What does it really cost: An Emergency C-Section
Our “What does it really cost” series is designed to shed light on how much different women across the country spend on the big life events: having a baby, taking a sabbatical year, moving, getting a master’s degree, buying a house, etc. This week’s feature is on one woman’s ACTUAL costs to have a baby via emergency C-section.
Location: Houston, TX
Age: 31
How much did it cost to have an emergency c-section?
Let’s start by saying my insurance is paid for by my husband’s company. We do not pay for health insurance in his paycheck nor mine, his company takes care of it. Go small companies!! That being said, because we do not pay for insurance, the plan they have us on has a high deductible. High deductible for me (single person) high deductible for family. So when I was going to give birth, I probably called Blue Cross Blue Shield over 100 times in less than 7 months. (I did not know I was pregnant for the first 6 weeks).
Final Costs: Between check ups, bloodwork, my emergency C-section, my daughter’s care, we paid $8,000 out of pocket.
Was this more or less than you were expecting?
Definitely more than I was expecting. For goodness sake my brother’s kid cost him ~$200 to be born. What kind of insurance do they have you ask? Apparently a very good one.
Were there other options that you considered? What are the pros and cons of this compared to other options?
You know this was one thing, I really really liked my OBGYN and she only delivered at this one specific hospital and so I didn’t shop around, but I wish I would have. She moved to Hawaii anyway so I can’t go back to her even if I wanted to. Also, because my daughter was born on a Saturday the “on call” doctor performed the surgery… sooo I guess I could have shopped around. I did have a friend who told me about a birthing center option which was a lot less (about 3k total), but I definitely wanted to be in a hospital which ended up being best since I needed an emergency c-section.
What do you wish you would have known?
Everything insurance. How do people afford having babies?? But overall, I just wish I knew the insurance side more. Like how to communicate, how to ask for specific doctors (in plan versus out) and just how many freaking doctors you need to see while giving birth. Each one costs money, it’s not a packaged deal. Also, what counts towards the deductible and what doesn’t – I feel like even the insurance company didn’t know because I would have to call them back and they would always say “oh that last person just didn’t know” very frustrating.
In conclusion, this woman’s total cost for an emergency c-section was $8,000.
We hope this gives you insights into how someone else navigated the expensive process of having a baby with insurance.
This post was created as part of the “What does it really cost series?” Her Personal Finance’s mission is to help high-earning women take charge of their finances. As an MBA, our founder has a particular passion for supporting this community. Here is a link to a Q&A with Harvard Business School students about finances in school. You can also learn more about our founder and our classes on our website.
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