10/28/2021
Did you give birth at home, in a birth center, or in a hospital? Did you have insurance or pay out of pocket? Was there a huge variance in cost between the births of your children?
In recent years, patients have noticed more "upcoding" on their bills. One way is by charging patients for emergency services, even for routine things like vaginal births. Some hospitals package OB services in an "obstetrical emergency department", or OB-EDs. Do you know what you're paying for?
"Expectant parents should be aware that OB-EDs are a relatively new feature at some hospitals. Ask whether your hospital has that kind of charge and how it will affect your bill. Ahead of time, ask both the hospital and your insurer how much the birth is expected to cost."
Read (or listen to) "A hospital hiked the price of a routine childbirth by calling it an 'emergency;" for more information: https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2021/10/27/1049138668/childbirth-how-hospitals-inflate-bills
