this post was submitted on 15 Nov 2024
58 points (98.3% liked)

Health - Resources and discussion for everything health-related

2358 readers
156 users here now

Health: physical and mental, individual and public.

Discussions, issues, resources, news, everything.

See the pinned post for a long list of other communities dedicated to health or specific diagnoses. The list is continuously updated.

Nothing here shall be taken as medical or any other kind of professional advice.

Commercial advertising is considered spam and not allowed. If you're not sure, contact mods to ask beforehand.

Linked videos without original description context by OP to initiate healthy, constructive discussions will be removed.

Regular rules of lemmy.world apply. Be civil.

founded 2 years ago
MODERATORS
 

Summary

Some U.S. OB-GYNs are requiring pregnant women to prepay for maternity care, a shift from traditional billing after delivery. The practice, while legal, is criticized as unethical by patient advocates, adding financial and emotional stress during pregnancy.

Providers argue it ensures compensation amid rising maternity care costs and high-deductible insurance plans. Critics say it can lead to inflated estimates, complicate provider switches, and deter prenatal care. Refunds for overpayments often require patient advocacy, exacerbating stress.

Experts note the legal gray area and challenges in regulating such payment practices.

top 6 comments
sorted by: hot top controversial new old
[–] oh_@lemmy.world 24 points 2 weeks ago

lol. And they want folks to have kids? I recall musk and a few others saying everyone needs to have more kids…. Well then who is paying the bill??

[–] khannie@lemmy.world 7 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

We have always had to do that when using private healthcare (Ireland). Up front and non-refundable cost was around 700 euro iirc so not a wildly different amount and probably higher now. They always told us up front though. Being told while you're standing there is tremendous pressure to put someone under who may be struggling financially and faced with "I need to care for my baby".

Having said that our public system is fully free and very good. We have gone both public and private.

[–] sunzu2@thebrainbin.org 2 points 2 weeks ago

Phh wow y'all got a choice... You must have a good daddy in charge. American daddy hates women and children

Damn, can't pay this month either. Sorry baby, you're staying in.

[–] halykthered@lemmy.ml 6 points 2 weeks ago

Whoop, mother died in childbirth. Thankfully we got the cash already!

[–] HubertManne@moist.catsweat.com 5 points 2 weeks ago

prepaying in general in the healthcare field is bs. the eob needs to be run so that anything you pay is counted toward your maximum out of pocket. I find providers that want some sort of prepayment don't put any effort toward putting in or correcting a claim so that the costs count.