by FatherTime » Tue Jun 19, 2018 11:26 am
I wanted to follow up and share some of my experiences at Samitivej.
First off, I know that everyone is curious about the price. To be honest, I cannot tell you from start to finish how much it cost. We were going for monthly checkups, which included a sonogram. Those each ran in the $150 range. Towards the end (in the last month), it was weekly, with a "non stress test", which brought the total over $200 a visit. So, before birth, we probably racked up about $1500-$2000 in total visit charges (rough estimate).
The birth itself came in packages: natural birth, c-section, and a 3 or 4 night stay. The natural birth was 95,000 baht I think ($3,000), with a 3 night stay, and the c-section was 119,000 baht ($4,000) with a four night stay. What they failed to mention was that if you went in for a natural birth, but it then turned into a c-section, you had to pay the c-section price (obviously), plus a fee for using the natural birth room, so the total came to 145,000 baht ($5,000).
Costs didn't stop there, though. The additional costs after birth, but during the stay, included about $1000 for normal checks on the baby -- I would have thought they were included in the package, but no. Then of course there's the fees for the birth certificate and translations, and some other random fees. All-in, after four nights in the hospital our total bill was about 200,000 baht ($6,500).
So, I would roughly estimate that it cost $8,500 to give birth at Samitivej. I don't know the real numbers, nor care, as I didn't pay a penny, but our health insurance did. On that note, I would point out two things: 1) If it's a new policy you need to wait 12 months before she can get pregnant (unless you get added to a large group plan, but check that first); and 2) most plans limit birth expenses to $6,500, which we would have clearly been over, however if there's an "emergency" they'll cover more.
Now, the experience itself. All of the checkups were great, but I do think they were adding more than necessary to rack up the bill. On the day of the birth I was very unimpressed with how a few things went down, which all centered on a lack of communication. However, they did a great job with the actual procedure and medical care, just lacked in the bedside manner. The nights in the hospital were also great, with the nurses really taking care of everyone and providing great support. Once, when walking through a door, a nurse said to me: "customer's first". This sums up a lot of their thinking - we were customers, not patients.
In the end, we felt 1000 times safer doing it there than here. I know there are good facilities here, and even if an emergency happens I am sure they could get the baby out -- but there we felt that the mother was also in very safe hands, and that had something gone really bad, they have all of the facilities for both baby and mom. In Cambodia you might find a great doctor, but what if he's busy at that moment? In Bangkok we knew there was also excellent back up, plus a great Neonatology unit. Also, before the birth, there were classes in English that I don't think exist here, and support networks, dulas, etc.
Another thing to consider on the costs are the flights, hotels, etc. So, even though the hospital was free, we did have plenty of out of pocket expenses. You would need to account for her being there a month early, and 3-4 weeks after. Secondly, I know of a friend that gave birth here at a top facility, and the total cost was about $5,000. I know, I know, plenty of $200 options, but for the "comparable" level the prices weren't so off.
If we were to do it again in a year, I think we'll go down the same path, if not for the peace of mind alone. Plus, some time in Bangkok never hurt anyone... too badly.
Thanks for all the advice above.
I wanted to follow up and share some of my experiences at Samitivej.
First off, I know that everyone is curious about the price. To be honest, I cannot tell you from start to finish how much it cost. We were going for monthly checkups, which included a sonogram. Those each ran in the $150 range. Towards the end (in the last month), it was weekly, with a "non stress test", which brought the total over $200 a visit. So, before birth, we probably racked up about $1500-$2000 in total visit charges (rough estimate).
The birth itself came in packages: natural birth, c-section, and a 3 or 4 night stay. The natural birth was 95,000 baht I think ($3,000), with a 3 night stay, and the c-section was 119,000 baht ($4,000) with a four night stay. What they failed to mention was that if you went in for a natural birth, but it then turned into a c-section, you had to pay the c-section price (obviously), plus a fee for using the natural birth room, so the total came to 145,000 baht ($5,000).
Costs didn't stop there, though. The additional costs after birth, but during the stay, included about $1000 for normal checks on the baby -- I would have thought they were included in the package, but no. Then of course there's the fees for the birth certificate and translations, and some other random fees. All-in, after four nights in the hospital our total bill was about 200,000 baht ($6,500).
So, I would roughly estimate that it cost $8,500 to give birth at Samitivej. I don't know the real numbers, nor care, as I didn't pay a penny, but our health insurance did. On that note, I would point out two things: 1) If it's a new policy you need to wait 12 months before she can get pregnant (unless you get added to a large group plan, but check that first); and 2) most plans limit birth expenses to $6,500, which we would have clearly been over, however if there's an "emergency" they'll cover more.
Now, the experience itself. All of the checkups were great, but I do think they were adding more than necessary to rack up the bill. On the day of the birth I was very unimpressed with how a few things went down, which all centered on a lack of communication. However, they did a great job with the actual procedure and medical care, just lacked in the bedside manner. The nights in the hospital were also great, with the nurses really taking care of everyone and providing great support. Once, when walking through a door, a nurse said to me: "customer's first". This sums up a lot of their thinking - we were customers, not patients.
In the end, we felt 1000 times safer doing it there than here. I know there are good facilities here, and even if an emergency happens I am sure they could get the baby out -- but there we felt that the mother was also in very safe hands, and that had something gone really bad, they have all of the facilities for both baby and mom. In Cambodia you might find a great doctor, but what if he's busy at that moment? In Bangkok we knew there was also excellent back up, plus a great Neonatology unit. Also, before the birth, there were classes in English that I don't think exist here, and support networks, dulas, etc.
Another thing to consider on the costs are the flights, hotels, etc. So, even though the hospital was free, we did have plenty of out of pocket expenses. You would need to account for her being there a month early, and 3-4 weeks after. Secondly, I know of a friend that gave birth here at a top facility, and the total cost was about $5,000. I know, I know, plenty of $200 options, but for the "comparable" level the prices weren't so off.
If we were to do it again in a year, I think we'll go down the same path, if not for the peace of mind alone. Plus, some time in Bangkok never hurt anyone... too badly.
Thanks for all the advice above.