Monday, March 14, 2022 (HealthDay News)-Taking your baby home is an exciting and blissful time, but for many new parents, the huge out-of-pocket costs for pregnancy and childbirth are this milestone. Take away joy from.
A new study shows that some low-income households spend nearly 20% of their annual income on medical expenses during the year of pregnancy and childbirth.
“Many families are at financial risk when they become pregnant and give birth,” said research author Dr. Jessica Peterson, a maternal-fetal medicine fellow at Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York City. “Because of the prevalence of medical bankruptcy in this country, unpaid invoices for pregnancy and childbirth can lead to bankruptcy due to other unpaid medical costs and medical debt.”
Unfortunately, the United States has no policy to help stop these catastrophic medical costs, Peterson said.
In this study, researchers compared the medical costs of more than 10% of the income of families of more than 4,000 new parents to the medical costs of nearly 8,000 non-pregnant people. To do this, they used data from the 2008-2016 Healthcare Panel Survey.
Studies have shown that as income declines, the amount consumed by pregnancy and childbirth increases.
Studies show that low-income new parents were at greatest risk of catastrophic health care costs exceeding 10% of their family’s income in a particular year. These families spent about 19% of their household income on medical expenses, but when health insurance premiums were included in their spending, this increased to 30%.
New parents also report that they are likely to be unemployed and have a high rate of gaining or losing Medicaid during the year of delivery.
The authors of the study state that it is very expensive to have a baby in the United States, even with private insurance, especially private insurance.
Studies have shown that low-income people with public health insurance, including Medicaid, are less likely to suffer high out-of-pocket costs, especially when health insurance premiums are taken into account. Despite that promise, affordable care methods did not significantly reduce the risk of high out-of-pocket costs for new parents.
“Citizenship insurance doesn’t protect you from catastrophic medical costs for pregnancy and childbirth. It’s actually a risk factor for premiums and deductions,” Peterson said.
She advised that if you plan to become pregnant, start saving now.
Still, she admitted that saving is easier than it sounds, as many people trying to get pregnant haven’t reached a sufficient income potential yet.
The study was published online on March 10th Obstetrician and gynecologist..
Experts who were not involved in the study agreed that high out-of-pocket costs are a very common scenario for new parents.
Dr. Mya Zapata, an obstetrician and gynecologist at UCLA Health in Los Angeles, said the invoices wouldn’t start to pile up until a few months after the newborn came home.
Zapata suggested that you check your insurance policy before giving birth to see what is covered and what is not. “Just because you have a’good plan’and you don’t have to pay for other medical services doesn’t mean you won’t get pregnant and give birth,” she said. “When it comes to childbirth care, your plan may have warnings that can lead to increased out-of-pocket costs of up to thousands of dollars.”
According to Zapata, you may ask if a particular test is medically necessary or clinically indicated during pregnancy. “Health providers may have routine ultrasonography in their practice, although not medically necessary,” she added. Tests that are not considered medically necessary are not covered by insurance.
She said the cost would be higher if there were complications during pregnancy and / or childbirth.
Sometimes additional costs may be tolerated, Zapata said. “You can also charge and push to cover them, or work with your healthcare system to create a payment plan,” she said.
Invoices are not limited to delivery. Cindy Siegel, a social worker at the Shady Grove Medical Center in Rockville, Maryland, says the cost of raising a baby can overwhelm many families.
Siegel often advises new parents who are worried about the cost of their baby coming home. “I help them apply for medical assistance and give them a phone number and website where they can apply,” she said.
For more information
Healthcare.gov has tips on health insurance if you are pregnant, planning a pregnancy, or have recently given birth.
Source: Dr. Jessica Peterson, Maternal-Fetal Medicine Fellow, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York City. Mya Zapata, MD, Obstetrician and Gynecologist, UCLA Health, Los Angeles; Cindy Siegel, Social Worker, Shady Grove Medical Center, Rockville Maryland; Obstetrician and gynecologistMarch 10, 2022, online
