/hospital stay, our daughter cost close to a half million dollars.

We call her the "Million Dollar Baby."

Thankfully, my husband is in the military, and our insurance covers every penny. We will never receive any paperwork or bills, but I would like to see one just for curiosity's sake.

I'm so glad to hear your LO is healthy and finally home with you!!! It's such a great feeling to be able to cuddle with them WHENEVER YOU WANT!

Oh.. And no wires!!

 

[WTBmyBFP]

Thank goodness for insurance! Our three gals are progressing nicely but are all still in the NICU and probably will be for a couple weeks. I still have two to three days and my insurance expires mid November. I'm very fortunate to be a military spouse as well so DHs insurance picks up my co-pay for now, and every penny once my insurance drops out!

 

[WantsALittle1]

Thank goodness for insurance! Our three gals are progressing nicely but are all still in the NICU and probably will be for a couple weeks. I still have two to three days and my insurance expires mid November. I'm very fortunate to be a military spouse as well so DHs insurance picks up my co-pay for now, and every penny once my insurance drops out!

Three babies in the NICU! Oh my. Having one in there was hard, but that's gotta be tough. So glad to hear that they are doing well. I just stalked your TTC journal and prego thread... what a great story/journey! Hope you are feeling better and can get into the NICU to visit your girlies a little more! Kangaroo time is the best

 

[Foogirl]

Gawd bless the UK and it's darned socialist healthcare system. What gets me most is that the actual cost here is so much lower than it is in the US. Just goes to show how insurance companies are taking the piss.