[greekbeast]

It costs $30K? News to me. Our kid didn't cost a fifth of that, including delivery. Probably it costs that much if you do it in the U.S. with an unnecessary ultrasound every month or whatever whackadoo things people are doing.

[expabsPapsgag]

It costs $30K? News to me. Our kid didn't cost a fifth of that, including delivery. Probably it costs that much if you do it in the U.S. with an unnecessary ultrasound every month or whatever whackadoo things people are doing.

You got a bargain from a 3rd world provider. Maybe the quality was still excellent but the cost in Peru is still a fraction of the cost of paying doctors, nurses, rent, etc... In the 1st world. You also got lucky you didn't have a premie because costs spiral up by orders of magnitude with premies (which becomes more common as women delay child baring into their 30's or even 40's).

[sportlife]

My own recent experiences have got me pondering how I would feel about it if I were kind of a douchebag.

[espabamar]

Whining about "your money" paying for a pregnancy is kind of silly. Given that position, what about all else? Why should "your money" pay for any cancer? Heart disease? Someone running a red light and t-boning a vehicle? What exactly should it pay for? The only legitimate question is with "preexisting condition".

[InsManKV]

And if a frog had wings it wouldn't whomp it's ass every time it jumped.

[ireleda]

It should be covered. And I would think our conservative friends -- you know, the ones who believe life begins at conception -- would fight to the death to protect that embryo, keep it healthy and bring it to term.

After the birth? Different story. Then you're on your own.

I don't think this reads like you mean it. It reads like all childhood illnesses and immunizations shouldn't be covered?

[gtyruzzel]

You got a bargain from a 3rd world provider. Maybe the quality was still excellent but the cost in Peru is still a fraction of the cost of paying doctors, nurses, rent, etc... In the 1st world. You also got lucky you didn't have a premie because costs spiral up by orders of magnitude with premies (which becomes more common as women delay child baring into their 30's or even 40's).

Adjust for the different cost of living and you get...still less than a third of the OP number. The clinic where we gave birth was in Miraflores, the swank neighborhood of Lima where rent is about normal for the US. The delivery itself cost us just under a thousand dollars.

Pregnancy happens all the time. Plenty of poor third-world villagers have plenty of perfectly healthy kids (barring nutritional deficiencies) without paying the equivalent of their whole village's earnings for ten years. Why the hell should people in rich countries have to pay a lot of money for the exact same results?

[DoctorBeny]

Why not bill the offspring?

[boizzones]

Or even make money!

[ariniaxia]

30 K$ sonuds unrealistic - it's something like 300 hours of work on average (in US probably more with the lower wages).

Edit: Forgot to say that Eloks numbers makes sense in every 1st world country except US.

Who makes $100 an hour? Krazyhorse?

[SueveDobe]

That's inclusive costs - rent, equipment etc

[gagagaridze]

When my company "sells" me to do work for others they demand ~200 but I only get 50 of those .

Okay, so you're saying nurses and doctors cost ~100 an hour to hire? I think I see what you're saying.

[Celeliamend]

My hourly is $100. There's a lot of unpaid scut-work to be done off the clock, however.

[KernJetenue]

Publicly funded abortions.

[dietpillxanaxaxx]

If the average value of a human life is $6M to $8M and the cost of raising a child to adulthood is $500K, and we expect an average taxation on the value of an individual of ~20%after it's all said and done... then after factoring interest rates and payment schedules...

[KignPeeseeamn]

Free in Canada, unless you want an in-house circumcision - that's extra. Circumcision was covered until the early '80s. When it was included, about 80% of Canadian baby boys were circumcised; after hospitals started charging the rate dropped to less than 50%. Canadians love bargains.

[uncoosesoge]

If you are relying on your genital mutilation to prevent HIV infection

[Caluabdum]

If you are relying on your genital mutilation to prevent HIV infection

Well, it's not just that. He's had his bumhole stitched up too.

[DenisLevvin]

Frogs having wings is not something possible to achieve but universal coverage has been achieved in most civilized countries. That's just a fact.

Frogs having wings, however would be perceived as more useful in the US than universal coverage, even if it cost the same. Fact.

It would be called operation Winged Frog Freedom.

[10traistintarry]

1. Yeah, it should be covered.

2. Normal, no-complications pregnancy -> delivery should not cost $30k.

3. My daughter spent 15 days in the NICU, since she was premature. That bill was $60k.

-Arrian

$30K is the projected cost of the entire pregnancy, including delivery and all check-ups, tests and scans from week 8 to week 40.

My nephew was a week 27 preemie, his parents bill was $500K, which was mostly covered by charitable organizations and hospital write-offs. He was in the hospital for nearly three months.