I got a question for y'all, but let me set up the situation first. I have health insurance, but I have a $5000 deductible (horrible, huh?). And I find out that baby delivery, hospital stay, etc. is not covered initially, but is covered once the deductible is met. My Dr. told us that here in Flagstaff, the average cost of delivery is about $6600, which means I have to pay all of the deductible before anything else is paid. Ken and I thought we'd talk to the billing dept. here and offer to pay cash up front if we could get a discount, but our Dr. told us they probably wouldn't help us, seeing that they are the only hospital around for miles, and can charge whatever rate they want. My Dr's suggestion: Have the baby in Phoenix. There are plenty of hospitals there, and she was certain we could cut a deal at at least one of them. The only problem - Phoenix is 2 hours away, on a good traffic day. She says - that's no problem for the first baby. But I'm not so sure.
I'm not looking for scary stories, but practical comments. Is it feasible to drive 2 hours to have the baby in Phoenix? How soon would you want to drive back to Flagstaff after having the baby? Is it worth it to save a few thousand dollars?
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First question. Would your doctor deliver in Phoenix? If she did would there be an extra charge tehre? Or would you get some random doctor on call or would you have to start going to phoenix for your appointments?
I definitely think it is worth a call to ask if they would discount with payment up front. Your doctor may be right but a chunk of cash in hand or endless monthly payments/billings may sway them.
We had a similar issue with Savanna. Our deductible was $5000 and a delivery with no complications and no epidural was about $4000. So really insurance would only come into play if we had 'unusual' circumstances. We got about a $1200 discount by paying up front and it didn't have to be cash they accepted a credit card.
As far as driving to phoenix while in labor, that is tricky to me. Yes MOST first babies have plenty of time in labor to get there in time, but not all. It sometimes runs in families, you might ask your Mom and sisters if their labors were long or short. Also if you are definitely in labor, driving two hours in a car on a good day does not sound fun to me. As far as coming home, that is a hard question too. Some babies do just fine in the car seat right away and some hate it with a passion and cry and cry. I'm not sure there is any good way to predict what yours might be like.
Perhaps call a hospital in phoenix and see what the price might be so you can get a good feel for what the savings would really be.
Kat: Thanks for the feedback. Lots to think about. To answer your questions - No, my doctor would not come to Phoenix, so I would just get some random doctor. But I've heard that it's not always a guarantee that my Dr. would deliver my baby anyway, even if I was in Flagstaff. And no, I don't think I'd have to start going to Phoenix for my appts.
We contacted a hospital charity when our insurance wouldn't cover it. Depending on what you make will depend on a % of what they will pay for you. You should give it a try, it couldn't hurt :).
I'm with Kat about checking w/the hospital near you about a cash discount. Competition or not, they want to be paid and having cash in hand may convince them to cut you a deal.
Why not price it at both hospitals and compare?
As for as the 2 hour drive... surely it has been done before and as Kat said, most first babies do give plenty of time.
No scary stories here, but my sis had a very very fast first baby (all was fine but quick).
Also.. consider that sometimes laboring moms don't quite know what to expect (and are anxious about it too) and sometimes they go into the hospital to be checked and then are sent home. Being 2 hours away complicates this. Would you go to a hotel if they wouldn't keep you?
2) They may opt to keep you even if they didn't need to simply because of the distance, which could lead to them to want to use Pitocin (so think that scenario through and decide how you want to handle it).
As you make your decision, you may need to weigh your own emotional needs as well as the savings. A lot of first time moms are anxious about their first delivery even though they've read all the books! Having the stress of a long drive, the worries about making it in time, and dealing with an unfamiliar doctor may add to that, and you'll have to decide if the savings are worth it.
It is comforting to have your own doctor deliver, even though it's never a guarantee.
Good luck w/deciding.
Ha! You made me jump with that title...
Christie: thanks for suggestion about the hospital charity. Not sure if they have that here, but worth checking into.
Brenda: You're right, sometimes peace of mind is worth more than money. I mean, the last thing I want to do is be stressed when I'm having a baby :)
I delivered here but several people in my ward deliver in Phoenix so I know it is possible. That's a hard choice!
Here is another scenerio. Let's say you drive to Phoenix and deliver and there are complications with the baby and they want to keep the baby in NICU. They will release you after a couple of days, but your baby will have to stay. Now you are faced with the dilema of driving back and forth every day for who knows how long to be with your baby. Also, if your baby has a certain level of jaundice, you will have to return to the hospital for additional heel pokes to check the bilirubin levels. Just another dilema to consider.
There is no guarantee that your doctor will deliver your baby, but since it is your first, you have a good chance of going over your due date. At that time you may schdule an induction. Are you in a co-op office where you see a different doctor each appointment? If you are at least you would have met the doctor a couple of times. If you deliver in Phoenix, they wouldn't know any of your history.
My sister in law just had her first. She started having contractions Tuesday night and by the time they went to the hospital Wednesday morning, she was already an 8! She went really fast, so you never know. I personally wouldn't want to jump in a car and drive 2 hours (on a good day)if I was in labor. I'd rather go to the closest place and not have to worry about traffic, the car breaking down, etc. But that is just me. :)
I'd call the hospital and talk with them. In the economy that we are in it can't hurt. Your delivery will cost more than the $5000. Does that deductible cover just you and all the things associated with the delivery(room, anestesiologist, nurses,doctor, etc.)or does it also cover the new baby. One insurance policy we had had a $500 deductible for me, and a $500 deductible for my son. You may want to check so you don't have any additional suprises.
You have time to make an informed decision. I commend you for getting all the info early. One less thing you will have to worry about.
hey sharon. it wouldn't hurt to talk to the biling department about paying cash. i'm sure that they have some sort of system/option/plan. not to put a damper on things, but it will cost A LOT more then what you said. you have your Dr bill, your hospital bill, your baby's Dr bill, and your baby's hospital bill. (insert 'sigh' here)
my other worry is what kmmclain said above about the baby having to stay in the hospital longer then you. i know that sometimes they offer family rooms close to the NICU but those are first come first serve, and you know you would want to be close to your baby. that just adds to the expense (hotel, gas, food . . .).
one other option is to have it in flagstaff and go home early. I stayed in the hospital 2 nights. kylee was born late friday night, and I could have gone home with the baby sometime saturday but decided to stay one more night and go home sunday. if everything goes well, the bill might not be as much. call the hospital and find out what they charge for one night stay, what the baby bill will be and if they will do a discount for cash. also, it can't be that much less expensive to deliver down in the valley, so make sure you call down there and ask before you make your decision. then make sure you add on all the hassel it will be.
my thought about the drive: if you are in true labor it would be the worst 2 1/2 hours of your life; make sure you pack everything you will need in case of emergency delivery; if you only think you are in labor it would just waste your time; do you want to use pitocin or be induced?; i don't know how long you would want to wait before you drove home; on the way home you will have a sore bottom and you will be tired, so will baby, daddy will be tired too.
just a side note: you are paying toward your deductible with Dr visits. whether you have the baby here or in phoenix it is going to be expensive. what if either hosptial say that just for the hospital bill for your delivery they will charge $5,000 for cash payment. then you still have to pay both Drs and baby's bill. if the cash up front deal is going to meet your deductible I would opt to use insurance and have the rest covered. additional side note to think about: baby will have their own deductible.
it is smart that you are thinking about this before hand, but try not to stress out about it too much (like i know you will).
Sharon,
AS you know I had my baby in Kingman, AZ I know the average cost their is around 3,000. I LOVE my Dr. there and I love the smaller hospital. I drove back two days after I had maddy. I would talk to a Dr. about an inducing date. MOST dr. not the ones here, but most will set a date.
Since distance to the hospital might bring up the issue of a having a scheduled induction, can I add my opinion on that?
I've had two kids, one from induction and one that came on her own. Having experienced both, I have to say that I liked going into labor on my own better. I know everyone's experiences are different, though.
Of course I'd do an induction again if there was medical need to do so, but I'd never opt to have one.
Did the $6600 figure include anesthesia? I heard that a vaginal birth with anesthesia is more like $9,000 at FMC (not trying to scare you). I'd also check into the price for Phoenix births as it may/may not be worth all the trouble in the end.
Also one more thing to think about...If there are any complications that occur during labor that were not factored into the price and you choose the cash payment (either Phx or Flag), you will then have to meet your deductible on top of that for the complications to be covered by insurance. I hear c-sections are approximately $15,000 at FMC and about $12,000 in Phx with insurance.
You might be able to wait and see what the total is before committing to either one.
There is also the choice of having a midwife and using the birthing center. I think the midwife route costs about $3000. Again if there are any complications that arise needing the hospital, the deductible will still need to be met on top of that.
Have you considered another place like Prescott or Cottonwood? They might be cheaper alternatives to Flagstaff and closer alternatives than Phoenix.
All 3 of my babies averaged a cost of about $9000 - $13,000!! That was total with dr. bills, labs, tests, ultrasounds, hospital stays (plan on more than one - ya never know), anesthesia, etc. I wouldn't make a decision quite yet either.
Every woman is different, obviously (you can tell from the comments), but I am all about proximity to the hospital. Even if you want to have to same dr or find one you just LOVE all that matters is that the baby is delivered safely. You never know how quick things might progress with labor, even if you have an induction date. (I am having sympathy labor pains just thinking about it ha ha)
Good luck!
Sharon, it sounds like you have a lot of suggestions going so far. I know it sounds crazy, but do you have your heart set on delivering at the hospital? We had an amazing experience with the midwives up there (as you know) but our whole birth only costed about 3,000. The cost is about half of what it sounds like you would pay at the hospital, I have to be honest I had no idea the running average was that much. I of course would recommend the midwives glowingly, I am just not sure if that's even something you would want to do or a route you'd want to go. I hope all is going well so far, we are so excited to hear more!!
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