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Medical Expenses - First Year

  1. #1
    snuggles is offline Registered User
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    Medical Expenses - First Year

    I am debating whether or not to commit to a medical insurance plan which covers some pediatric expenses for newborns. Question to the experienced mums -- how much do we generally expect to spend on medical services (including vaccinations, regular doctor visits) for the baby in the first year?


  2. #2
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    let's see...
    i've spent nothing on vaccinations... i go the gov't clinic and have done for both of my kids.
    i've only gone to the doctor twice for my 7 month old....once for very bad nappy rash and once for a bad cold she caught from her older brother.

    my son, 2yr 7 m, has gone to the doctor every time he has had a cold. he is prone to ear infections. however, he didn't get his first cold until he was more than a year old.

    i considered getting full-on medical coverage(insurance) for my kids but decided against it because in order for it to cost less, i'd have to take my kids to the doctor something like 20 times per year!

    just my experience though!


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    kellyst is offline Registered User
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    the canossa package is around 3-4K for the first 1.5 years. that should covers all required vaccinations. and then on top of that, we've been to the doctor quite a few times, i'd say around 8 times the first year (our doc is around $450 each time). of course each kid is different, and some go a lot less than we do, and being the first year, we're always more nervous and go to the doctor a bit more than it's really necessary.
    however, one thing to consider is if you want to take the private route in case of emergencies and hospitilization, i'd think it'd be worth the insurance, but in some cases, i think hospitilization and outpatient might be under different plans.


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    that's where we found the cost... it's one thing to have insurance to cover the hospital, but if you want it to cover out patient dr visits, then the cost is very high!


  5. #5
    ELT
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    our medical insurance does not cover vaccinations which is the only thing we ever paid for. I can't keep track, probably around $3000? We are first time parents so we go to the doctor for every little thing. Each visit would have costed around $200. Baby has eczema and we see a dermatologist, that would have been another $400 per visit. One time he had reaction to egg at night and we had to call a doctor for emergency visit. That one visit would have costed us over $2000 if we didn't have insurance.


  6. #6
    kellyst is offline Registered User
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    i agree with carang, i've actually looked into outpatient coverage a few months ago. and my estimate is that you'd be about breaking even at best (or worse) with those plans, you'd actually hope you don't use it at all coz your child's never sick!! same with the canossa plan, i think you just about break even with the vaccinations and all, and the insurance plans generally does not even cover vaccinations.


  7. #7
    spockey is offline Registered User
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    Bub's insurance coverage has been met by our recent hospital stay alone! Not even including pediatric bills for regular out-patient consultations. I'm uber anal though when it comes to being prepared for bub's health. So, even if it didn't even out, I'd still have insurance for bub. As long as you can afford it, and it's not a strain on personal family finances, I'd say give it a go. Stressing once again... UBER ANAL mother when it comes to this.


  8. #8
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    BUT if you didn't have insurance you can still use the public system for almost FREE!!! there's absolutely NOTHING wrong with the public system as a matter of fact, if there were major problems, the baby might be better off in the public system...they just dont' have the creature comforts is all


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