Photo: TikTok / Sarah Chai / Pexels
Many new parents are hit with an astronomical hospital bill after giving birth and are charged for things that can seem a bit unnecessary.
By Nia Tipton — Written on May 07, 2023
In the United States, the cost of giving birth can be quite astronomical for many new parents.
In a video, TikTok user Em Zies, who works as a pediatrician resident physician, shared the unexpected charge that one of her friends noticed on the bill she received from the hospital after having given birth to her baby.
Her friend received an extra charge on her hospital bill for her newborn baby's bassinet.
In Zies' video, she shared with viewers that after her friend had given birth and received her hospital bill, she had decided to go through the bill with her to see if there were any charges that either didn't make sense or could easily be taken off of it.
While going through the bill, both Zies and her friend noticed that she'd been charged extra for using another room, despite only staying in a single room during her time at the hospital.
"When you help your friend go through her itemized hospital bill and see they charged her for TWO rooms when she had her baby because they counted the baby's bassinet as a room," Zies wrote in overlay text.
While many new parents can ask for things on their hospital bills to be itemized, it is still encouraged for people to thoroughly check and verify that each charge is a necessary addition to the bill. Especially with the high cost of childbirth in the United States, which can vary widely depending on a variety of factors, such as the type of delivery, the location, and whether or not you have health insurance.
According to Forbes, the average cost for a cesarean section in the US is $26,280 while vaginal birth costs an average of $14,768.
“I don’t know a lot of patients who have this kind of funding lying around,” Dr. Michelle Moniz, a physician and assistant professor at the University of Michigan and study author, told CBS News.
“These expenses are coming at a time when most of my patients are thinking of everything else on their baby list,” she added, “a crib, a car seat, everything they need to keep their newborn safe — and they aren’t expecting a bill like this.”
Many new parents are encouraged to reach out to a representative from their hospital billing department to go over any concerns about their overall bill, especially since an estimated 7% to 49% of paid claims contain a billing error.
In the comments section, parents shared the high amount of charges they received on their hospital bills after giving birth.
"They charged me $10,000 as a 'nursery fee' to have my daughter in the room with me.. they didn’t have a nursery for her to go to," one mom shared in the comments section.
Another parent added, "I got charged twice for anesthesia cause my provider switched during my labor. Isn’t that wonderful?"
"Room and board and in-patient services for myself and twins are $143,759.50. That’s not including the meds the C-section etc," a third mom chimed in.
It's important to note that the high cost of giving birth is a symptom of larger issues within the healthcare system and society at large. The lack of universal healthcare coverage and paid parental leave policies can exacerbate the financial burden of childbirth and make it difficult for families to access the care and support they need.
The cost of giving birth in the United States can be a deeply challenging and emotional issue for many families.
It's important to approach this topic with empathy and understanding for the difficulties that new parents face and to work towards solutions that prioritize the well-being of mothers and babies.
Nia Tipton is a Brooklyn-based entertainment, news, and lifestyle writer whose work delves into modern-day issues and experiences.