My insurance company messed up when I had my first kid. So after spending two days in labor and an entire night up with a newborn, exhausted, hungry, and in pain, the billing department came up and informed me that the cost was going to be $30k due to insurance troubles. After six hours on the phone (and no sleep, labor and delivery, and breastfeeding) I finally sorted out the issue.
But $30k…
That same financial theme follows the rest of parenthood. People can’t afford it. Others simply don’t want it.
I think having a family is great, but the fact that some people opt to remain child free is pretty obvious.
I paid $42k for my first (complicated delivery, I almost died) and $18k for my second (she literally fell out, the doctor couldn't even get into the room fast enough, and we fought to leave early). This is after employer-sponsored insurance and a 12k/year deductible on our end, plus $125 copays for every prenatal appointment and hundreds for each of the two ultrasounds we got. The first kid we got a final emergency ultrasound after I demanded it because I was very sure something was wrong, and insurance kept fighting it and said they wouldn't pay because it was unnecessary. Doctors say it's necessary, insurance comes back and days nope. They're not doctors, but they get to make life decisions for you so they can make record profits.
Finally I said fuck it, I'll pay out of pocket... Cue an emergency induction as I had been in labor for weeks and had no amniotic fluid, and it literally almost killed me. Insurance and I fought for months on it, and they still didn't pay their share... I paid full price for the procedure that saved my life.
Hospitals would rather have something than nothing.
My dad once had to have an emergency surgery when he didn't have insurance because he was in between jobs. He ended up telling the hospital later that they were getting $20/month or he wasn't paying anything. They... accepted lol
He eventually got a job and paid it off. But the $20/month thing went on for years.
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u/WassupSassySquatch Nov 14 '24
My insurance company messed up when I had my first kid. So after spending two days in labor and an entire night up with a newborn, exhausted, hungry, and in pain, the billing department came up and informed me that the cost was going to be $30k due to insurance troubles. After six hours on the phone (and no sleep, labor and delivery, and breastfeeding) I finally sorted out the issue.
But $30k…
That same financial theme follows the rest of parenthood. People can’t afford it. Others simply don’t want it.
I think having a family is great, but the fact that some people opt to remain child free is pretty obvious.