Cost of Pregnancy Checkup in America（First half）

September 18th, 2020 妊娠・出産

In the previous article, I wrote about the process of pregnancy and examination for 5 months. (Pregnancy and Checkup Process (first half))

This time I will summarize the cost for 5 months.

First examination

[Wednesday, June 3]: 6th week

・ Physical measurement, urinalysis, inquiry (nurse, doctor)

＜Cost＞

Inspection: $ 196

Insurance: $ -77.46

Out-of-pocket: $ 118.54

Second examination

[Friday, June 5]: 6th week

・ Ultra sound examination only (technician)

＜Cost＞

Inspection: $ 185

Insurance: $ -64.86

Out-of-pocket: $ 120.14

Third examination

[Wednesday, July 15]: 12th week

・ Physical measurement, urinalysis, interview (doctor) & heart sound confirmation

・ Confirmation of whether to perform a blood test & receive test clinic information and test kit

＜Cost＞

・ No charge (Because it was just a simple examination?)

Fourth examination

[Wednesday, August 19]: 17th week

・ Ultra sound (technician), body measurement, urinalysis, inquiry (nurse, doctor)

＜Cost＞

Inspection: $ 230

Insurance: $ - 80.38

Out-of-pocket: $ 149.62

Total

＜Cost＞

Inspection: $ 611

Insurance: $ -222.7

Out-of-pocket: $ 388.3

(Separately) Blood test

[Thursday, July 16]: 12th week

・ Blood test at another test clinic

＜Cost＞

Inspection: $ 2,000

Insurance: $ -1,502

Out-of-pocket: $ 498

Summary

The out-of-pocket cost was $400 for the medical examination and $500 for the blood test, for a total of about $900.

In the United States, costs are so different by state and person(which insurance you are in), so it's difficult to compare whether I'm high or low. (※1)

According to online information, the average out-of-pocket cost is $1,000 to $2,500 or $ 4,500. (Insurance included)

I assume it will be around $4,000.

That's all summary of the examination costs for the first five months.

[Additional]

(※1) About the insurance we are in

Insurance plan: High Deductible

Determine the amount of pay by yourself, and the insurance company will cover the amount exceeding the limit (Out-of-pocket maximum).

Reason for choosing High Deductible:

The regular plan costs $ 350 a month, which is high cost. (It seems that the basic charge has increased since I became dependent.)
Since we rarely go to the hospital, we decided that it would be better to set the annual limit to $ 4,000 with High Deductible and to fund medical expenses from salary, rather than throwing away $ 350 every month.

How to save our medical expenses:

We deduct fixed amount from salary as medical expenses every month (It is nice that we can deduct it before tax.)

Benefits of this plan:

If you don't go to the hospital, you can save money. (For young people who do not go to the hospital, this is better than throwing away a high amount money every month.)
If you exceed the fixed amount, the insurance company will cover it, so it's safe.
By the way, the insurance company also seems to have the advantage of reducing payment costs, such as decreasing of going to hospitals too many times or expensive hospitals.

About the future:

Since the out-of-pocket maximum limit will be exceeded soon, if the baby is born within the year, the insurance company will cover most of it. Since the baby is scheduled to give birth in January next year, the out-of-pocket maximum limit will be reset and we will have to pay in full.
The plan change period will come in October next month. We’re thinking to change plan and consult with the insurance company.

Insurance reference site:

Add Comment