Hi Mustachians,
You may remember me from the 'Trying to conceive the mustachian way' thread - good news, we're 7 weeks pregnant!
But oh gosh, I am at my wit's end trying to choose a healthcare provider.
Background: being from England, I love the idea of using a Certified Nurse Midwife. I am currently with Aetna, but moving to a Blue Cross Blue Shield PPO plan as of 1/1/16 (Highmark, if relevant). According to their online search, the nearest in-network midwife is 10 miles away (this took me awhile to figure out).
So now I'm searching for an ob-gyn. But of course, each ob-gyn practices at different hospitals. So when I choose an ob-gyn, I'm also choosing a hospital, right?
So I think to myself, "There are two great hospitals within 6 miles. Let's just pick based on the price."
HAHAHAHA says the US healthcare system. WE WILL NEVER TELL YOU IN ADVANCE WHAT ANYTHING COSTS EVER.
(OK, sorry, I'm frustrated).
What I mean is: I call Hospital A, and speak to the pricing department, having selected "Press 2 for a cost estimate". I am told the rates for non-insured patient ($17,000 for vaginal, $34,000 for C-section) but patiently explain that I have insurance and I'm trying to find out the contracted rate with my provider. "We can't tell you that without the CPT (?) codes from your doctor".
To which I patiently explain: I don't have a doctor yet. Choosing a doctor requires choosing a hospital, and I need this information in order to choose the hospital.
"We can't help you."
Hospital B: same rigmarole.
Is this a rant or a question? Probably mostly a rant. But am I missing something? Is there really and truly no way to find out in advance what labor will *likely* cost at Hospital A v Hospital B? [I get that there is no way of knowing if things will go to plan, if I'll need a C-section, if there'll be complications. Some degree of uncertainty is obviously guaranteed.]
FWIW, Hospital A is non-profit. Can I guess that things will be cheaper there? Should I compare the non-insured rate at Hospital B, see which is lower, and just go with that hospital, on the assumption that there'll be a comparable saving for insured patients between the two?
Thank you!