₦airaland Forum

@halle2, sorry dear. remember when i had to pay $2500 in 24hours or would have to pay $4000 for epidural, all because i did not pay before delivery and requested for it during labour. It's well, God dey!

@Halle 2. You could discuss a one year payment plan with them. That way you clear the debt; cos if not it will be on your name and during your next visa interview, it can be picked and used against you. Cheers and sorry love, that's the way the US system works.

One last thing which i should have written before clicking send is, As we burst the famous myths about having a baby in the US; if you have any gray areas you'd like clarified, please ask. Will try and answer as much as i can.

Cheers!!

@ Iremi, no probs. You can send me a mail at myuscitizen@yahoo.com

Back to breaking the Myths. Myth 2: Being Pregnant will disqualify you from getting a visa.

Wrong!!! There is no crime in having your baby in the US as long as you can prove that you have permanent ties to Nigeria (e.g. a good job/business), a doctor to handle your case and enough funds to cover your bills.

Also never lie about being pregnant, it goes in the system such that when you have your baby; they can ascertain if you knew at the point of interview and lied about it. And if they confirm you knew then and lied about it, it will negatively affect future visa requests for yourself and even family members.

So how do you prove to the visa officer that you are good to have a baby in the US? It all lies in being well prepared.

@ Wa Vixen, you know this also depends on where you go to and who is guiding one through the process. My first baby i flew in at 35weeks and had no doctor:-), I only had the letter written by my doctor. It took me forever to find a doctor that would agree to handle my case but i guess i finally found one,

And of course, when i did, i dint even think twice about his charge,

Which brings me to my next tip on managing one's medical costs.
2. Understand the system and plan ahead: Understanding the system means knowing the options available and how payment is expected for each option. E.g if you choose the hospital option, you will need to pay the hospital for using their facilities, you will pay the doctor for handling your final antenatal and birthing the baby, you will pay for all blood tests that are done during antenatla and even during labour (if any) and you will pay for a pediatrician that will take care of baby first medical check-up etc, If you then have a baby boy, circumcision is another cost:-)


However, if you plan ahead, then you can already check several options and settle for the one that works best for your pocket.

On second thoughts, think i should try bursting some of the myths people have of having your baby in the US.

Myth 1: Having your baby in the US is expensive: This is relative. However i have heard from people even on this thread saying that childbirth is about $15,000 to even as high as $25,000.

Is this true? Not necessarily. You will hear this proce quote mostly from US residents becuase most of them pay for childbirth via health insurance. Now because health insurance is a long term thing, the cost of childbirth can usually get as high as $25,000 even for a normal delivery. However, if you travel in to have your baby and pay cash, you'll get huge discounts.

From my experience (and the friends i have guided through the process); a normal delivery should cost about $6,000 in total and a C-Section about $8,000. This includes all doctor, hospital and even pediatrician's cost.


So how does one manage his/her medical bills so as to spend within this range (as much as possible).
I'll share 3 tips on this over the next 3 days.

1. Plan to have your baby in a big city vs. smaller cities. Hospitals in big cities leverage scale (i.e. access to more mothers) and charge less than hospitals in smaller cities.

@ Wa Vixen. I think most people are not aware of the Birthing Center option which is usually cheaper than hospitals. However to go via this route, you need to have had an uncomplicated pregnancy, the baby is not breech amongst other things.

I had my 2 sons in the US (Houston and California). For the first, i paid about $12,000 and for the second i paid $5800!!! The reason for the difference, better planning.

You can get affordable hospitals that charge about $3000 for delivery and doctors that charge about $2000 to $2500. Inboth cases, i had the epidurial so it was stress free labour:-)

@Dance with; When calling, you dont need to tell them you are an international patient, just say you live in another city and will be coming over at whatever weeks to have the baby cos you'll be staying with your sisiter or whatever.

@ BabaOlu; the US immigration can be harsh especially when the plane comes with loads of Naija pple. We are unfortunately notorious for not paying our bills or taking medicare which is wrong, so they are on the offensive. However, i got in twice and since my last baby in 2009, 4 of my friends have had thiers too following my advice. One tip is to re-route your ticket so you leave the intl connecting country a few hours after the main flight most nigerians would take, that way you arrive the US without the bulk of Nigerians. Secondly, i dont advice going through Atlanta or New York cos most direct flights from Lagos land there, so they are well prepared.
Any more questions, i'm always available.