Obs big fee - Pregnancy Plan??

[~Debbie~]

Hi
I am sure i have seen something on the forum about this one, but, our biggy is due in about 4 weeks, and we are curious as to what it is all about.
I keep meaning to ask when i am there, but, end up forgetting in the excitment of seeing bubs.
Our fee is $1000.00 What exact does it cover? Does the appointment take longer? Do we get a 3 course meal and night at the opera (lol)
But, whats it all about? Any clues?
Thanks

[Tobily]

It's called a pregnancy management fee and basically it is to offset the ridiculously high liability insurance that OB's have to have.
You don't really "get" anything for it unfortunately but you can claim some of it back through Medicare. When I paid mine I had reached my medicare threshold so out of the $2200 we had to pay I got $1800 of it back. So that took some of the sting out at least

[Janie]

No, you don't get anything extra at that visit, it's not relevant to the appointment. Most Obs structure their fees this way to maximise the amount you get back from Medicare (about 80%). We should think ourselves lucky, the rebate only came in about two years ago! You used to have to pay the whole lot yourself :eek:

Mine is due next week, but my lovely OB and his receptionist are very relaxed about accounts. Still going to pay it though, don't want $2,100 hanging over my head much longer!

[Kazbah]

It also covers the "on call" component, my ob told me?

[M22]

OMG- i had no idea about this!!

i am going public but with a private OB and he said he will deliver bubs- so we have to pay even though we are doing this??

[Janie]

Um yeah.......I would think with a private OB that you will have to pay something. They don't just do it for the love of it! Depends on your situation though, maybe your hossy/OB has some sort of arrangement???? I don't know many women who have done shared care with an OB, but those who did certainly paid for their OB.

As soon as I booked in with my OB at 4 weeks his receptionist sent me a heap of info, including his fee structure, so I have been well aware of it since day one. I would be giving yours a call tomorrow to see what the deal is! Good luck

[~Saram~]

Wow I thought $300 was a lot! When we had DS it was only $250 but medicare didn't cover any of it then. Also my dr doesn't ask for it until after 32wks but I have heard it's for insurance

[Karina]

I wish obs were $300 here... One I called wanted to charge $5000.. anyhow I am going public under midwife care, but what the receptionist of the Ob who I called said was that the biggie covered all the appointments except for the very first one, and also included the ob being present for the birth (or more likely, the last bit of the birth). The fee for this particular ob also didnt change if you ended up needing a c/s - you just had to pay a bit extra for the epidural or whatever other anaesthetic for it. The fee was also the same whether ot not you deliver in a public or private hospital, as his fee was simply for him, not the hospital itself.

[Tracey]

FBC for me too, so far I have paid $129 for a scan & got $79 back, bloods were all free!

[simone]

OMG!! I went to an OBS who bulkbilled!! (he doesnt anymore) so seeig him didnt cost me anything, adn i had my babies in the hossy across the road (when i was in WA) - public and private, the only diff between both was i shared a room with another lady (which i loved, we used to chatter and became great friends!) and i didnt get the dinner on the last night. I didnt care!! having y baby cost me nothing, and i loooooved my OB, i was devastated when i moved to Melb and he told me he couldnt come