₦airaland Forum

Vlesparza:
FYI. The uninsured discount and the international patient rate you talk about... both are the same price. A letter from a hospital has been posted here explaining exactly that. www.doctoresparati.com offers the same.

What you offer is an international patient fee schedule, it is not the same as an uninsured discount
Your targeted clientele are international patients and it states that on your website.
Every single testimonial on your website as of 9pm ET March 24th is from international patients
You have an advertised fee schedule for this group
You do not have an advertised policy for uninsured US residents that can be reviewed and confirmed to be the exact same as that employed for international patients
I would hazard a guess that internationals make up the bulk of your business
You may or may not offer the same prices to domestic uninsured and even if you do, we know the latter have access to financial aid that international patients are not eligible for
So, you see, you are not comparing apples to apples

Your business model already makes it clear you are not like most other hospitals in the country so you really should be careful to not confuse my countrymen in this matter of uninsured discounts. Hospitals like the Mayo Clinic, Mercy Miami, to mention a few, have clearly advertised uninsured discount policies that exclude international patients.

Your business model is obviously working for you but you can't speak for other hospitals who have clear policies that are different for the uninsured and for international patients. If I were you, I would just focus my message on being an hospital that is specialized in serving international patients with a fee schedule that has nothing to do with uninsured discounts. There really is no point getting into the uninsured discount debate, your business model is vastly different from those who offer uninsured discounts and simply can't be bothered to sift through who is domestic or not when the term "self-pay" fits all.

This is a thread I visit whenever I come to this section. The last few visits, I noticed the discount issue so I decided to check Google. There were several links/articles from credible sources that anyone would find with a simple check.

First, I deduced that the whole idea of "uninsured discount" is targeted at US residents that for whatever reason, have no insurance in the US so they get a discount. Unfortunately, it appears Nigerians are not informed of this, just told they are eligible because they are paying cash. With that said, there are 50 states with I imagine, thousands of hospitals so it's not surprising if wittingly or unwittingly, that discount is offered to foreigners.

As for the government going after the hospitals, that is unlikely to ever happen. Which government in its right mind wants to wage war with centres of excellence providing care to the sick? The outcry from taxpayers against the government would be vicious. Whose money would the hospitals use to fight the government in court? All because of foreigners? It is a lot easier to attack the issue from source via visa restrictions. Harsh, unfair but true!

The businessinsider article link below is pretty good and gives a breakdown of cost for vaginal and CS as well as with or without insurance. For a foreigner, the reasonable price should be without insurance unless you have insurance coverage in the US (expatriates, diplomats, etc). I found other articles but this link is from July 2018 so consider it fairly recent. There are other links that talk about negotiated prices that insurance companies pay for the insured. Feel free to google, just make sure your sources are credible.

Please note that my post is not for the purpose of argument, I neither have the time nor the inclination. My interest is simply academic for enlightenment and to understand the drama surrounding this issue.

If I were to offer advice to anyone who does not already have prior birth drama, it would be to find a state and hospital you can afford, tell them you do not want the uninsured discount, you just want to pay the international patient rate. The information in the article below is a guide, may be higher, may be lower, do not forget these are the median figures, not even average.

P.S. From what I have seen, even on TV, Asian patients mainly from China and Hong Kong (not talking of Indians, Bangladeshi, Sri Lankan, etc), are typically well to do individuals speaking little or no English and they pay significantly more. There are businesses that house, feed and transport them while they are in the US. These businesses do everything for them including translation services. It is a total package costing tens of thousands of dollars per birth and the package includes high medical fees. That typical Asian person is not out there negotiating birth prices, arranging birth certificate and US passport, etc. No doubt, we have Asians that DIY the Nigerian way and may pay the uninsured rate but I think they would be in the minority.

www.businessinsider.com/how-much-does-it-cost-to-have-a-baby-2018-4

Eeyah! The travails of a chic magnet.
Omo dara o dejo
Poor Mr hot cake
Fresh boi always segzy
It's not your fault admirers are attracted to your Adonis good looks
What's a sweet boy supposed to do?
Not give them his phone number? Of course not, that would be uncivilized
Set boundaries? Of course not, that would be snobbish
Tell them to leave you alone? That's a taboo!

You'd better start doing the right thing before your wife adds your name to her midnight ritual

INTEGRITYA1:
I really agreed with you but if all of us should run away from this country who are those we are leaving this country for?

This always cracks me up. The ones that spoiled the country are still vying for government positions and still raping the country. Their children are abroad enjoying life and being groomed to take over the rape so that their lineage continue to impoverish the masses yet a person would not want "to run away." The people who made Naija what it is today have not relented in their efforts to rape the country dry yet a poor man wants to stay and manage.

Not everyone can / wants to leave and I respect that however if you choose to stay, don't let it be for misguided sentiments. While you are wallowing in suffering, the years are going by. All of a sudden you are 40 years old and you have spent your lifetime breathing in generator fumes, bribing to get every good thing you've ever gotten, driving on bad roads 80% of the time, etc.

INTEGRITYA1:
You can make it big here in Nigeria and that doesn't prevent you from going to any country across the globe for business and leisure; but running away, I don't encourage that.

Our curriculum needs to be updated with a " quality of life" unit so that this "making" it ignorance does not continue to blind us from the fact that we deserve better. The making it that cannot ensure access to well equipped hospitals in an emergency situation. The making it that cannot ensure the medical personnel in an expensive hospital have the training to give you the "right treatment in time" in an emergency. What is "making it" with ratchet infrastructure everywhere you look.

Nigerians are emigrating in droves, it is not about money. If it were just money, most of the current movement from Abuja, Lagos, Port Harcourt would stay put. People are beginning to see what they did not realize before and trying to make hay while the sun shines by getting out while they still can.

Cool! Happy to meet you

I'm sorry, didn't mean to make it awkward. I accept the invite........if you are female? I only hope you won't be offended at my reticence because in order to maintain my anonymity, I'm quite secretive and I would hate for you to think I'm being rude if I sound evasive. I wouldn't be comfy with emails. I hope this rambling makes sense? Fun fact - you follow one of my fave Posters

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@Topic

Mindset - think of yourselves as one unit with a common challenge to be conquered, not leaving Madam to deal with childcare alone.
Pool resources - whether it's financial, or time or skills so that you are utilizing for the maximum benefit of the family unit not just the individual. For example, regardless of who paid for the car, think in terms of how the family as a whole would benefit optimally from it's use.
Of utmost importance - marry someone who likes you gan, like a whole lot so that they will be all about your welfare. Don't marry your enemy. Let's put love aside, know that someone that likes you a lot would not watch you toil away your youth like a mule

I like this topic

OP, I wish you the best and I don't blame you for your concern. If I were male, I don't think flaccid boobies would do it for me so I understand where you are coming from. The deed is done now, I don't see any viable solution besides plastic surgery and I would not recommend doing that in Naija even if you could afford it.

Ladies,a reminder that gaining and losing a lot of weight on a regular basis can slacken breast tissue. Space your pregnancies, maintain your weight within a 10 pound fluctuation when not pregnant. All these, I found on Google. Educate yourself, do not give up on your body. God made Eve before he made their kids, don't sacrifice your boobss on the altar of excessive breastfeeding, the breasts are also for sexual pleasure.

Genetics can also play a role, look at the females in your family to see if you are predisposed to the condition.