2.28.2007

there was much rejoicing in the land . . . and then the hospital bill arrived

If Henry were a chicken for sale at the grocery store, his cost per pound at birth would work out to be $2,625.98. Per pound, people. And there were seven and a half of him. Fortunately for us, we send an indecent percentage of our take-home pay over to the folks at the insurance company, who are finally earning their keep.

The damage, incredibly, came to $19,957.42. That figure includes $376 in pharmacy charges, $11,700 for “semi private obstetrics,” and $386 for a labor room that was used only to store our bags while the baby was delivered surgically in the $4,538 operating room (where I received $1,159 worth of anesthesia). Had I known, I would have done a more thorough search for sample-sized shampoos or other value-add souvenirs in the labor room; $386 seems steep for three hours of luggage storage.

2 comments:

Jerad said...

You're welcome to store your luggage at our place for a mere $80/hour any time you like.

Burton said...

Regarding keeping souvenirs--seriously, we should have swiped everything down to the lightbulbs. Wouldn't life be just grand if we could serve all our home-cooked meals under multiple little plastic covers?