Ahhh It's confirmed...Anna Duggar pregnant!!

[chickie]

$200 for a teddy bear? Does it have special healing powers?! That's so ridiculous. My coworkers have told me similar things about how they got charged $20 for one sanitary napkin or $6 for one ibuprofen. WTF! It's like buying illegal drugs or something. Might be cheaper to supply your own stuff.

In my experience, hospitals will not allow you to use any medications that you bring in. They only give you medication from their pharmacy.

[slp]

If there's one thing I learned from the Duggars, it's ask for an itemized bill from the hospital and dispute the ridiculous charges. (I think they use the example that on one itemized bill they were mistakenly charge for 300 bars of soap. Obviously they did not USE 300 bars of soap during a 2 day hospital stay. Etc.)

I always request one, and dispute anything that is wrong.

[keen23]

I think I'm mentioned this before, but my 3rd child was a high risk pregnancy with multiple hospital visits and weekly ultrasounds. The bill was over $100K before I even had her. I had a NICU team on hand for the delivery (they weren't needed), plus extra doctors. The total hospital stay and delivery was another $100K+. Thankfully, we have a super cover everything plan, and we paid $75 each for the first two emergency hospital visits, and then $350 for the delivery- because $500 is our out of pocket maximum per year.

[jaynie]

I don't know why it never occurred to me that this would be the case (Canadian privileged, I guess), but the idea of being charged (extortionately!) for things like bars of soap used astounds me. It just seems so incredibly petty! I can't imagine. I'll take evil socialized medicine any day, thanks.

[Talitha Cumi]

I think the reason a lot of fundies don't use pain meds is because God's punishment to women for Eve eating the forbidden fruit was that they would have painful childbirths.

And yet the men aren't out there earning their living by the sweat of their brow, like the Bible says. Funny, that. :/

[Daisy4]

$200 for a teddy bear? Does it have special healing powers?! That's so ridiculous. My coworkers have told me similar things about how they got charged $20 for one sanitary napkin or $6 for one ibuprofen. WTF! It's like buying illegal drugs or something. Might be cheaper to supply your own stuff.

My Dad got a lung-shaped pillow after his lobectomy, it was pretty firm and helped ease the pain of coughing if he held it against his chest. I wonder if this teddy bear was similar. It was medically helpful but not worth $200. This makes me curious about how much his insurance paid for it. (He had reached his out of pocket maximum for the year so he wasn't concenred with an itemized bill after the surgery)

[greek_chorus]

I don't know why it never occurred to me that this would be the case (Canadian privileged, I guess), but the idea of being charged (extortionately!) for things like bars of soap used astounds me. It just seems so incredibly petty! I can't imagine. I'll take evil socialized medicine any day, thanks.

I've always assumed that it was to help offset the costs the health system (hospital) incurs from people who aren't insured or are unable to pay because they have lousy insurance. One of the reason insurance premiums and all healthcare are so expensive in the US is because of the people who aren't insured and can't pay for their care when an emergency strikes.

[Dollypeeps]

I shall never ever bitch about my NHS ever again after reading the last 2-3 pages of this thread.

[Mela99]

My Dad got a lung-shaped pillow after his lobectomy, it was pretty firm and helped ease the pain of coughing if he held it against his chest. I wonder if this teddy bear was similar. It was medically helpful but not worth $200. This makes me curious about how much his insurance paid for it. (He had reached his out of pocket maximum for the year so he wasn't concenred with an itemized bill after the surgery)

It's because of the sterum/rib cage cut. My dad had a triple bypass three years ago, and they brought him out of surgery with the bear. He had it for a good two months. If he had to cough, he held it tight, and it didn't let the sternum/ribcage wiggle.

Which, btw, happens to people after heart surgery. You can see the bones shift. I let my dad show me that once before I nearly ran screaming out of the CICU

[GiggleOfGirls]

I went to the ER a couple years ago and they charged me something like $60 for a pregnancy pee stick (they probably buy them in bulk and spend less than a dollar on each one given that I get them not in bulk from the dollar store for $1). The morphine drip I got was only $30, but that pee stick was super valuable, apparently :roll:

When I had a D&C last year for an incomplete miscarriage, it was around $12k total.

[mg78]

When I went to the ER, I paid the ER copay $25 based on my insurance.But because I was in another state, I got a bill from the doctor himself (out of network, not covered) which was $650 for the 5 min he spent talking to me and included a $50 charge because he used the stethoscope.

[laura oz]

When I went to the ER, I paid the ER copay $25 based on my insurance.But because I was in another state, I got a bill from the doctor himself (out of network, not covered) which was $650 for the 5 min he spent talking to me and included a $50 charge because he used the stethoscope.

That's kind of like what happened to me. We have BCBS and I had to have CT with contrast for a very bad kidney infection that I thought was just a backache. I am now paying the hospital radiologist and an independent radiologist who read the same CT 2 days after I had already been treated. I appreciate thoroughness, but it's costing me about 5 grand for peace of mind that I didn't ask for. It's a stupid law in GA that they have to be read by an independent contractor and the hospital radiologist. Extortion in my book.

[lilith]

I chose to deliver publicly despite having private health insurance. You have that option here (Australia) thank god, cause a three week hospital stay before delivering my first and three c-sections would have cost a fortune in excess. I'd do the same again - I'm planning another baby in the next year or two, and the public system is wonderful. I couldn't ask for better and the costs are zero, except a portion of the cost of prenatal testing.

My ex husband went back to work the day after each of the kids births, but he was self employed, and a new baby is obviously going to be a time when money is tight. I actually went straight to the office after leaving hospital with my first - again, self employed, so I could take the baby with me. In retrospect it was a bad idea, but I was doing what I felt needed to be done. (It was 4 days after her birth - I had a caesarean, it's not like I went straight from the delivery room to the office).

[already hungover]

$200 for a teddy bear? Does it have special healing powers?! That's so ridiculous. My coworkers have told me similar things about how they got charged $20 for one sanitary napkin or $6 for one ibuprofen. WTF! It's like buying illegal drugs or something. Might be cheaper to supply your own stuff.

I had a skull fracture last winter and the hospital charged me $25 for each ice pack I used while in the waiting room at the ER. God bless America.

[Irishy]

In my experience, hospitals will not allow you to use any medications that you bring in. They only give you medication from their pharmacy.

We do in fact bring a lot of our own stuff to hospital here. You're expected to bring your own nappies, baby bath supplies, maternity sanitary pads, towels, anything for personal use like that. Obviously if you're stuck, they'll supply but you are given a list of things to pack.

[lilith]

We do in fact bring a lot of our own stuff to hospital here. You're expected to bring your own nappies, baby bath supplies, maternity sanitary pads, towels, anything for personal use like that. Obviously if you're stuck, they'll supply but you are given a list of things to pack.

Same here, but actual prescribed medications medication is a different matter and hospitals expect you to submit any prescriptions to be dispensed by their pharmacy.

[thekate]

We do in fact bring a lot of our own stuff to hospital here. You're expected to bring your own nappies, baby bath supplies, maternity sanitary pads, towels, anything for personal use like that. Obviously if you're stuck, they'll supply but you are given a list of things to pack.

My cousin gave birth in England the same year I did. She had pre-eclampsia with hospital bed rest for a month, emergency c-section, and the baby spent 3+ weeks in the NICU with multiple surgeries. Total cost out of pocket: diapers.

I gave birth in the US. Textbook pregnancy, vaginal delivery with epidural, emergency surgery to repair a cervical laceration, 3 days in the hospital. Total cost: $4000 out of pocket (with good insurance)! At least the hospital gave us the rest of the opened pack of diapers. Made it totally worth it. :lol:

Edited for verb tense agreement.

[ProfessorAndMaryAnn]

Can we get back to talking about Anna now?

[meep]

Can we get back to talking about Anna now?

Do we know ANYTHING else? When she's due? Boy or girl? Name guesses? ('M' name, of course)

[ILoveJellybeans]

Im guessing Mary or Michelle for a girl

[thekate]

Can we get back to talking about Anna now?

So then talk about Anna. Don't let us stop you. Make a contribution!

[yetanothermeg]

Do we know ANYTHING else? When she's due? Boy or girl? Name guesses? ('M' name, of course)

Maybe they will do a TLC crossover special and the Sister Wives will come meet the Duggars. The Duggars would see it as a chance to "save" the Sister Wives and teach them about living debt free. Anna and Smuggs will be inspired to name the new baby Mykelti.

[NovemberRain]

Maybe they will do a TLC crossover special and the Sister Wives will come meet the Duggars. The Duggars would see it as a chance to "save" the Sister Wives and teach them about living debt free. Anna and Smuggs will be inspired to name the new baby Mykelti.

Is it just me or is Mykelti one of the weirdest names ever? I had never heard it before Sister Wives.

[ProfessorAndMaryAnn]

Do we think it'll be the start to the next season of 19 KAC?

"Surprise!!!! We're pregnant and didn't tell fans and no one knew!!!" ?

[Buzzard]

Do we think it'll be the start to the next season of 19 KAC?

"Surprise!!!! We're pregnant and didn't tell fans and no one knew!!!" ?

I assume that they will pimp the "duggars so asia" (and yes, that IS TLC's official name for it per the promos) with a today show appearance and announcement. Gotta drum up the interest somehow!