Anna Duggar - Merge

[Georgiana]

Anna may not want to discuss it, but due to recent events this is going to be a very different birth from her other children. Not just the birth itself not being filmed (assuming TLC still wants the Duggars but not Josh, Anna's birth won't be filmed) haven't Anna and Josh gone on the Today Show for every boy/girl reveal and new baby? M4 is going to be the first of Anna's newborns not be invited to do morning television, that's got to bug Anna and especially Josh, on some level. Hopefully Anna will find this birth the easiest, she'll find it better without media attention?

But also, this will be the first birth she's had that isn't basically "comped" by the filming/media. Giving birth is not often cheap, and Josh and Anna have avoided the realities of the costs associated with additional kids by getting the additional media attention. Even if they do a home birth, they'll have to actually cover the midwife/doula costs where previously I think they may have gotten the services at a discount for publicity.

Josh doesn't have a job. Who knows if they have insurance. Who knows how much they have in savings and there must have been large costs associated with the move. Financially, I think this birth may hit them hard...especially if Anna goes with a hospital birth.

[19 cats and counting]

If they have to pay for a homebirth I'm sure they'll call on Jill to be the midwife attending. If not, I'm sure there's a lot of leghumpers in their local midwife community who would volunteer their services to help the victims of the evil liberal media.

[IReallyAmHopewell]

But also, this will be the first birth she's had that isn't basically "comped" by the filming/media. Giving birth is not often cheap, and Josh and Anna have avoided the realities of the costs associated with additional kids by getting the additional media attention. Even if they do a home birth, they'll have to actually cover the midwife/doula costs where previously I think they may have gotten the services at a discount for publicity.

Josh doesn't have a job. Who knows if they have insurance. Who knows how much they have in savings and there must have been large costs associated with the move. Financially, I think this birth may hit them hard...especially if Anna goes with a hospital birth.

a) He's probably ponied up and paid the COBRA for his insurance from his job. The Duggars use real medical care when necessary. I'm sure Josh and Anna will go to the hospital if necessary.

b) He "quit" but who knows what type of financial package he was given for graciously agreeing to avoid being fired??

c)I'm pretty sure they have a fine emergency fund from doing the show.

In short, I'm not worried about Josh/Anna. Ben and Jessa--yes, I'm worried, but I don't imagine all the "leave and cleave" crap will apply under these circumstances for ANY of them. I would not be surprised if Jill has to move out and her house is put on the market and she gets put into a smaller home. But, they OWN the house outright and can likely manage the property taxes so.....

[ShepherdontheRock]

a) He's probably ponied up and paid the COBRA for his insurance from his job. The Duggars use real medical care when necessary. I'm sure Josh and Anna will go to the hospital if necessary.

b) He "quit" but who knows what type of financial package he was given for graciously agreeing to avoid being fired??

c)I'm pretty sure they have a fine emergency fund from doing the show.

In short, I'm not worried about Josh/Anna. Ben and Jessa--yes, I'm worried, but I don't imagine all the "leave and cleave" crap will apply under these circumstances for ANY of them. I would not be surprised if Jill has to move out and her house is put on the market and she gets put into a smaller home. But, they OWN the house outright and can likely manage the property taxes so.....

...unless the thing about them owing back property taxes turns out to be right...

[SassyPants]

I have no problem believing that Josh would have neglected to pay for Cobra, if offered.

It's expensive- These are not the kind of folks who are proactive about anything...especially anything that involves parting with a buck.

[FloraKitty35]

...unless the thing about them owing back property taxes turns out to be right...

Oh well, maybe the Duggar's overlooked that ''render unto Caesar" bit in the Bible.

[halcionne]

I have no problem believing that Josh would have neglected to pay for Cobra, if offered.

It's expensive- These are not the kind of folks who are proactive about anything...especially anything that involves parting with a buck.

I agree. COBRA is prohibitively expensive for many people. It would be cheaper to pay cash for a birth center (for instance) and hope no other medical issues come up in the family. Preventive care, schmeventive care. :roll:

[socalrules]

I wonder how much money Josh and Anna actually have left. I wonder if paying for the Arkansas house was all the savings they had from the show. They may have even received part of the money from Jim Bob, since he could brag that his son bought a house in cash. I don't see Josh and Anna having a lot of money saved from the FRC job. Even if Josh made $120k a year, with taxes taken out and the $3,500 a month in rent for the Maryland house, there isn't going to be loads of money for savings. Utilities, cable bill and Josh's love of all things fast food, had to cut into the remaining money. Plus, I think Josh and Anna stopped buying everything used. As for the cobra, Duggars are not known being smart and taking preventative measures. Anyway, Josh and Anna will never again have the leave a financial freedom they once did.

[kiwiana]

How much do you have to pay to give birth in America?

I keep hearing/reading about it and am curious how much it costs.

In New Zealand all pre natal and post natal care is free, I can't imagine having to worry about paying for a birth!

[Jessica]

How much do you have to pay to give birth in America?

I keep hearing/reading about it and am curious how much it costs.

In New Zealand all pre natal and post natal care is free, I can't imagine having to worry about paying for a birth!

Depends on where you live, where you give birth, and the number of interventions.

I paid $4500 in California for each home birth with a midwife. That includes all the prenatal care, the birth, and 2 post-partum checkups. My midwife gives all the paper work to my insurance and then I get reimbursed. For my second child I got about $1900 back. Still waiting on my reimbursement from my third child...

On the other end of the spectrum, my cousin's wife had c-sections (not emergency) and even after insurance paid their share, they still had to pay off about $15000 (for each child!!!) just for the birth and hospital stay--that's for planned c-sections, no complications, easy recovery, blah blah blah. :pink-shock: They were charged for each prenatal and post-partum checkup as well.

I just Googled "cost of giving birth in America" and this article came up. http://www.bbc.com/news/business-31052665

[SassyPants]

Depends on where you live, where you give birth, and the number of interventions.

I paid $4500 in California for each home birth with a midwife. That includes all the prenatal care, the birth, and 2 post-partum checkups. My midwife gives all the paper work to my insurance and then I get reimbursed. For my second child I got about $1900 back. Still waiting on my reimbursement from my third child...

On the other end of the spectrum, my cousin's wife had c-sections (not emergency) and even after insurance paid their share, they still had to pay off about $15000 (for each child!!!) just for the birth and hospital stay--that's for planned c-sections, no complications, easy recovery, blah blah blah. :pink-shock: They were charged for each prenatal and post-partum checkup as well.

I just Googled "cost of giving birth in America" and this article came up. http://www.bbc.com/news/business-31052665

I had my kids (both c-sections, one emergent and 1 repeat) back in the good, old days of dual insurance and good coverage. I don't remember paying much, if anything. I'm also in the San Francisco Bay Area where costs are high.

[Imrlgoddess]

She's got 3 naturals under her belt. There are two sisters conveniently trained enough to play catcher, one mother in law who is old hat at the birthin', & enough left overs to pray for zero complications.

Who needs insurance.... Or doctors....or midwives for that matter...

Edited for bad cell phone typos

[kjmackin]

How much do you have to pay to give birth in America?

I keep hearing/reading about it and am curious how much it costs.

In New Zealand all pre natal and post natal care is free, I can't imagine having to worry about paying for a birth!

From what I read that to give birth in America could cost high $20,000 if not more. I don't think the cost of birth is included with the figure of $245,000 (the cost to raise a kid to the age of 18).

[Alexa]

How much do you have to pay to give birth in America?

I keep hearing/reading about it and am curious how much it costs.

In New Zealand all pre natal and post natal care is free, I can't imagine having to worry about paying for a birth!

The hospital charged 29 thousand for my last all natural delivery and 3 night stay. I have no idea how they came up with that number. I spent a week in the hospital while pregnant with hyperemesis to get re-hydrated where all they did was put me on 3 different IVs and tend to my needs and they charged 100 thousand, yes one hundred thousand dollars. That hospital stay did not entail any major surgeries or anything aside from a saline, potassium and total parental nutrition IV and some blood tests. To add to that, my midwives charged 4,500 for delivery and office visits. Luckily our deductible was only 3 thousand and we easily met it that year so insurance covered most of it. My brother and SIL just had a premature baby who spent some time in the NICU which billed out at over half a million dollars and they had to pay a 20 thousand dollar deductible between my SIL's hospital bills and the baby.

So yes, one brief hospital stay, pregnancy/labor complication, premature baby etc. can end up costing any of the Duggars quite a bit of money if they aren't covered with health insurance or they have a large deductible. An illness has the potential to financially drain them.

I worry more about Jessa and Ben than Josh and Anna because they haven't had much time to save any money and with the show on hiatus may be losing out on insurance, no idea how they were getting paid or if their insurance was through TLC. I do know they are missing out on interview and magazine cover money since they are no longer in demand. Guess Jill and Derrick are in the same boat now that he quit his job at Walmart. At least Josh and Anna have had 6 years as a married couple to reap benefits from the show and to save enough money to outright buy a house. Although count me as another person who can see Josh not placing high priority on paying COBRA or independent insurance because he just expects Anna to have another uncomplicated home birth.

[SassyPants]

She's got 3 naturals under her belt. There are two sisters conveniently trained enough to play catcher, one mother in law who is old hat at the birthin', & enough left overs to pray for zero complications.

Who needs insurance.... Or doctors....or midwives for that matter...

Edited for bad cell phone typos

I hope and pray that Anna's delivery goes well- I hope she pops little M-4 (hopefully the Omega) out and goes about her day.

[Sundaymorning]

The hospital charged 29 thousand for my last all natural delivery and 3 night stay. I have no idea how they came up with that number. I spent a week in the hospital while pregnant with hyperemesis to get re-hydrated where all they did was put me on 3 different IVs and tend to my needs and they charged 100 thousand, yes one hundred thousand dollars. That hospital stay did not entail any major surgeries or anything aside from a saline, potassium and total parental nutrition IV and some blood tests. To add to that, my midwives charged 4,500 for delivery and office visits. Luckily our deductible was only 3 thousand and we easily met it that year so insurance covered most of it. My brother and SIL just had a premature baby who spent some time in the NICU which billed out at over half a million dollars and they had to pay a 20 thousand dollar deductible between my SIL's hospital bills and the baby.

So yes, one brief hospital stay, pregnancy/labor complication, premature baby etc. can end up costing any of the Duggars quite a bit of money if they aren't covered with health insurance or they have a large deductible. An illness has the potential to financially drain them.

I worry more about Jessa and Ben than Josh and Anna because they haven't had much time to save any money and with the show on hiatus may be losing out on insurance, no idea how they were getting paid or if their insurance was through TLC. I do know they are missing out on interview and magazine cover money since they are no longer in demand. Guess Jill and Derrick are in the same boat now that he quit his job at Walmart. At least Josh and Anna have had 6 years as a married couple to reap benefits from the show and to save enough money to outright buy a house. Although count me as another person who can see Josh not placing high priority on paying COBRA or independent insurance because he just expects Anna to have another uncomplicated home birth.

It would interest me too how they came up with this ridiculous number. Didn't the hospital bill show specifics?

I live in a country where everything, including health care, is, compared to the neighbor countries, very expensive. According to the statistics, costs for a "normal" birth are about 2000-5000 $, a cesarian is about 6'000-20'000 $.

Regarding the Duggars, they are wealthy enough to afford a good health care insurance. If they insist on breeding like rabbits, it's really their own responsibility to make sure that they have insurance.

Also, who paid for Josies hospital stay?

[SassyPants]

It would interest me too how they came up with this ridiculous number. Didn't the hospital bill show specifics?

I live in a country where everything, including health care, is, compared to the neighbor countries, very expensive. According to the statistics, costs for a "normal" birth are about 2000-5000 $, a cesarian is about 6'000-20'000 $.

Regarding the Duggars, they are wealthy enough to afford a good health care insurance. If they insist on breeding like rabbits, it's really their own responsibility to make sure that they have insurance.

Also, who paid for Josies hospital stay?

Until the ACA became law, most insurance policies had a lifetime max dollar payout amount. Any micro-premie would have hit that max and become eligible for government insurance. Virtually all micro-premies will be on government coverage before they are discharged from the hospital-

[Alexa]

Oh, the hospital had a list by list in the bill they sent, I wish I had kept it. It was over five years ago, I wonder I could still ask for another copy? It was just ridiculous, for example each IV was about one thousand dollars, each day was something like twenty-five hundred dollars just for being there. I forgot to add that insurance bartered with them and brought the total bill down from one hundred thousand to forty thousand, so that's better but still out of control.

I would be curious to know if the Duggars have insurance through TLC or pay for it independently because they must have had some pretty great insurance because I don't ever recall them complaining once about how much Josie's birth cost them. I hope Ben, Derrick, and Josh are ready to start paying for good insurance for large families without real jobs.

[Dovenoir]

How much do you have to pay to give birth in America?

I keep hearing/reading about it and am curious how much it costs.

In New Zealand all pre natal and post natal care is free, I can't imagine having to worry about paying for a birth!

Midwives average 2500-5000.

Hospital costs 7000-15000 for vaginal birth c section can push that to 25000

Ob gets between 3-5000 for normal delivery, up to 6000 for c section.

My friend's NICU micropreemie ran up almost 2 million in 14 weeks.

All prices negotiable with insurance or income discounts. But if you don't apply for income discounts and lack insurance, the bill will be in collections by 45 days. :/ awful system.

[Imrlgoddess]

I hope and pray that Anna's delivery goes well- I hope she pops little M-4 (hopefully the Omega) out and goes about her day.

So do I! All the stress recently has to be taking its toll on her & her mini.

[LilahBelle]

Midwives average 2500-5000.

Hospital costs 7000-15000 for vaginal birth c section can push that to 25000

Ob gets between 3-5000 for normal delivery, up to 6000 for c section.

My friend's NICU micropreemie ran up almost 2 million in 14 weeks.

All prices negotiable with insurance or income discounts. But if you don't apply for income discounts and lack insurance, the bill will be in collections by 45 days. :/ awful system.

The US health care system is about to collapse, we simply can't continue on this trajectory. At some point we will all be forced into single payer, which will be awful care, and some of us lucky ones will be able to afford supplemental insurance.

[Imagine20]

It would interest me too how they came up with this ridiculous number. Didn't the hospital bill show specifics?

I live in a country where everything, including health care, is, compared to the neighbor countries, very expensive. According to the statistics, costs for a "normal" birth are about 2000-5000 $, a cesarian is about 6'000-20'000 $.

Regarding the Duggars, they are wealthy enough to afford a good health care insurance. If they insist on breeding like rabbits, it's really their own responsibility to make sure that they have insurance.

Also, who paid for Josies hospital stay?

Insurance rates are different from those for the uninsured. When you get your bills, you'll see how much the provider billed your insurance, and then you'll see what your insurance plan allowed. Then you'll see what you owe the provider after insurance paid their part (usually based on your deductible.) That outlandish amount is what they bill the uninsured. Thus the entire problem with health care in this country.

I had a minor wrist surgery and the hospital bill my insurance $16,000. Insurance paid something like $6,000. I was billed $300 because I hadn't met my out of pocket yet. Had I not had insurance, I would have been billed $16,000 and then would have to negotiate that down.

This is why we just need to expand single payer to everyone.

[Sundaymorning]

Insurance rates are different from those for the uninsured. When you get your bills, you'll see how much the provider billed your insurance, and then you'll see what your insurance plan allowed. Then you'll see what you owe the provider after insurance paid their part (usually based on your deductible.) That outlandish amount is what they bill the uninsured. Thus the entire problem with health care in this country.

I had a minor wrist surgery and the hospital bill my insurance $16,000. Insurance paid something like $6,000. I was billed $300 because I hadn't met my out of pocket yet. Had I not had insurance, I would have been billed $16,000 and then would have to negotiate that down.

This is why we just need to expand single payer to everyone.

I know this concept sounds very compelling. But it won't make the costs go down, on the contrary, it will just reduce the quality. This is a very interesting article on the matter: mises.org/library/how-medical-boards-nationalized-health-care

[hapamama]

If they have to pay for a homebirth I'm sure they'll call on Jill to be the midwife attending. If not, I'm sure there's a lot of leghumpers in their local midwife community who would volunteer their services to help the victims of the evil liberal media.

Jill isn't currently licensed as a midwife in AR, or as midwife apprentice...

[hapamama]

It would interest me too how they came up with this ridiculous number. Didn't the hospital bill show specifics?

I live in a country where everything, including health care, is, compared to the neighbor countries, very expensive. According to the statistics, costs for a "normal" birth are about 2000-5000 $, a cesarian is about 6'000-20'000 $.

Regarding the Duggars, they are wealthy enough to afford a good health care insurance. If they insist on breeding like rabbits, it's really their own responsibility to make sure that they have insurance.

Also, who paid for Josies hospital stay?

At the hospital I delivered my younger 4 at, an uncomplicated vaginal delivery is $20,000. Does not include paying the OB.