Costs of a Private Ob

Ok, so i have been having a look around for a private ob, and have worked out that its probaby going to cost us around $2500 - $2800 out of pocket for the ob i was going to choose. the charge is just the ob to do all the antenatal visits and be at the birth. And it includes the tiny amount that medicare pays and also the medicare safety net rebate. (The ob charges $4800, which i think is a bit excessive?? but i would get a portion back, so it would probably be more like $2500 - $2800 according to the obs secretary)

Then, they said that bub will be referred to a paediatrician, who will also charge me $. So i could be out of pocket even more!!

Can I just ask you all who used a private ob, if you were out of pocket this much?

That sounds like a lot, do you have private health insurance? If you do (unless you have your heart set on this particular OB) it would be worth checking for one who uses your insurers no-gap policy to reduce you out of pocket expenses as much as you can.

OB charges for antenatal visits, which I think you can only claim on medicare, vary incredibly, I've heard anything from $100 per visit up to $350.

I'm going public, even though we have insurance, but my girlfriend had a private OB, and including the OB costs & private hospital excess they were out of pocket around $1600?

No doesnt have to be this particular ob, but all the ones i have called charge around $4000!! And none of them have the gap cover thing which is annoying! We have the insurance, but if the doctor doesnt do gap cover, then the insurance doesnt pay for anything the doctor charges.

Might look a bit more into public, although DH seems rather against it. He wants to use the baby bonus for an ob, but i'd rather use it so i can spend a few months at home with bub after its born.

Why am i even worrying about this? We arent even TTC yet!

Hmm..depending on who your insurance is with, you can search online for OBs near you who do use the gap thing, or if you ring them they should be able to give you a list.

thats what i thought, so i did that, and they gave me a couple obs, but when i rang those obs they said they dont do the gap cover. oh well, maybe public is the go?

i shall make some more phone calls tomorrow.

thanks!!

I personally think if you have a low risk pregnancy you will not get any better care from a private OB than from a public hospital, but it is a personal thing, and of course if you go public you have to be prepared to share a room etc.

Bon

I went "private" last time and had to share a room for the first day... got no sleep because the woman spent all day on the phone to relatives and also wanted to chat with me! Within hours of giving birth I kinda just wanted a bit of peace... finally getting my own room was pure bliss. We're still covered privately this pg but we can't afford the thousands we'll be out of pocket. Women often forget that if you go private you also have to pay for all the tests and U/s of which you don't get full refunds for.... it all adds up... I'm quite stressed about the whole business but at least we'll get to "keep" our baby bonus this time *sigh*

Hi

Depending on which insurance company you are with, you will probably find that they would have a list of dr's who are connected with the fund, hence no out of pockets. HTH.

Love Helen

Oh and don't feel weird about wanting to find out everything now, I think it's a great idea because once that baby's in there, then begins the big countdown.

I think when you go privately you will still be out of pocket for tests like ultrasounds that are not conducted by your Ob... this goes for blood tests too. Correct me if I'm wrong.... wish it was different... would love to benefit from the private insurance we pay for each week!

Yes I still had bills to pay. All the hospital stay and birth stuff was all no out of pocket, just the $200 excess. Actually come to think of it I had to pay for my epidural.(well worth the money) But after making claims only cost me about $40

Helen

I went through an OB for my DS (first baby) and had the first visit payment (around $115 - partly claimable) and then the gap fee of $1000. He did the 12 week scan in his office but the 19 week scan was done externally which cost around $300 and something and was partly claimable (I think we got back around $180). I didn't have to pay for blood tests they were through Medicare (used Mayne).

The only other things were our hospital excess and the pediatrician ($350 all up - partly claimable)

My OB was listed as a no-gap with my health fund but stated that tey weren't, but then again he was cheaper than a lot around us.

That`s very expensive for an OB mine was no where near that, for my first visit it cost $110 (which included an u/s) each visit after was $50 (cheaper then going to my GP) and we got all but $14 back from medicare then at 30 weeks had to pay $800 for the pregnancy maintenance which we got all but $120 back.

Private health cover covered all the costs for delivery (being a c/s) and stay in hospital.

We did have to pay for blood tests, and my 20 week ultrasound and my Pelvic CT scan but gain got a lot back from Medicare.

For the care I was given from my OB I`m definetely going through him again .

I have heard some people saying that had to pay for part of their c/s, not sure how common that is and my OB didn`t refer me to a Paedetrician, he would have if Matthew needed one!!

Hi...

I haven't finished this preg, so i guess it could change but this is what we have been charged:

* $50 each visit to the obs (went like every 6 weeks until like 28 weeks, then every 3 weeks until 36 weeks, and then once a week until delivery - also i think i have one post natal check up 6 weeks after birth). I got like $25 of this back from medicare each time, and we just crossed the safety net, so now we pay like $5.35 per visit out of pocket. (oh, i think the first appointment was more expensive, but i also had an ultrasound juyst to confirm my dates)

* Ultrasound at 19 weeks - i think it was like $190 and i think i got around $120 back from medicare, but can't remember exactly

* various blood tests throughout pregnancy, but these barely cost anything (i think we were like $10 or $20 out of pocket)

* 30 week fee of $730 (would have been $1230 without insurance). I have to go to medicare and claim this, but was told i would get 80% back, so i will be about $150 out of pocket

* hospital bed costs are covered by my insurance, but if you don't have this and want to go into a public hospital with your own dr you would have to pay the $1230 (see above) and bed costs (which i believe you can't claim from medicare.. public hospital bed costs are like $300 a day)...

All this being said, we went private because we could (well, e hope, if i'm too early we might have a problem, but fingers crossed), i think if i had more time to think it out and do research, i probably would have gone public, although probably with a shared care option (see a private obs during the pregnancy and then go to a public hospital and have whoever is on duty deliever)..

Remember, when going private, you are NOT guaranteed of a private room (its subject to avaliability, both my father and FIL had operations recently with private insurance and had to share rooms cos there weren't any single's avaliable), and you are NOT guaranteed your obs will deliever you anyway (could be rostered off, or just not make it is time for the birth)

Seeing as they are the 2 most common reasons why people want to go private, i often wonder if it is worth having private health insurance at all...


Anyway, my obs is suppose to be one of the cheapest i believe (only charging around $1200 for delivery... but $4000 seems quite a lot... I suggest calling around for prices and getting recomendations from friends etc, but do think carefully about it as its a big expense and you want to be happy with your choice.

Good luck!

Also, forgot to add

The amount you are charged at 30 weeks depends on what health insurance you are with, as they basically divide their fee, and work it out based on how much the health insurance will pay after the birth and charge you the rest

It says on my info pack (which i've now lost - sorry) that HCF pay one of the best, and Latrobe pay one of the worst amounts.. Can't remember about the others, but you can call your fund and find out

Might be worth changing health funds if you have to pay less at 30 weeks?

Also, best to register ASAP as a family for the medicare safety net as this helps you reach it sooner

Also, just for everyone's information - Latrobe is one if not the only health fund that only has a 9 month waiting period for obsterics - and as some health funds wont cover you if you are early, it might be wroth changing to latrobe to qualify! (however, they told me every if i was a day early they woudln't cover me because of the 9 month waiting period thing)

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* hospital bed costs are covered by my insurance, but if you don't have this and want to go into a public hospital with your own dr you would have to pay the $1230 (see above) and bed costs (which i believe you can't claim from medicare.. public hospital bed costs are like $300 a day)...

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Do you mean if you go to a public hospital as a private patient, or if you got to a private hospital without insurance?

I have insurance, but we're going public, at a public hospital, I still get to choose my dr, and we pay $400-500 all up (plus I think I've been about $200 out of pocket for ultrasounds, but I've had 4), which we can claim from medicare.

I meant going to a public hospital as a private patient (I believe its called intermediatry care?)

I have to do this if i am too early, and am not covered for obstetrics by my insurance.

Maybe if you had obs insurance and went to a public hospital with your own dr you wouldn't have to pay bed costs, but i'm not sure about that.

If I went to a private hospital without insurance i would have to pay that $500 mentioned in my last post (the subdivided $1200 fee) plus bed costs which i believe are around $600-700 per night.

I haven;t really called medicare to find out about what i can claim if i need to deliever in a public hospital, all the above info was from the receptionist at my obs.. I recomend speaking to them as they normally know all about the fees, and then calling medicare and asking them.