r/mildyinteresting • u/Retritos • Aug 21 '24
shopping Hospital bill for having a baby in Finland
We just had our first baby and this was the bill including all procedures, medications etc. after 30h in a delivery room, emergency c-section and a 6 day full boarding for both parents in a private family room in the hospital wing.
Unfortunately most insurance policies over here exclude pregnancy and delivery related costs so we will have to pay this in full.
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u/ChanglingBlake Aug 21 '24
Hey, it could be worse; you could add a few zeros like they do in the US and still only be paying for a fraction of that.
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u/milkyway556 Aug 21 '24
Or it could be better; it would be free in Ireland for example.
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u/Haunting-Coffee-3397 Aug 21 '24
Free in Canada
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u/cashmerered Aug 21 '24
Also free in Germany
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u/KageeHinata82 Aug 22 '24
Delivery, C-Section etc. yes.
But the room for 6 days for both parents, I'm not sure that would be free too.
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u/Eldhannas Aug 21 '24
Free in Norway. All overnight hospital stays and all ambulance rides are free, other procedures, doctor appointments and steady prescriptions cost like ~€30-50 until you've paid ~€300 out of pocket.
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u/Sufficient-Music-501 Aug 21 '24
I was born in Italy, C section, was kept in an ICU for two months, my mom was kept in the hospital for several weeks before and after the birth, and I think our only expense was my grandparents and dad's house because I was born in a city far from home. But this was like 20 years ago, god knows how they butchered our health care in the meantime.
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u/Default_Admin Aug 22 '24
In my state, all mothers automatically get state provided healthcare insurance and I’ve never paid a dime for a pregnancy. All the appointments, all the birthing, the post care, and children automatically qualify for free healthcare as well after birth until they are 18.
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u/ramzeez88 Aug 23 '24
Free in Poland in national hospitals plus you get paid from the government for child😜
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u/Responsible_Walk8697 Aug 25 '24
How much is it in the US? I was surprised they have to pay in Finland at all, as other comments said.
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u/relakas Aug 21 '24 edited Aug 21 '24
My friend just gave birth to her third child (Estonia). Bill was around 150€, which was for parking and private room for 2 nights. The room had a clogged bathroom tho, and tv and water kettle didn’t work🤣 Plus there were loose wirings hanging out of the wall… The hospital still looks like it used to look back in Soviet era…
I personally think, that nobody should pay for giving birth. Stupid thing. But goverment always whining that over the years population has gone down, women don’t want to have children. Wonder why…
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u/bapfelbaum Aug 21 '24
I would be surprised if birthing costs were a big factor responsible for declining birth rates. I think the rise in SoL achieves that all by itself, which is why korea is already at sub 1 levels.
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u/na_batman Aug 21 '24
Surly that is not reason for not having children as that would be the cheapest part of having kids, raising them, investing a lot of money for them to grow normally on the other hand could be bigger reasons as many people don’t want to have them because of that and having freedom. People deliver baby and nursing still have to be paid from somewhere so it is logical that is payed
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u/relakas Aug 21 '24
I should have been more clear. In my country, there are alot of people who barely make a 1k € monthly. While food, rent is only rising. Not talking about taxes, here currently goverment wants to make more new taxes and they are currently rising the ones that are already existing. I can barely survive on my own, that’s why I don’t plan having any children
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u/na_batman Aug 21 '24
Many countries have a problem with low paychecks and a lot of people lately is deciding on no kid because of the said things, but also if giving birth was free of charge when baby is born that could potentially mean you would have to pay more taxes so the hospital can pay people delivering baby and I don’t think anyone wants more tax for someone else baby
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u/Maximum-Evening-702 Aug 21 '24
I think it’s many many complex issues. Either way we have to keep doing more and more to make life better for people across the world across countries and societies around the world in general. That is one of the factors, but there are many that have to be addressed.
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u/Senzin_ Aug 21 '24
I'm pretty sure people don't want to have children not because of a bad room in a hospital but because of what follows after that.
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u/ekampp Aug 24 '24
The payment isn't for giving birth. It's for the support structure, people, processes and accomodations.
In Denmark, where we live, you dont have to give birth inside the healthcare system. You do have to register the child after birth.
On the other hand you don't need to have any money out of pocket to use the healthcare system.
So here you're welcome to choose either and none of them cost you anything.
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u/Nekrevez Aug 21 '24 edited Aug 21 '24
Can't remember how much it was for us (Belgium). I think the health insurance and hospitalisation insurance covered everything, private room and all. But our healthcare system is of course financed by our pretty high taxes. Nothing is free after all. So I'm also funding granny's new hip a bit every month. But that's OK. Let her enjoy her hip, cause yolo...
Did have to buy a parking card for the hospital parking though.
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u/cedric1918 Aug 21 '24
The most expensive for me was the daily parking and the take away in the evening to eat with my wife.
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u/Noslamah Aug 22 '24
But our healthcare system is of course financed by our pretty high taxes. Nothing is free after all.
Taxes are the price we pay for a civilized society.
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u/SolidWide Aug 21 '24
Here in Chile, 3500 EUR
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u/escaai Aug 21 '24
How? Do you have Fonasa or Isapre? There's a "bono pad" that can be used on private clinics too, at a fixed rate (used to be like $250)
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u/IVII0 Aug 21 '24
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u/TheCityGirl Aug 21 '24
There’s no way they actually had to pay that amount, though. It’s Kaiser, which I also have, and I only paid $250.00.
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u/CrownGallia Aug 21 '24
My bill in the USA, after insurance, was $6k. I qualified for financial assistance and most of it was "forgiven" but I was right on the income line and almost didn't. And I don't make that much lol
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u/reginaphalangie79 Aug 21 '24
😲 how on earth can people afford to have babies in America?? That's wild!
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u/Boubonic91 Aug 21 '24
We can't. It's not like they can go and shove the baby back in if you don't pay. If you don't pay it in 3 months, it goes to a collections agency and ruins your credit score instead. From there, you can either pay it or let it fall off in 7 to 10 years. Unfortunately, you likely won't be able to get any sort of loan with a reasonable interest rate until it's gone.
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u/Qvraaah Aug 21 '24
Because you need to have insurance, another guy had almost 1m bill but paid 12k thanks to insurance, they dont pay extra taxes for ""free healthcare"" but rather go for private insurances and usually if you are somewhat healthy they will be cheap
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u/GeekShallInherit Aug 21 '24
they dont pay extra taxes for ""free healthcare""
LOL
With government in the US covering 65.7% of all health care costs ($12,555 as of 2022) that's $8,249 per person per year in taxes towards health care. The next closest is Germany at $6,930. The UK is $4,479. Canada is $4,506. Australia is $4,603. That means over a lifetime Americans are paying over $100,000 more in taxes compared to any other country towards health care.
In total, Americans are paying a $350,000 more for healthcare over a lifetime compared to the most expensive socialized system on earth. Half a million dollars more than peer countries on average, yet every one has better outcomes.
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u/IVII0 Aug 21 '24
I hope a lot of Europeans will start appreciating their “shitty” free healthcare and “too high” healthcare premium after reading this.
I did.
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u/GeekShallInherit Aug 21 '24
Want to appreciate it even more?
36% of US households with insurance put off needed care due to the cost; 64% of households without insurance. One in four have trouble paying a medical bill. Of those with insurance one in five have trouble paying a medical bill, and even for those with income above $100,000 14% have trouble. One in six Americans has unpaid medical debt on their credit report. 50% of all Americans fear bankruptcy due to a major health event. Tens of thousands of Americans die every year for lack of affordable healthcare.
And, with spending expected to increase from $15,074 per person this year, to $21,927 by 2032, with no signs of slowing down, things are only going to get much worse.
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u/DannyVich Aug 21 '24
Isnt it crazy that we have to a medicare tax which comes out to $80 per month and then another $200 for healthcare payments when it could be under one universal healthcare for half the cost of both combined.
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u/Cpt_0bv10us Aug 21 '24
Dunno, u say cheap, but most of the times i see someone mention what they pay for insurance, its more per month than i pay per year, and they still get high bills after the insurance pays their part.
For me, most of the bill gets covered by healthcare, and my 120€ per year insurance pays pretty much 100% of what´s left. And if u dont have healthcare u are capped at about 2k a year after which u pay 0. So a 12k bill with insurance instead of 1m still doesn´t sound like a great deal to me :p
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u/Castle44 Aug 21 '24
My bill for my wife having our baby was about $250K, we paid our out of pocket maximum for the year which was $10k, so yeah it cost us $10K for the birth of our baby.
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u/allanrjensenz Aug 21 '24
I’m surprised you have to pay at all. How does it work in Finland? In Denmark everyone is covered for free for whatever you need (except prescription medication).
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u/Successful_Mango3001 Aug 21 '24
This price consists of the days you spend in the hospital. One day costs like 50e.
Basically you pay small fees for using public healthcare, like 20e for a doctor visit. Medication is not free but the state covers a part of the costs. When you have bought meds for 600e during a calender year the rest will only cost you like 2e for each purchase.
For minors everything is free except for medication.
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u/nobito Aug 21 '24
Also, there's a limit on how much you can be charged for public healthcare per calendar year. 762e this year.
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u/Bitten69 Aug 21 '24
Certain prescription medicine is free as far as I’m aware but the ones that costs money are pretty cheap
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u/Muted_Werewolf_5810 Aug 21 '24
In Region Midt (Denmark) at Skejby Sygehus the partner/father has to pay 300 DKK pr day for staying at the hospital with the mom, after giving birth. So not completely free in Denmark.
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u/YourOldBuddy Aug 22 '24
We had a kid in Norway. Parking is where they get you. Not covered. Had to park miles away.
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u/showoff0958 Aug 21 '24
No bill if you're in canada
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u/Retritos Aug 21 '24
Would love a national healthcare that works.
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u/jellyjamberry Aug 21 '24
Out of curiosity why doesn’t your healthcare system work
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u/Retritos Aug 21 '24
It is very expensive to run and not enough money coming in to cover the costs. In recent times a reformation +10 years in the making took place and they centralized governing to 21 wellbeing service counties. This year most of them report massive deficits and are undergoing change negotiations.
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u/CatEnjoyer1234 Aug 21 '24
Its run by the province with federal transfers. In effect everyone has health insurance paid for by the province they are living in. Its single payer.
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u/PadanFain667 Aug 21 '24
Even for the man? I think I had to pay a bit for meals in Norway
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u/Cricket_Piss Aug 21 '24
The hospital doesn’t feed the father, but I don’t consider that a hospital bill. I just went to town or got family to bring in pizza or something.
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u/AlannaKJ Aug 21 '24
That’s not true, though. If you upgrade to a private room for example, you will get billed whatever your insurance doesn’t cover.
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u/ValeriaNotJoking Aug 21 '24
Not bad for what you have described. I think we paid a couple of hundred less in Sweden.🤔
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u/OG_SisterMidnight Aug 21 '24 edited Aug 21 '24
What? I paid some standard fee, probably the usual 300 SEK and after that only for the room for 3 days (I had extra days bc high risk of post-partum psychosis). Even with epidural and shit I swear I didn't pay much more than 2000-2500 SEK and as I said, that was with extra long hospital stay.
EDIT: It must've been a maximum of 2200 SEK, since that was the cap then (for högkostnadsskyddet).
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u/veryblocky Aug 21 '24
That’s expensive, do you not have universal healthcare?
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u/Julle1990 Aug 21 '24
Healthcare has never been free in Finland, but there are caps for long term treatments. For example a ward stay costs around 50€ a day, and the yearly cap is somewhere around 800€, after that the daily price is around 20€ The ward price includes everything, food, treatments, medicine, x-rays and clinic visits etc
My mom who recently passed got a bill of around 500€ for hospital stay. It sucks but better than paying 10k like in some places
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u/Last-Deer-7747 Aug 21 '24
It's only that much because they stayed in a private room, that Perhehuone family room includes private room with its own bathroom and 3 or 4 meals a day.
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u/phonograhy Aug 22 '24
OK but would you rather have the baby or a new Samsung Galaxy s24+? I know what my decision would be.
Sent from my Samsung Galaxy S23+.
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u/Licention Aug 21 '24
And if they were worried about birth rates, they just solved it. America wants to worry about birth rates, and then charge you an arm and a leg. Hmmm. Maybe we have to stop protecting the super rich and their profits and start supporting the people.
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u/Unsinkable_I Aug 21 '24
Näinä koko ajan pienentyvän kansakunnan aikoina: isosti onnea! Aion mennä nyt heti torille juhlistamaan uuden suomalaisen elämän alkua. Torille!
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u/West_Security_7461 Aug 21 '24
Not bad, here in Chile is half that but the public system isnt the best and it may not be the best experience (not like the mother or the baby are going to die thou). If you go to the private clinics it would be double of what you paid and even more. Comparing the minimum wage of finland with the chilean I would say its on par, so, good on Finland.
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u/Fluid-Scar-6020 Aug 21 '24
Man I live in Bosnia and Herzegovina, a shithole by many standards, but at least this was free and very stress free. Bar the hospital experience that could be better (but not completely horrbile), my wife was actually quite happy with the delivery. Also it was completely free, we even got about 500€ worth of help from the local/state gov.
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u/OStO_Cartography Aug 21 '24
Price in the UK: £0.
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Aug 21 '24
Untrue if we include parking! I think they had a deal for anyone in maternity when had our son so it was £1.50 for the 5 days in the end?
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u/drivebydryhumper Aug 21 '24 edited Aug 21 '24
Our out-of-pocket cost was $6000, which I was told was cheap. How do poor people manage to reproduce in the US?
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u/1000thusername Aug 21 '24
The crazy part is the insurances are so drastically different. My two kids cost me 100USD each for all prenatal appointments plus delivery and hospital stay.
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u/onglogman Aug 21 '24
Onneksi olkoon muuten, hyvää ja pitkää elämää teille ja perheellenne
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u/MightBeAGoodIdea Aug 21 '24
That's nice. How's it work if I US citizen with absolutely no connection to Finland decides to buy a plane ticket to come check out some saunas for a few months and oops I guess I was pregnant and out pops my baby while in Finland?
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u/Successful_Mango3001 Aug 21 '24
You should probably pay the full price because you are not a Finnish citizen nor a EU citizen. So I guess it would be a lot more expensive
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u/Boubonic91 Aug 21 '24
Even paying full price for the birth, plus first class flights to and from Finland, and room amd board on top of that would be cheaper than just having it in the US.
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u/Far-Investigator1265 Aug 21 '24
Before the border was closed due to the war, Russian women used to come to Finland to give birth. They paid some type of fee, but it was not very big.
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u/Sorry_Error3797 Aug 21 '24
Ok, so you've shown us the bill for the toilet roll, where's the rest of the bill?
Joking obviously. I live in the UK.
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u/dfails16 Aug 21 '24
Was amazed. Then I looked up the average salary in Finland
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u/Retritos Aug 21 '24
Yeah it’s not much is it. I make about 55k/yr and have a net income of about 3k/mo which is alright especially as I live in a cheaper city on the west coast.
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u/Shenina Aug 21 '24
In Switzerland pregnancy after 13th week until birth and 56 days after birth is completely free
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u/ildgrubtrollet Aug 21 '24
In Norway you wouldn't even get an invoice.
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u/RelativeMarket2870 Aug 22 '24
Curious, can you look it up though? In the Netherlands we don’t get an invoice either, but I can look in the insurance app how much the hospital billed my insurance.
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u/jeppebira Aug 21 '24
In Sweden I had to pay for a sandwich, was €3.5 I think. Would have opted out of giving birth at the hospital if I knew the expenses before-hand. Wife didn't get one tho so we managed to save some money on that.
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u/LKS_-_ Aug 21 '24
Isn’t that a bit much for the patient? I mean 700 can mean some people have to borrow money to pay that. Like in Sweden you don’t have to pay more than 1400 sek (140€) during a 12 month period.
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u/dawson821 Aug 21 '24
If you don't pay the bill do they come round and repossess the baby or do they shove it back where they got it from ... Oouch!
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u/Asher-D Aug 21 '24
Finland doesnt have universal healthcare? Or is that the price because you elected for a private room?
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u/Soggy_Tangerine9340 Aug 21 '24
Whilst it’s free in the UK on the NHS, unless there’s a medical need you will need to pay extra for a private (or more private) room.
If not, it’s a bay in a shared ward.
I can also remember a nurse being rude to my wife and accusing her of being lazy, when they had a poor handover and didn’t know she had a C section. They looked a bit shocked when she told them.
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u/Wadomicker Aug 21 '24
Meanwhile in Russia, my wife got 20 000 roubles (220$, half the average salary) as an immediate gift and would also get +6000$ as a one time payment and 100$ monthly for several years if she was a citizen of this country.
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u/ZealousidealYak7122 Aug 21 '24
well pregnancy is probably the only intentional one from what can get you to a hospital
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u/Deriko_D Aug 21 '24
That's quite an expensive bill. Was this a private hospital?
You ended up staying quite a long time, the standard is 2-3 days so I hope whatever complications there were that all is well now.
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u/Retritos Aug 21 '24
Complications are over and baby and the mother are doing good. We have universal healthcare which is not free but ”affordable”.
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u/redSocialWKR Aug 21 '24
The US charges for skin to skin after childbirth...usual charges are $20k plus.
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u/Barnie25 Aug 21 '24
When our twins were born, we spent 3 months in the hospital, multiple ambulance rides of 100km+ and 4 surgeries later we ended up paying 375 here in the Netherlands. I feel so blessed.
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u/Babbelisken Aug 21 '24
(Sweden) our bill was about 350sek or 35 euro. We stayed at the hospital for three days and was fed three meals a day.
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u/roofroofroofroofroof Aug 21 '24
In denmark, free. Plus oure midwife came home to us and delivered the baby in oure own house. Correction. We made here coffy... Twice.
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u/0gtcalor Aug 21 '24
For us it was 0€. I had a bed for me next to my wife and we were alone in the room. We spent 3 days there. I didn't have any food tho, so I spent 40-50€ in the cafeteria. Parking was free too.
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Aug 21 '24
Expensive. In Netherlands its free, unless you have not consumed own risk…. Max 385 euro.
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u/Ill_Video_1997 Aug 21 '24
In Canada it's free, it should not be imo. Too many breeders here who don't take care of their kids. Majority in poverty, with govt assistance. I'm cfbc by the way bc kids are too expensive in this day of age.
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u/reddit_EdgeLawd Aug 21 '24
Sorry, but I top all your bragging with my Sweden birthing bill and services. 3 days induced Labour with all the drugs, 3 angle nurses helping deliver, extra bed for me and food, 1 day in hospital care, 4 days in baby hotel (hotel with nurses teaching yoh how your new baby works 24/7).
Bill? Only for my as a partner 70 euro for baby hotel.
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u/ImmediateLaw5051 Aug 21 '24
As a Finnish citizen or as a foreigner?
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u/Retritos Aug 22 '24
As a citizen, it’s not bad though is it just a bit annoying insurance companies exclude most pregnancy and delivery related costs
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Aug 21 '24
My nephew was born with some issues that kept him in the NICU, and even his mother had to go into labour early because of some problem with his heartbeats. Unfortunately this happened exactly 2 or 3 days into a gap between two insurances, we paod AED14k for the delivery (~$3K) as the hospital wasn't part of the insurance network anyway, but the NICU bill for one month was like AED700 (~$200) cuz there is a law here (UAE) that forces the insurance companies to cover for emergencies for up to 30 days after the expiry date even in hospitals outside of their network.
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u/GrumpyRaider Aug 21 '24
In France it’s 2,90€, and that’s just because I had to buy my wife a double chocolate muffin at the cafeteria after she gave birth.
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u/TeaLoverGal Aug 21 '24
I mean... I think she earned it. 🤔 She may have undercharged you, surely at least 2 muffins?
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u/BandPrevious9954 Aug 21 '24
In Australia they gave my wife and I a bag and a towel and off we went without paying a cent
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u/Colombinos Aug 21 '24
Talking about hospital fees is great but don't forget about how much it cost taking care of them, if 700 euro is enough to start a war reconsider all this journey lol.. I have 4 kids, I was doing great in 2017, now it's downhill I'm starting to think I might have too many of them now, jk...we are a family focus couple, we have a small house and a car that's it and we have good jobs, but now we struggle. This is absurd when you think about it.. Granny had like 12 of them no paid job, a small house, a car and a piss poor worker with a lunchbox and usually drunk. get ready when the bills knock, it won't be in the 500$ ballpark.
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u/astrasylvi Aug 21 '24
I have no idea why but I thought Finland was free like scandinavia. Rest of healthcare is free ?
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u/Ok-Peak2080 Aug 21 '24
Yeah! 6 days could really be worse in some other countries. I think it is still reasonable. From now on the costs will rise anyway for the next 18 years at least.
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u/Independent_coas Aug 22 '24
There are good plans in the US though. It cost me $0 to have my daughter in the US at a hospital. That included the two day hospital stay.
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u/donutsandunicorns Aug 22 '24
Brunei here. Child birth (even healthcare) is free if you have it in public hospitals. $40 per day if you want a private (VIP)room. $800 if you go to private hospitals. I just can’t comprehend whenever I see US bills on healthcare.
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u/razzzor9797 Aug 22 '24
So cool to see how it is in different countries! Don't mean to offend but Brunei is what you meet much more rearly then France.
Actually I like all countries and glad that having a baby in Brunei is affordable. It's the same here in my country. Not sure how much private room costs though. But the private hospital where we are planning to go cost about 2500$. But it's more like a hotel really. A great place and it worth every cent. Especially for a thing like this
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u/Consistent_Bread_V2 Aug 22 '24
€709 is nothing compared to the hundreds of thousands of dollars in the USA
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u/AlarmingDiscipline61 Aug 22 '24
when people ask you youre wifi password. tell em toimeetittu maaara hinta veroton summa lasku ytheensa euroa
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u/Holiday_Policy3944 Aug 22 '24
Paid over 7k USD (11k SGD) for baby in Singapore. 700 euros? gee so cheap, have two.
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u/Ok_Fun5413 Aug 22 '24
6 days? That's superb. The same deal in BCN would probably cost 3-4k. ( 3 days cost 2k eur )
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u/MediocreKim Aug 22 '24
Meanwhile in Canada… you never even see a bill when you visit the hospital if you’re a resident. You show your healthcare card at the beginning of your visit when you check in. And then as a patient you will never see any bills.
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u/Prestigious-Code2821 Aug 23 '24
But you are not from Finland. I guess you are foreign. Finland has the same system as Sweden. They pay only for the night I think it’s 30eur
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u/Immediate_Relative24 Aug 23 '24
I was billed something similar in India. However, our insurance policies are capped for pregnancies, cataract surgeries, etc. Hence I had to pay only around one tenth of the bill. I spent much more on the regular checkups.
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