Does is really cost 4,000-12,000$ to have a baby? ?

Question

I thought it would be a few hundred but I'm seeing things on the internet saying that couples pay thousands of dollars to the hospital just to have a doctor deliver the baby?

Answer 1

I would say that's about right ($12,000).  When I had my son in 1999 in MA it cost $10,000.  My insurance company picked up everything except having my son circumcised, as the insurance company considered the $520.00 procedure elective.    

  

Answer 2

It is very expensive to have a child. The crib alone can be a ton of money here are some prices for cheaper end items

Crib- $299

Bottles- $40-60

clothes-$100-150 at least

Breast pump-$75-150

Highchair-$100-200

Bedding-$100-300

Changing Table-$50-200

Dresser-(any price)

bassinet- $75-200\

Bath seat-$10-50

Diapers-tons of moenmoneyough out diaper years

wipes- tons of money through out wip wipers

and then there is all the little items.

that can add up  also so the least from my list is about  $699 and then  it can be a lot more depending on the brands and i left out a lot of things like diapers, wipes, towels, clothes, and many others.

Answer 3

It depends on your insurance coverage.  

Without insurance, $4-12K is not an unreasonbly large estimate.

Answer 4

It's true.  My son's nine months old and I'm still making payments to the hospital.  It's cost me over $3,000.  And that's WITH insurance.

Answer 5

it depends on your insurance or lack there of.... also all the prenatal visits and testing then the delivery and minimum 2 days in the hospital if everything go perfect. i don't know an amount but i would guess at least 10k without insurance

Answer 6

just had a baby and it was 7000. wish I could have got on medical then it is free.

Answer 7

that's CRAZY!! i live in northern ireland, and unless you go private, you dont have to pay for medical services! i cant believe that you have to pay to have a baby!

what would happen if you didn't pay? or if you were having a heart attack... would a doctor not help you? sorry I'm a bit baffled!  

Answer 8

have a mid wife deliver its cheaper

Answer 9

If you have decent insurance, then all the costs out of pocket end up being a couple hundred dollars.  But yes, total charges at most hospitals run into the thousands of dollars.

Answer 10

Depends where you live...

I am so lucky, i havent had to pay a penny!

I had my baby in AB Canada and live in the UK.  

Answer 11

I had insurance and I owed 4 thousand. If I didn't have insurance I would have owed more than 30 thousand. You never know what complications can arise. The 30k was only for the birth, not for all my appts and sonograms.

Answer 12

I'm in NY and it cost me $10,000 for my labor/delivery/stay/dr fees and cost $6,000 for all fees to do with the baby. His discharge from the hospital alone was $400. Insane. But thankfully I have US Military insurance and they cover 100% of everything, mom & baby.

Answer 13

Yeah, it's like REALLY expensive, there's the doctor to pay, the anesthesiologist, boarding, food, etc etc.

Answer 14

Yes, it costs that much.  When my son was born in 2004, the cost for my wife's hospital stay, my son's stay and care for both of them was more than $11,000.00.  The baby's delivery and care was about $8,000 and my wife's care was about $3,000.00 (four days in the hospital due to birth by Cesarean section)

IN 2004!!!

Answer 15

no, it dosent really cost 4-12,000 dollars. It can cost more than a hundred thousand if you do it right.

Answer 16

I just had a baby girl in June & it only cost us $400 in the hospital with all the doctor bills it was probaly $1,000!If your in a big city like LA,New York or Las Vegas it would probaly be more expensive though!

Answer 17

It costs loads more than that, those figures are just average hospital fees for regular vaginal births without complications.

Answer 18

it could be inflation

Answer 19

not if you have insurance

Answer 20

Your estimates are rather low actually.   Especially if you have no insurance.   A 2 day hospital stay can cost $2000 or more and that does not include the doctor's fees, medicines,  which can go another $2000 - $4000.   If there are any complications where you have to stay in the hospital longer or have to have a C-section, these costs can rise considerably WELL past the $12,000 figure you used in your initial question... For example.  in 1978  (30 YEARS AGO),  I had a c-section and both myself and my son were sick and needed to stay in the hospital 12 days.   Both were in intensive care for 3 days as well. Total cost was well over $24,000 - - - all of which was taken care of by my wonderful health insurance coverage...   Then, you can't forget about the cost of raising that bab once you arrive home from the hospital... I think it costs something like $150,000 - $200,000 to raise a child from birth to 18 years old.  Then, there are college costs... so it never ends.   Maybe this is something for you YOUNGSTERS to think about if you are contemplating having a baby....

Answer 21

This all depends on insurance.  If a couple has good insurance it is not bad at all.  My husband & I have blue cross/blue shield and I am pregnant with my third baby.  My last child was a c-section & I only had to pay $250 for both me & my son's hospital stay, the surgery, & everything.  Without insurance it can be very costly & even with some types of insurance it can be pretty up there.

Answer 22

That is the average cost for having the child, in the first place.  Insurance usually picks up a large portion of that cost.

The other figure to think about is, the average cost to raise a child is $250,000.

Answer 23

my son and i total cost, prenatal and surgery, was 17,000 dolllars. that was 5yrs ago and all ipaid for was $35 for tv. I had good insurance for having a baby

Answer 24

Yup, it was around 7,000-8,000 for me but only dr & hospital

There's A LOT more expenses then just that.

All of the baby stuff & diapers.. It's NOT cheap

Answer 25

It depends on the hospital.  Many have "pre-pay" plans for uninsured patients.  They give you a fairly large discount if you pay upfront.  For our hospital it was $3000.  This does not include your doctor.  Most OB's will offer the same.  My OB's "pre-pay" was $3200.  This is generally for regular visits and does not included charges for any additional visits due to complications.  It also doesn't it include your ultrasound visit (this is usually a different doctor), lab/blood work or prescriptions.

Having a baby can be very costly if you don't have insurance.  Be sure to speak with your OB and hospital about uninsured discounts.  If you are pregnant, do not have insurance and you live in the states you should consider applying for medicaid for pregnant women.  Approval is based on your household income.  If approved, they cover everything.

Good Luck

Answer 26

If you have no insurance and the hospital knows up front, they will admit you when your contractions are on top of each other and release you when your baby is a couple hours old. A lot of the "costs" is the hospital room for the night, the hospital supplies, all the nurses checking on you and baby... They will also usually charge cash patients less for silly things... for example they won't charge a cash patient $30 for the box of tissues in your room, but if you had insurance they will definately charge them for tissues.

Answer 27

I think that is outdated, most hospitals charge a LOT more than $4,000 for a normal, vaginal, drug-free delivery.  Add in a couple thousand for an anesthesiologist and an epidural and a few hundred for Motrin afterward and it can easily push the price of a normal delivery to $12,000+  Plus, don't forget prenatal care which also runs $2,000-6,000.  Cesareans run $25,000 or MORE and are averaging about 33% of all deliveries, most of which are unnecessary.  (The WHO recommends keeping the c-section rate below 10-15%)

If home birth in your state is legal, it is MUCH cheaper.  My midwife charges $2,000 and that covers all prenatal, delivery & postpartum exams, as well as 4 well baby checks.  My care I got with her is SO much better than it was with any OB I have ever seen.

If you want to see some startling facts on the financial aspect of birth and how increased technology is hurting more than helping, watch "The Business of Being Born".