How much does it cost to become pregnant and give birth to a child? In the case of America

ByFelipe Skroski

When you give birth to a child, it is coming in and getting furniture and tools together, but how much does it cost to actually get hospitalized and give birth? As a result, we tried to estimate birth costs in the case of living in the USA in advance on YouTube. Although it is commonplace to present prices beforehand when purchasing items, it is clear that marvelous situations such as that "normal" can not be communicated about childbirth.

Giving birth costs a lot. Hospitals will not tell you how much. - YouTube


As children can do it, everything from child seats and beds to diapers is required, but how long will it cost "hospital birth costs" among them?


The United States is known for its high medical expenses compared with other countries such as the Netherlands, France and Canada.


Some experts say, "One reason why medical expenses become expensive is that people do not compare and examine medical expenses unlike purchasing cars, because it is rare."


So, Mr. Oliver, a narrator of the movie, decided to investigate how much it costs when giving birth in the USA before giving birth to his wife Isabel.


In fact, the most common reason people go to hospitals in the United States is about "birth", and in 2015, 3.8 million women gave birth. As it is so popular, I anticipate that the birth costs will be well-known ... ...


Search by Google first.


It was my research at Yale University that I arrived.


In a word, saying "childbirth at a hospital", it ranges from kind of room to facilities, and it costs as much as 1,000 dollars (about 130,000 yen) to 10, 1986 dollars (about 1.3 million yen) It was said that it was written.


It seems necessary to ask the hospital directly to know the actual cost. At the hospital there is a list called "Charge Master" with all prices related to medical service and treatment.


For example, when you talk with a doctor for 20 minutes, the cost is 109.32 dollars (about 11 1700 yen) and 219.71 dollars (about 23,600 yen). At this time, the service has different codes assigned to each item.


And the cover value of each item differs depending on the insurance company.


That is, when Isabel goes to the hospital, barcodes are read for items of various services ... ...


Ultimately we will apply for medical payment called "CLAIM" to health companies.


Based on CLAIM, the health company decides the amount to cover according to the policy and contacts the hospital.


Then, the hospital informs the patient of the actual billing amount.


Oliver, who called a number of hospitals, is supposed to know the code if he knows the code.


Even though I kept calling for 3 and a half hours, I was turned around and I could not get a clear answer.


And the most frequent answer is "Cost is known after birth". When buying something you do not know the price beforehand, it is a situation you can not imagine that the price will be found for the first time after purchase for the first time, but this seems to be normal for birth.


However, as a result of placing 30 calls in 2 weeks, I finally got a consultant 's opinion about the cost of giving birth.


According to a consultant, the birth cost estimate was $ 347 (about 37,000 yen).


And the time of birth actually came.


A baby was born through standard treatment ......


The total staying time at the hospital was two days.


Four weeks later ......


According to the invoice I received, the actual payment amount is 841 dollars (about 90,000 yen), which is about 50,000 yen higher than the estimate.


Although the disadvantages of the American medical system were clarified through childbirth, such as having too much difference in medical expenses, not being able to estimate in advance, Oliver said "There is absolutely no dissatisfaction" before a cute baby. It was.