How Much Did it Cost for me to Give Birth (SF Bay Area)?

Hello readers! If you’re new to the blog, welcome! If you’re not new, well then welcome back. I gave birth almost three months ago and during my entire pregnancy, I was super nervous about how much giving birth would cost.

I watched YouTube videos about other families that gave birth in a hospital and were shocked at the sticker price and how much they ended up paying.

I tried to Google the average out-of-pocket costs in California. I asked my friends, co-workers, and anybody that would tell me.

After it was all said and done, giving birth cost about $100,000 before my medical insurance. I took a few actions to make my bill as low as possible.

I Switched to the Most Expensive Health Care Plan

In December of 2020, when I was five months pregnant I switched to the most important healthcare plan offered by my employer that would increase my monthly payments but would end up paying more of the hospital bill for me. It hurt to have to pay more but I knew that it would work out in the end.

I took the time to shop around and study the dozens of healthcare plans that were available. It wasn’t fun at all, but I knew that it needed to be done to prepare to give birth in May 2021.

I Opted for a Health Care Plan with an FSA (Flexible Spending Account)

The health care plan that I chose was eligible for an FSA account, which allowed me to save pre-tax dollars that I could later use to pay for the cost of giving birth. Not only that but it could also be used to buy other supplies that would be essential for postpartum recovery. All of the medicine that I needed to purchase after getting out of the hospital could also be paid for with my FSA card.

I Ended Up Having a Longer Hospital Stay Than Planned

My husband and I were prepared to spend only 2-3 days maximum in the hospital after the birth of our baby girl. However, our daughter ended up being larger and needed to spend an extra few days in the hospital to bring up her blood sugar and electrolytes in order for it to be safe for us to bring her home. That meant that our hospital bill was much higher because we stayed longer. I was thankfully able to stay in the hospital next to the special care nursery so that I could nurse her every few hours, change her diapers, and comfort her while she was getting healthy enough to come home.

So How Much Did I End Up Paying?

Okay, I know, I’ve dragged it out long enough. The total amount of money that I ended up paying was only $700. Yep, that’s it. I was honestly shocked but in a good way. My stay cost about $40,000 before my insurance company negotiated the bill and paid their portion and my daughter had a separate bill of $60,000 which was higher due to staying in the special care nursery. All in all, we ended up paying over $1,000 and I plan on switching back to the lower-priced health care program again for the next year.

In conclusion…

My hospital bill wasn’t as bad as it could have been. But, I’m very much aware that I’m fortunate enough to have access to health insurance that paid the majority of my bill. I planned for the expense and had access to choosing a plan that would bring down my out-of-pocket costs drastically.