What is Pregnancy Global Package Billing? | Ep. 19

Expecting a baby is an exciting time, but the financial paperwork can be confusing. When Caroline’s OB-GYN handed her a financial agreement for a “global billing package,” she wasn’t sure what it meant for her costs.

In this episode, Melody breaks down exactly what a maternity global package is and why it’s used. Learn the critical steps to verify the cost with your insurance, what questions to ask about included and excluded services, and how to make sure you don't get hit with unexpected fees from the hospital. This is your guide to financially preparing for your new arrival with confidence.

Featured Topics:

• What is a global billing package for maternity care?
• How to verify the amount your doctor is asking for with your insurance plan.
• Understanding what services are typically included and excluded from the package.
• How to clarify potential hospital fees vs. physician fees to avoid surprises.

What You’ll Hear:

• [00:40] What is a Global Package?
• [01:05] Step 1: Check Your Insurance Benefits for Maternity Care.
• [01:48] What to Do When Your Doctor’s Bill and Insurance Don’t Match.
• [02:45] Step 2: Understand What's Included vs. Not Included.
• [03:20] Step 3: Ask About Additional Hospital Fees.
• [03:55] Final Takeaways for Financial Planning.

Want to Ask Melody? Visit: https://melodymulaik.com/ASK Don’t forget to subscribe so you won’t miss an episode. If you're expecting and have received a financial agreement from your OB-GYN for a "global billing package," this episode is a must-listen.

Transcript

Speaker 2: 0:13

Hey everybody, welcome back to the Take Care podcast with Melody where we make healthcare easier to understand so you can take care of yourself and the people in your life. I'm Melody, and every week, we unpack real questions from listeners and experts to help you navigate care, coverage, and cost with confidence. Today's question comes from Caroline. I received a financial agreement from my OB GYN, that included a global billing package for my maternity care. What is that and how does that affect billing during my pregnancy? What a great question. Because pregnancy is one of those unique, medical situations where we know very specifically there's going to be a certain number of visits that you have at a minimum, there's going to be a delivery, and then there's going to be aftercare. And because of that, it fits into a nice package to do what's called a global package, where you can have a flat rate amount of money that you're going to owe. And we know the services that are going to get covered with that. So, we know in terms of how the physician deals with the insurance, fortunately you don't have to get totally in the mix with that, and that's a good thing. But what you do want to make sure you understand is what does your insurance company say about what you are supposed to pay related to maternity care? So, if you log onto your insurance company's website and you look at your benefits, they should specifically have a line item that mentions maternity care. And the amount varies depending on your insurance plan. But what you should expect to see on that website is a flat rate that says you're expected to pay$600 or a thousand dollars. And again, it's going to vary. So, I can't tell you specifically what that is. Now, you may see in your plan it doesn't have a flat rate and it may give you a percentage, or it may give you some other verbiage with it. But most of them tend to have that flat rate that they will pay or that you're responsible for paying. What you want to do is look at what that amount is and compare it to what your physician's office is asking you to pay. And those should align. If they don't align and they're not the same, that's a conversation that you need to have with your physician office of, wait a minute, my insurance company says, I owe$600, but you're asking me to pay$1,200. That doesn't seem right. Let's talk about that because they really should only be asking you for what you should be paying out of pocket. And typically with maternity care, they do treat that separately in terms of deductibles and copays. But again, it's going to depend on your particular insurance plan. So, it is appropriate that they are asking you to pay related to this global package as they call it. Once you verify that, yes, they're asking you for the right amount. Typically, they're going to ask you to pay in some installments. They may ask you to pay 25% of it or 50% upfront and along the way, another 25%, and then at the end, the final amount. So, that's appropriate to have that conversation so that you're understanding and that you can plan for what you're out-of-pocket is going to be. It is important when you look at those documents that you understand what's included and what's not included. So, there may be some additional services that occur after delivery. For example, you have a male son and you choose to have him circumcised. And those are done by OBGYNs, not the pediatricians. In that situation, they may say that this includes the delivery, but doesn't include any post partum procedures. Basically, postpartum meaning after the baby is delivered. That would be an example of something where you might have an additional cost. So, understand what your additional costs are. The other thing that I would say is also ensure that you understand, are you going to be asked to pay anything additional to the hospital? Most times that amount that they're providing for you may just be related to the physician. Or the physician may have a relationship with the hospital where they're collecting the money and they're sharing that with the hospital. So, again, there may be some variations with that. And you just want to make sure you understand upfront, this is my cost for this. Yes, but what else might I potentially be asked to pay for? That way you're not surprised, once you've delivered the baby and once you've had that hospital visit, as part of that whole delivery process with it. So, again, total normal thing, great way to do some financial planning. It is important to understand what's included and what's not included so that you don't have any surprises as you're going through this time of your life and going through this process. So, thanks for the great question, Caroline. And good luck with everything. And until next time, everyone, take care.