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Why it costs so much to have a baby in the US - Duration: 3:13.
Childbirth is the primary reason people are hospitalized in America. And to get an idea
of what it actually costs, ,we called up several hospitals to see if they'd tell us. A couple
of them weren't willing to provide any information.* Others actually had prices and estimates.*
But the thing is, none of them would tell us exactly what that price included.* To find
out, you have to have the baby first. And then? You wait for the bill.
In the US, the average total list price for childbirth is a whopping $32,093. For a C-section,
it's $51,125. [Childbirth Connection]. That's the sticker price, before any insurance negotiations
or deductions.
It includes any prenatal care, hospitalization, equipment, anesthesia, lab fees, doctor and
nurse fees. But even after insurance has negotiated the price down, the average cost of childbirth
is still $10,808. That's more expensive than any other country in the world. Compare
it to Australia, where it's half. Or Spain, where it's one-fifth.
The price is still pretty high in other countries - but here's what makes the difference for
some of them: universal health care - where access is guaranteed and prices are fixed.
Australia has it. Spain has it. And in Switzerland, private health insurance is mandatory - and
pregnancy costs are fully covered.
"Hi, it's Renee." "Hey Renee. It's Jessie calling from Axios. Renee is an attending
physician at the San Francisco General Hospital." "Hospitals are allowed to charge whatever
they want. And a lot of people don't know that, but there's no regulation on what
hospitals charge." The insurance company's job is to negotiate that price down. And then
the patient pays whatever portion they're responsible for. But that number can vary
wildly.
One new parent we spoke to likened the whole situation to going to the grocery store, picking
out essentials with no ability to see cost or compare and then getting a cryptic bill
for it 2 months later.
"I mean - I should say that, you know, it's not just childbirth - I think childbirth is
one of the things that gets talked about because it is the most common reason people are hospitalized…
exorbitant prices – it's more the rule than the exception--"
The government, insurance companies, hospitals and doctors continue to fight about solutions.
Right now, patients are trapped in the middle.
The price of childbirth affects every family. And there's a whole host of other complications
and factors that could make prices even higher for mothers - like having twins or premature
babies.
Even for something as commonplace as childbirth, and despite spending so much money,
the U.S. still has high infant mortality rates... and surging maternal mortality rates, the
worst in the developed world.
For now, families are stuck with a service where you don't know what you're paying
for until you actually have to pay for it.
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Monster Truck Driving Simulator - New Best Android Game HQ - Duration: 5:16.
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