TikTok Breakdown Of How Much It Costs To Have Baby In US

So, let’s say Sarai didn’t have insurance and she was faced with this daunting $47k+ bill. Christy laid out three things patients can do to prepare:

1. First, Christy explained that the Pricing Transparency Act went into effect in 2021, which mandates that hospitals need to provide pricing information about the services they provide online. So, if you’re expecting to deliver a child, you can visit the hospital’s website to look at costs, and compare them to other hospitals in the area. 

2. Second, Christy said that patients can ask the hospital for a Good Faith Estimate, which is a written estimate for the services expected to receive. Christy said, “If a patient who received a Good Faith Estimate is billed significantly more than what their estimate showed, there is a formal dispute process a patient can pursue to challenge the bill.” However, Christy pointed out that while the hospital is required to give Good Faith Estimates for scheduled services, like a planned C-section, they are not not required to give estimates for unplanned services like a spontaneous delivery.

3. Third, Christy told BuzzFeed that many hospitals have financial assistance policies in place that can reduce or completely eliminate hospital bills based on a patient’s income. Christy said, “Patients can typically view these policies on the hospitals website to see if they may qualify. If the patient has already received a hospital bill and needs help applying, the nonprofit organization Dollar For will help them apply for free.”