Who Pays for Baby?

01.11.2011

In the LA Times Business Section last month, there was an interesting article about who pays for having a baby. Apparently, Californians who have to buy private insurance find maternity benefits to be scarce and expensive. Here are some highlights that I found striking throughout the article:

- The average cost to deliver a baby has reached nearly $13,000. With maternity insurance, the bill can be as low as $250.

- 81% of women who buy their own policies, don’t get maternity benefits because it’s too expensive.

- Pregnancy itself is a problem for health companies. Many consider it to be a pre-existing condition; therefore, you won't get covered if applying for coverage after becoming pregnant. (This is my favorite.)

- Blue Shield and Anthem Blue Cross are the only private insurance companies to offer maternity benefits but at an astronomical cost.

What’s fascinating to me is that so many people encourage healthcare privatization (especially with universal healthcare in our midst) – and yet, to have a baby with private insurance could bankrupt you. How is this logical?

Our society presses for couples to have a baby but will create ways to not help you.

Our society presses for couples to have a baby but will find ways to charge you for one.

Our society presses for couples to have a baby but will limit your options.

I’m not saying it should be free or that the government should pay for you to have a baby. Of course that’s not what I’m saying. You make the decision to have a baby, you should pay for it. BUT, it should not be considered a pre-existing condition, you should not be limited to just two insurance companies who are looking to rape you with costs, and something is definitely wrong when there’s a $12,750 difference between a couple having a baby that is insured and one who is not.