Giving birth costs a lot of money. Hospitals won't tell you how much

[baseline bum]

This is disgusting that you can't even get an estimate from a hospital. LOL our fucked up health care system.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tct38KwROdw

[baseline bum]

I can't imagine buying anything else without having any idea what the price would be.

[boutons_deux]

Just one of the 100s of ways BigCorp fucks over and sucks wealth out Americans.

Trump will fix everything, and we'll all love each other.

[boutons_deux]

There was story in NYT about a fully insured guy who found a $10K item on his bill.

Turns out his surgeon was in-network, but another surgeon who stood around and watched the operating surgeon was out-of-network.

[CosmicCowboy]

Not really defending the hospitals but every birth IS different. Some squirt out like watermelons and some are breech/cesarean, some babies have health issues that can keep them in the hospital for months, etc. My daughter worked at Dell childrens ain the neonatal intensive care unit and there was one guy that was the genetic carrier of this awful birth defect that had three different babies that went there from three different mothers over a two year period. Babies were in there for like a year.

[baseline bum]

Not really defending the hospitals but every birth IS different. Some squirt out like watermelons and some are breech/cesarean, some babies have health issues that can keep them in the hospital for months, etc. My daughter worked at Dell childrens ain the neonatal intensive care unit and there was one guy that was the genetic carrier of this awful birth defect that had three different babies that went there from three different mothers over a two year period. Babies were in there for like a year.

He's just asking what a standard birth with no health issues costs.

[clambake]

if it cost more than riva, mossberg, and hue combined.......its not worth it.

[mrsmaalox]

He's just asking what a standard birth with no health issues costs.

Not possible. Once the pregnant woman's water breaks labor is in full swing, but because every woman and birth is different, there is no estimate as to how long the labor will last. And while she is in labor, she is using hospital resources----the room, the monitors, nursing hours, IV fluids and medications, etc. If there was a way ensure that the labor/delivery lasted a finite number of hours, then an accurate estimate would be possible. But some women spit them out after an hour of labor, and others (like myself) labor for 24 hours for a "standard birth with no health issues".

[baseline bum]

Not possible. Once the pregnant woman's water breaks labor is in full swing, but because every woman and birth is different, there is no estimate as to how long the labor will last. And while she is in labor, she is using hospital resources----the room, the monitors, nursing hours, IV fluids and medications, etc. If there was a way ensure that the labor/delivery lasted a finite number of hours, then an accurate estimate would be possible. But some women spit them out after an hour of labor, and others (like myself) labor for 24 hours for a "standard birth with no health issues".

They can't provide an estimate of the price for a one hour labor, a six hour one, a 24 hour one?

[clambake]

thats a good point

[mrsmaalox]

They can't provide an estimate of the price for a one hour labor, a six hour one, a 24 hour one?

Not really because everyone is different. I've seen patients that require the same amt of pain med in 6 hours that some use in 24 hours. If someone comes in a bit more dehydrated than the one in the next bed, they'll require a couple more bags of iv fluid----but it's still a standard labor and delivery. Also included in the labor and delivery price is the care of the newborn (until the newborn is transferred to the nursery); so if the baby requires an extra hour of oxygen, warming bassinet, etc it's all included in the delivery price and just a few of the MANY variables that can be part of a "standard" birth.

[Pelicans78]

They can't provide an estimate of the price for a one hour labor, a six hour one, a 24 hour one?

They never charge that way.

[mrsmaalox]

I think more than anything, that guy has uncovered a customer service problem than a hidden agenda about costs of labor/delivery with the hospitals. When he finally got that estimate he should have asked for an itemized list of what it covers, then he could have compared the costs afterward. The price of the variables would stand out clearly and he woudn't be left thinking the hospital was trying to pull something over on him.

[MultiTroll]

So they have an average.
But wont give it out.

[mrsmaalox]

So they have an average.
But wont give it out.

If you saw the video, the hospital that finally answered him gave him one.

[clambake]

Not really because everyone is different. I've seen patients that require the same amt of pain med in 6 hours that some use in 24 hours. If someone comes in a bit more dehydrated than the one in the next bed, they'll require a couple more bags of iv fluid----but it's still a standard labor and delivery. Also included in the labor and delivery price is the care of the newborn (until the newborn is transferred to the nursery); so if the baby requires an extra hour of oxygen, warming bassinet, etc it's all included in the delivery price and just a few of the MANY variables that can be part of a "standard" birth.

are you saying that iv fluid/meds is included with labor and delivery in a price package, or are they charged for each item?

[hater]

I'd say it costs about 10k

Obviously hospitals won't give you an estimate because their books are so fucked up, they don't even know

[baseline bum]

I think more than anything, that guy has uncovered a customer service problem than a hidden agenda about costs of labor/delivery with the hospitals. When he finally got that estimate he should have asked for an itemized list of what it covers, then he could have compared the costs afterward. The price of the variables would stand out clearly and he woudn't be left thinking the hospital was trying to pull something over on him.

A couple of posts back you made it sound like cost would be predictable based on time of labor. And he only got an estimate from a single hospital. You don't see the extreme moral hazard in hospitals not going over what such and such treatment, drug, room usage, doctor's time, etc are going to cost? So you can't plan which hospital would make the most sense to go to?

[baseline bum]

What other product or service would anyone buy without even getting a ballpark idea of price?

[DisAsTerBot]

if you're worried about the cost of labor, maybe you shouldn't be having a child. tbh imo fwiw

[mrsmaalox]

are you saying that iv fluid/meds is included with labor and delivery in a price package, or are they charged for each item?

The "package" includes pricing for minimal care, but I don't know exactly how much of what it includes. They will definitely charge for every alcohol wipe and rubber glove above and beyond what's included in the package :lol

I have to say I have much more experience as a patient in L&D than as a nurse. But in my specialty area (trauma, critical care) EVERY supply is charged individually, I think it works like that in most depts.

[clambake]

i don't remember asking for the price of each item.

would they provide that cost information prior to labor, if one asked?

[mrsmaalox]

A couple of posts back you made it sound like cost would be predictable based on time of labor. And he only got an estimate from a single hospital. You don't see the extreme moral hazard in hospitals not going over what such and such treatment, drug, room usage, doctor's time, etc are going to cost? So you can't plan which hospital would make the most sense to go to?

I think a time estimate would make it more predictable, not 100% accurate. I didn't say I don't have a problem with how it works, I was clarifying how it works and how many variables there can be in a routine, uncomplicated delivery. I don't think it's a moral problem, I think it's a serious customer service problem. He only got an estimate from a single hospital because they were the only one to answer their phone or return his call. Everyone has a right to that info but when you get an "estimate" thats all it is, an estimate----like in any other business.

[mrsmaalox]

i don't remember asking for the price of each item.

would they provide that cost information prior to labor, if one asked?

Yes if you can get them to answer the phone or return your call lol

[FuzzyLumpkins]

The "package" includes pricing for minimal care, but I don't know exactly how much of what it includes. They will definitely charge for every alcohol wipe and rubber glove above and beyond what's included in the package :lol

I have to say I have much more experience as a patient in L&D than as a nurse. But in my specialty area (trauma, critical care) EVERY supply is charged individually, I think it works like that in most depts.

I've asked several of my medical professional friends if they knew the costs of the products and services they were administering. Hospitals keep their employees in the dark so even if they wanted to inform their patients they could not. The people running the wards didn't know and administrators tell to back off.

The pricing is done after the fact. Must be nice.

[baseline bum]

I think a time estimate would make it more predictable, not 100% accurate. I didn't say I don't have a problem with how it works, I was clarifying how it works and how many variables there can be in a routine, uncomplicated delivery. I don't think it's a moral problem, I think it's a serious customer service problem. He only got an estimate from a single hospital because they were the only one to answer their phone or return his call. Everyone has a right to that info but when you get an "estimate" thats all it is, an estimate----like in any other business.

They were the only hospital to answer their phone because the hospitals don't want to give that information out. I don't get calling it a customer service problem when it seems like the hospitals have shitty customer service specifically so the kind of information that would allow one to be a rational consumer doesn't get out. Is it like this elsewhere in the world? Where the hospital has a blank check?

[baseline bum]

if you're worried about the cost of labor, maybe you shouldn't be having a child. tbh imo fwiw

If you want to know the sticker price on your car, perhaps you should ride the bus, eh?

[DarrinS]

Good thing Obamacare brought all those costs under control.

[mrsmaalox]

if you're worried about the cost of labor, maybe you shouldn't be having a child. tbh imo fwiw

Or have a home birth. It's legal in most states, as are midwives. Birthing centers sell one price fits all packages that are very reasonable, if you are sure your labor and delivery will be standard with no health issues. Works out well for lots of people---until they have that one complication that requires a transfer to the big, mean hospital with the clueless lying employees who just want to deceive you.

[baseline bum]

Or have a home birth. It's legal in most states, as are midwives. Birthing centers sell one price fits all packages that are very reasonable, if you are sure your labor and delivery will be standard with no health issues. Works out well for lots of people---until they have that one complication that requires a transfer to the big, mean hospital with the clueless lying employees who just want to deceive you.

So you don't have a problem with hospitals refusing to give out pricing info? And their, as you put it "customer service problem", is absolutely a refusal to give out information. If people can't have the information to be rational consumers I'd rather just see Medicare take over the whole system and fix prices.

[DisAsTerBot]

If you want to know the sticker price on your car, perhaps you should ride the bus, eh?

well im definitely not going to buy it without knowing how much it costs.

[mrsmaalox]

So you don't have a problem with hospitals refusing to give out pricing info? And their, as you put it "customer service problem", is absolutely a refusal to give out information. If people can't have the information to be rational consumers I'd rather just see Medicare take over the whole system and fix prices.

:lol Of course I have a problem with hospitals refusing to give out pricing info. But that guy's video didn't convince me that anyone refused to tell him anything. He got one estimate, some hemming and hawing from probably the lowest guy on the totem pole in some business office, and about 5 answering machines; maybe just one recording of someone refusing to give him any prices would convince me more.

As far as people needing information to make good choices, I agree that hospital pricing transparency is necessary. However, I don't see it as something that will necessarily change how patients choose how their care will be managed. Being hospitalized has a strong emotional component for most people. Not too many are gong to ask for the price list before they decide if their loved one should have a pain shot or for the price of the pint of blood the surgeon said they needed. At those moments, most people's attitudes are "whatever it costs to be well again". And that is one reason hospitals are so bad with that customer service. They aren't used to anyone questioning it and don't really have a good procedure for supplying that info. Now that people are asking for that info, they'll need to get better at providing it.

[baseline bum]

:lol Of course I have a problem with hospitals refusing to give out pricing info. But that guy's video didn't convince me that anyone refused to tell him anything. He got one estimate, some hemming and hawing from probably the lowest guy on the totem pole in some business office, and about 5 answering machines; maybe just one recording of someone refusing to give him any prices would convince me more.

As far as people needing information to make good choices, I agree that hospital pricing transparency is necessary. However, I don't see it as something that will necessarily change how patients choose how their care will be managed. Being hospitalized has a strong emotional component for most people. Not too many are gong to ask for the price list before they decide if their loved one should have a pain shot or for the price of the pint of blood the surgeon said they needed. At those moments, most people's attitudes are "whatever it costs to be well again". And that is one reason hospitals are so bad with that customer service. They aren't used to anyone questioning it and don't really have a good procedure for supplying that info. Now that people are asking for that info, they'll need to get better at providing it.

You can plan the hospital you go to for childbirth though, and for many other non life-threatening situations. I don't view them not having people to give prices as some kind of accident, it seems like it's by design to keep people in the dark. People have strong emotional attachments to cars too but people still shop around there, I think most people would shop hospitals if they could get an idea what various things cost at the competition.

[clambake]

but you'll most likely already have your obgyn, that usually works out of one or two places.

[rmt]

From 10/2014:

Thank you for your recent inquiry to our International Services Department.

For patients without insurance, we are able to offer a discounted international package price which needs to be paid in full prior delivery. In addition, the OBGYN fee’s and the neonatology’s fees which are not included in our discounted price packages. The prices below are our fully discounted packages.


If you don’t have a pediatrician we can recommend a neonatologist group that offers you a package it is South Dade Neonatologist: (305) 441-7179, contact person: Haydee

o Vaginal delivery estimated discounted price is around $8,520.00. (subject to change every fiscal year in October)
2 days hospitalization. Only anesthesiology and pathology fees are included.
o Cesarean delivery estimated discounted price is around $11,220.00.
3 days hospitalization. Only anesthesiology and pathology fees are included. (subject to change every fiscal year in October)

Friendly reminder****You must register and pay in full with our International Department, at least one month before delivery****

Baptist Hospital provides outstanding care, comfort and convenience for parents and newborns. When your special day arrives, our easy pre-admission process guarantees that we’ll be ready for your visit, and that the birth of your baby will take place in a beautiful setting. For added safety and peace of mind, our neonatologists and Neonatal Intensive Care Units are always available to care for premature babies. We also offer perinatal care for high-risk pregnancies. The estimated cost for a circumcision is approximately $290.00 facility cost only. Not including physician fees.

Umbilical Cord Blood Donation
The Umbilical Cord Blood Collection program at Baptist Health is the first of its kind in South Florida. The program allows parents to donate their newborn’s umbilical cord blood. This cord blood, which would otherwise be considered medical waste, is placed in a global registry to help patients with blood diseases. Your child can begin life by giving life to someone in need of this precious resource. Cord blood is rich in stem cells, which are used to treat more than 70 blood diseases, including leukemia, lymphoma and sickle cell anemia.
Cord blood is collected immediately after birth and sent to a storage facility at Duke University Medical Center in North Carolina, where it is processed, stored and placed into the National Marrow Donor Program’s registry for use by patients in need of cord blood or bone marrow transplants worldwide. The cord blood collection helps meet the urgent need for additional cord blood stem cell units. The National Marrow Donor Program reports that on any given day, more than 6,000 people are searching its registry for a life-saving blood stem cell match.

High Risk Pregnancies
The Center for Women & Infants Maternal-Fetal Special Care Unit at South Miami Hospital is the only one of its kind in South Florida. The unit’s specially trained, devoted staff care for high-risk expectant mothers with a variety of conditions, including hypertension, diabetes, pre-eclampsia and preterm labor. The unit provides around-the-clock monitoring of the moms and their unborn infants.
Led by a maternal-fetal specialist, the team can conduct ultrasound-guided procedures to correct anemia, perform chromosome testing, conduct fetal blood transfusions to correct Rh incompatibility and treat fetal bladder obstructions or lung problems – all while the baby is in its mother’s womb.
As part of South Miami Hospital’s Center for Women & Infants, the unit is equipped with leading-edge technology for the safety of high-risk mothers and their babies. South Miami Hospital also has Level II and III Neonatal Intensive Care Units with highly specialized medical personnel, including neonatal transport and surgical teams, to care for premature or sick newborns.
<image002.gif>

As a Maternity Patient, our Pineapple Premier Program now offers Maternity Suites at Baptist Hospital and South Miami Hospital.
Pineapple Premier Maternity Suites
Celebrate in Luxury
Welcoming a baby into the world is an extraordinary event. Make this joyful time even more memorable by upgrading the birthing experience with one of our special Pineapple Premier Maternity Suites.
Beautifully appointed, spacious suite
Sleeper sofa for an overnight guest
All-wood floors, trim and furnishings
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Baptist Hospital
<image017.jpg>
South Miami Hospital
Maternity Suites are based on availability post recovery. A nightly charge of $150 is collected separately and is not covered by insurance. Prices may be subject to change without notice.
Pineapple Premier Maternity Package
Plush Perks
Pamper the new mother with the attention she deserves. The Pineapple Premier Maternity Package provides those special touches that ensure a welcoming hospital experience.
The package includes:
Luxurious Pineapple Premier embroidered robe and slippers for Mom, and bib and blanket for baby, premium bath products, a fresh fruit basket and a beautiful keepsake tote bag
Two valet parking passes (where applicable)
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The Pineapple Premier Maternity Package can be purchased for $300 and is available at Baptist Hospital, South Miami Hospital, Homestead Hospital and West Kendall Baptist Hospital. Prices may be subject to change without notice.
We invite you to become a guest of the luxurious Pineapple Premier Program. For more information or to purchase Pineapple Premier products, please email [email protected] or call 786-662-5556.

Birth Certificates
The HIM Department is responsible for the creation of a birth certificate for all live-born infants delivered at or in route to a Baptist Health South Florida facility. All Baptist Health birthing facilities are currently using the Electronic Birth Registration System (EBRS) from the State of Florida, Office of Vital Statistics.
Using EBRS, completed birth certificates are filled immediately with the State allowing qualified individuals to receive a certified copy of the birth certificate on the day the birth certificate is completed. Copies of birth certificates must be requested through the Office of Vital Statistics, who is solely responsible for distributing the birth certificate.
To obtain information on requesting copies or making amendments to birth certificates, please contact the Office of Vital Statistics.

What you need to know at time of delivery
 Have a name for your baby before giving birth. A Birth Certificate Representative will contact the mother on the day following the birth of the infant to complete the birth certificate.
 Review the information carefully before signing. The Birth Certificate is a legal document and once filed with the Office of Vital Statistics, changes may only be made through an amendment. The Office of Vital Statistics has a $20.00 fee to process amendments.
 Unmarried parents/Claiming paternity. In order to have the father’s information on the birth certificate, the father must be present to sign and have notarized the birth certificate. Baptist Health South Florida provides notary services for birth certificates.

Obtaining Medical Records
Confidentiality of Information
All patient health care information at Baptist Health South Florida is confidential and protected by State and Federal laws and HIPAA regulations. Medical records can only be released with proper authorization from the patient or the patient's legally authorized representative (unless otherwise authorized by law).
Requesting Medical Records
All requests for the release of medical records must be submitted in writing and must be dated and signed by the patient or the patient's legally authorized representative. In the case of a minor, the parent or guardian must sign the authorization.
Baptist Health Authorization for Release of Health Information form can be downloaded by clicking on the link:

<image009.gif>Medical Records Release Form

*Helpful instructions for completing the authorization form<image009.gif>

Completed requests forms can be returned via email or fax:
 Email: [email protected]
 Fax: Miami-Dade 786-594-6404, 786-594-6405 or 786-594-6407
Broward 954-837-1128
Hours of Operation
Open to the general public
Monday through Friday, excluding hospital holidays
8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
All services are provided on Monday – Friday
Fee for Copying Patient Records
Fees for medical records will be charged in accordance with applicable State and Federal regulations:
 F.S. 395.3025 – Fees for medical record copies related to Health facilities and ambulatory surgery
 F.S. 456.057 – Fees for medical record copies related to Healthcare practitioners and physicians’ offices
 45 CFR (§164.524)(c)(4) – Fees for electronic copy of records
For your convenience and to expedite your treatment we can fax your records directly to your physician’s office, however, if you prefer we can email/mail them directly to you. Arrangements can be made to pick up your medical records at one of the Baptist Health South Florida hospitals. Please allow up to 3 business days to process your request. You will be contacted when medical records are available for pick up.
For additional information, please contact the Health Information Department at 786-594-6400 Miami-Dade or 954-837-1127 in Broward.

Baptist Hospital of Miami
<image010.jpg>
Main Hospital Phone:
786-596-1960
Visiting Hours:
General visiting hours are 9 a.m. - 9 p.m.
After 9 p.m., all visitors must enter through the main lobby
Family Birth Place: 10 a.m. - 8 p.m.
No tours available at Baptist
South Miami Hospital
<image011.jpg>
Main Hospital Phone:
786-662-4000
South Miami Hospital Maternity dept
Center for Women & Infants is equipped with leading-edge technology for your safety and the safety of your baby. Our doctors, specialists and nurses are highly skilled to care for your baby and for you from preconception, during pregnancy, to delivery and throughout parenthood.
South Miami Hospital also provides childbirth education materials for your use. Please download and review the following brochures with important information about your pregnancy, delivery and post-delivery care.
After your baby arrives, we offer
 Delivering at the Center for Women & Infants Booklet
 Doula Guidelines and Responsibilities
 Videotaping and Photography Guidelines
 Centered on Me and My Baby: Classes to Prepare for Parenthood
 What You Should Know Before Signing Your Baby’s Birth Record
 10 More Reasons to Breastfeed
When it’s time to deliver your baby, you will have:
 Private room with a warm, home-like atmosphere, so you and your family can experience the birth – labor, delivery and recovery – together.
 Labor and delivery assistance from one of our caring, expert nurses.
 Public Umbilical Cord Blood Collection Center which allows you to donate your newborn’s umbilical cord blood to be placed in a global registry for use in treating more than 70 diseases of the blood.
 Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) staffed by Board-certified physicians and specialized nurses around the clock to care for newborns who need special care.
 Nurse lactation specialists who can help you if you choose to breastfeed your baby.
Visiting Hours:
To ensure that you have adequate rest and time for to learn about your baby, visiting hours are daily from 12 noon to 9 p.m. For your safety and privacy, as well as that of all of our patients, we limit the number of visitors in patient rooms to four at a time. Brothers and sisters of the new baby may visit and will be asked to wear an identification bracelet. All other children under age 12 will not be allowed to visit.

West Kendall Baptist Hospital
<image012.jpg>
Main Hospital Phone:
786-467-2000
Visiting Hours:
The doors in the front lobby close at 11 p.m. and reopen at 6 a.m.; to enter the hospital during these hours, please go through the Emergency Department.

[mrsmaalox]

You can plan the hospital you go to for childbirth though, and for many other non life-threatening situations. I don't view them not having people to give prices as some kind of accident, it seems like it's by design to keep people in the dark. People have strong emotional attachments to cars too but people still shop around there, I think most people would shop hospitals if they could get an idea what various things cost at the competition.

I don't think it's any kind of accident either. I think it's typical of the lack of foresight and the toxic complacency that organizations mired in bureaucratic bullshit constantly stew in. Anyone who has ever had to deal with hospital bills and insurance claims knows this first hand. Sorry, but I think the emotional attachments to a family member in a health related situation are stronger and not at all like car ownership---but maybe that's just me :lol And yes of course people will shop around if prices are openly available----at least that's one of the issues I've heard discussed openly from the healthcare reform movement of the last few years. And contrary to what the ignorant Obama haters will spew "I thought Obamacare was going to fix all this", healthcare reform is happening, albeit slowly. There is no intelligent person on earth who believes that reform of our bureaucratic healthcare system (or any system in this country) would occur overnight :rolleyes

[boutons_deux]

One of the many objectives of Obamacare was health care pricing transparency.

It worked somewhat. I think it was Cedars Sinai charge 5 or 6 times ON AVERAGE more than other hospitral in the area.

But of course, the health care industry, just like BigCorp and esp BigFinance, hates price transparency, so doesn't cooperate with Obamacare. Same goes for them hiding bad doctors, bad nurses, and bad medical outcomes due to medical errors.

Medicare for all would fix all these problems and destroy BigHealthInsurance.

[mrsmaalox]

From 10/2014:

^^^^^ That's quite a bit of info there, thanks for posting! I see the costs/time estimates say "around" to cover the incidentals I mentioned earlier. And I may be wrong, but it appears that information was relatively easy to obtain. Just can't say I'm any more convinced that hospitals are "refusing" to give out information on birthing costs.

[baseline bum]

I don't think it's any kind of accident either. I think it's typical of the lack of foresight and the toxic complacency that organizations mired in bureaucratic bullshit constantly stew in. Anyone who has ever had to deal with hospital bills and insurance claims knows this first hand. Sorry, but I think the emotional attachments to a family member in a health related situation are stronger and not at all like car ownership---but maybe that's just me :lol And yes of course people will shop around if prices are openly available----at least that's one of the issues I've heard discussed openly from the healthcare reform movement of the last few years. And contrary to what the ignorant Obama haters will spew "I thought Obamacare was going to fix all this", healthcare reform is happening, albeit slowly. There is no intelligent person on earth who believes that reform of our bureaucratic healthcare system (or any system in this country) would occur overnight :rolleyes

LOL Obama was supposed to fix our economy overnight too according to Fox News Republicans. As if it wasn't 30 years in the making. :lol

[baseline bum]

Same goes for them hiding bad doctors, bad nurses, and bad medical outcomes due to medical errors.


This fucking shit really pisses me off. Like Bexar County Hospital covering up Genene Jones' murders to protect against lawsuits and she ends up in Kerrville and almost killed the son of one of my relatives.

[rmt]

^^^^^ That's quite a bit of info there, thanks for posting! I see the costs/time estimates say "around" to cover the incidentals I mentioned earlier. And I may be wrong, but it appears that information was relatively easy to obtain. Just can't say I'm any more convinced that hospitals are "refusing" to give out information on birthing costs.

At that time, I was checking prices for my brother who lives abroad.

[MultiTroll]

Average hospital costs:

http://www.msn.com/en-us/money/personalfinance/heres-what-it-costs-to-actually-become-a-mother/ar-BBsJmlu?ocid=spartandhp

[baseline bum]

He baseline bum...

How would you like it if I did to your threads what you do to my threads?

http://www.spurstalk.com/forums/showthread.php?t=201736&page=37&p=8529036&viewfull=1#post8529036
http://www.spurstalk.com/forums/showthread.php?t=174967&page=2&p=8565771&viewfull=1#post8565771
http://www.spurstalk.com/forums/showthread.php?t=144487&page=158&p=8405884&viewfull=1#post8405884
http://www.spurstalk.com/forums/showthread.php?t=144487&page=149&p=7742292&viewfull=1#post7742292

I don't give a fuck faggot, this thread is already done anyways.

[boutons_deux]

Here's another way that Obamacare is providing health care cost and practice transparency

What Feds' Push To Share Health Data Means For Patients

Two years ago, when the federal government first released data (https://www.cms.gov/Newsroom/MediaReleaseDatabase/Press-releases/2014-Press-releases-items/2014-04-09.html) on how much Medicare paid physicians, the media coverage was widespread. Doctors who earned significant sums were dubbed "Medicare millionaires" and journalists highlightedunusual patterns in how (https://www.propublica.org/article/billing-to-the-max-docs-charge-medicare-top-rate-for-office-visits) some doctors bill for services.

When Medicare released its third round of data (https://www.cms.gov/Newsroom/MediaReleaseDatabase/Press-releases/2016-Press-releases-items/2016-05-05.html) last Thursday, the coverage was practically nonexistent. In some ways, that's because data releases from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services have become almost routine.

ProPublica has used CMS data to build our Treatment Tracker (https://projects.propublica.org/treatment/), another tool calledPrescriber Checkup (https://projects.propublica.org/checkup/) and a third called Dollars for Docs (https://projects.propublica.org/docdollars/), among others.

On Monday and Tuesday, hundreds of people will gather in Washington, D.C., for Health Datapalooza (http://healthdatapalooza.org/), a conference devoted to the uses of health data. One of its main planners is Niall Brennan, chief data officer at CMS. (I am on the steering committee for the event.)

I spoke to Brennan last week about the agency's efforts to open up its data and what it means for the public. The interview has been edited for length.

CMS seems to have released a lot of data lately. Can you give us a rundown of what the agency has released?

One of the reasons for our success is that we actually started with relatively small and modest data releases — things like releasing data at the regional level on differences in Medicare spending among states and counties (https://www.cms.gov/Research-Statistics-Data-and-Systems/Statistics-Trends-and-Reports/Medicare-Geographic-Variation/).

And then we gradually built up to releasing more detailed information on discharges at hospitals (https://www.cms.gov/research-statistics-data-and-systems/statistics-trends-and-reports/medicare-provider-charge-data/inpatient.html); how physicians practice medicine (https://www.cms.gov/Research-Statistics-Data-and-Systems/Statistics-Trends-and-Reports/Medicare-Provider-Charge-Data/Physician-and-Other-Supplier.html) in the Medicare program; how they prescribe drugs (https://www.cms.gov/Research-Statistics-Data-and-Systems/Statistics-Trends-and-Reports/Medicare-Provider-Charge-Data/Part-D-Prescriber.html) in the Medicare program; how they prescribe durable medical equipment (https://www.cms.gov/Research-Statistics-Data-and-Systems/Statistics-Trends-and-Reports/Medicare-Provider-Charge-Data/DME.html) such as wheelchairs.

Most recently, we've released a lot of information on skilled nursing facilities (https://www.cms.gov/Research-Statistics-Data-and-Systems/Statistics-Trends-and-Reports/Medicare-Provider-Charge-Data/SNF.html) and home health agencies (https://www.cms.gov/Research-Statistics-Data-and-Systems/Statistics-Trends-and-Reports/Medicare-Provider-Charge-Data/HHA.html), giving people a glimpse for the first time at the types of care that those providers provide.

The openness and transparency go significantly beyond this. We've released Sunshine Act Open Payments (https://openpaymentsdata.cms.gov/) data, which is information on the payments that drug and device manufacturers make to physicians and hospitals.

And we've also worked really hard on the [Affordable Care Act] marketplace (https://www.cms.gov/cciio/resources/data-resources/marketplace-puf.html) and Medicare Advantage (https://www.cms.gov/Research-Statistics-Data-and-Systems/Statistics-Trends-and-Reports/MCRAdvPartDEnrolData/) side of the house to give consumers information to choose their health care plan.

Are my doctors in the plan I'm looking at?

Are my drugs covered by the plan I'm looking at?

http://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2016/05/09/477084601/what-feds-push-to-share-health-data-means-for-patients

But Obamacare sucks and must be repealed in its entirety, right?