Comments on: Affording the Birth You Want

By: Mama

Mama — Sat, 29 May 2010 13:54:51 +0000

I was able to get a ‘student’ doula for my first birth. It was free, she had all of her training, just needed births to get her technical certification. My Bradley instructor gave me her information, and she did great. I considered hiring another student for this birth… but I loved my doula (who is now incredible and is booked solid if you try to book past 3 months pregnant.)

By: Racheal

Racheal — Fri, 28 May 2010 19:08:54 +0000

INCOME TAX RETURN! How many people take that money & go buy a bigger tv, or new video game system or something of the like… well, in the bank it will be there when you need it later in the year. Unless you have an ‘uh oh’ baby then somewhere between planning & birth there will be an income tax return & people usually have a general idea of how much it will be. So even if it isn’t enough to cover the whole thing, put it in the bank & use other methods to add to it. Also, figure if it is in the bank for many months & getting a good interest rate that can easily be 30 or 40 dollars more added to the till.

By: Maegan

Maegan — Fri, 28 May 2010 18:59:00 +0000

Many insurance companies have a reimbursement process for providers or types of care outside of the “allowed” people/places/things covered. If I paid the cost out of pocket, I just had to submit a claim to my insurance carrier and I was reimbursed 60%. Which is still A LOT better than paying the full cost! And somethings they paid 60% of the “negotiated” cost. If you’ve ever looked at your statement from the insurance company and it has the “cost” and “covered” cost or whatever…Your doc charged $100, but the insurance negotiated it down to $80…You don’t pay the overage, but the doctor was paid $80 for their services instead of $100. If you submit a claim, there is often still a negotiated cost limit, I think of the $500 or so I submitted to my insurance provider $450 was the max they would have paid for that type of procedure anyway…so I got 60% of $450 back. It can be a little confusing…but worth looking in to. I think I ended up having paid about $250 “out of pocket” after all the reimbursing process was said & done. That was for a doctor out of my network who had to “okay” my VBAC.

By: Liz Baer

Liz Baer — Fri, 28 May 2010 18:54:47 +0000

This is a great article. With my fourth (and last!) baby, I was able to make payments until my tax return came, at which point I paid the balance.

By: Ashley Fuller

Ashley Fuller — Fri, 28 May 2010 18:45:52 +0000

If you’re planning on getting pregnant next year, think about setting up your or your partner’s FSA account (if it’s offered through one of your jobs). It pulls money out of your paychecks starting at the beginning of the year, pre-tax, and puts it into an account that you can use to get reimbursed for medical expenses. Our pamphlet said that the average savings from having money set aside pre-tax was $17 out of every $100 set aside.
Add up how much your hospital and doctor bill will cost you after insurance. Then compare that to how much an alternative provider or doula will cost. My midwife seems expensive since we’re paying her up front, but the total cost is almost identical to what we paid for my daughter’s hospital birth once you add all the bills together. Sometimes a little perspective goes a long way!

By: Rachel

Rachel — Mon, 03 May 2010 02:14:39 +0000

I want to second bartering and payment plans; also ask about sliding scales. Even if the care provider, CBE, or doula you want to hire doesn’t mention it, most are very open to helping families have the birth and support that they desire to have. As a doula I’m more than willing to barter, make a payment plan or consider lowering my fee for someone who truly doesn’t have the resources. But please, please, please follow through with your end of the deal, whether it be goods/services or payment following services rendered. Those few who decide not to finish their payment plan ruin it for so many others.

By: Anisa

Anisa — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 23:53:47 +0000

Also – consider hiring an intern midwife! She’s fully trained, just needs to catch babies under supervision until she’s certfied. She’s usually less expensive then her fully certified counter parts, AND she will come with a certified midwife to the prenatals and birth, so it’s like two midwives for LESS than the price of one!