I’m Canadian. And I’m already sorry for asking an ignorant question.
I know you have to pay for hospital visits in the states. I know lower economic status can come with lower access to birth control and sex education. But then, how do they afford to give birth? Do people ever avoid hospital visits because they don’t feel like they can’t afford it?
Do hospitals put people on a payment plan? Is it possible to give birth and not pay if you don’t have the means? How does it work in the states?
How does it all work?
Again. Canadian. And sorry.
My son was premature and racked up 14 days in the NICU. The hospital (which is ‘legally a charity’ billed $250,000.00. We were low-income with no employer-provided medical insurance, so the state Medicare provider got to pay a reduced rate of that.
You can tell what hospitals charge to out-of-pocket paying patients is predatory bullshit because the instant they receive a lower offer from insurance or state Medicare they take that lower figure. They just charge you, the private person, whatever the fuck they feel like in the hopes you’ll just roll over and pay it unquestioningly.
A good first step into bullying medical providers into negotiating your bill is getting them to admit what insurance actually pays them.
Don’t forget an itemized bill. They’ll charge for shit they didn’t do.