Woman drops insurance, says self-pay cheaper for childbirth

A Florida woman decided to pay for the birth of her baby out of pocket after finding out other insurance options would cost more, according to local news station WINK.

Christina Nicholson found out she didn't have maternity coverage when researching in-network OB-GYNs. She had been purchasing her own health insurance for $500 a month.

Ms. Nicholson explored other health insurance options, like joining her husband's employer-sponsored plan, but doing so would have added $1,000 a month to her family's premium costs. Plus the employer-sponsored plan had a large deductible, according to WINK.

Ms. Nicholson determined her out-of-pocket costs under the employer-sponsored plan would have been more than a self-pay price she negotiated with a provider. So she went uninsured and paid about $5,200 for prenatal appointments, labor and delivery with an epidural, and a post-delivery checkup.

The cost isn't far off from womens' mean out-of-pocket spending for maternity care under employer-based plans, which was $4,569 in 2015, according to a recent study published in Health Affairs.

Ms. Nicholson said she will continue to go without insurance because the self-pay rate she gets for being uninsured saves her money, according to WINK.

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