Cost to us for the whole thing - £0.
We were even given a pass so we could get free parking throughout.
The one downside to the whole thing, when it came to crunch time there was no space in the nearest neonatal ward, so we had to be rushed in an ambulance the the nearest one that did have space. About 200 miles away, so we weren't able to go home for a couple of months until baby was stable enough to be transferred closer. It was tough, but I will be forever grateful to the NHS for the amazing effort that everyone involved happily contributed.
The midwives gave my wife her own room and even set up a camp-bed for me. They gave me tea and toast in the morning joking that they weren't sure they should do, but there was enough to spare.
We didn't need to pay anything and both being on paid parental leave took any financial pressure off so we were able to concentrate on the baby.
The only thing I would say is that a good 90% of hospital food is appalling, though. That's the main blot on the experience.
They were literally the 'seconds' rejected from the consumer market. No pudding for you if you happen to be allergic to one of the unknown possible flavours...!
The overall health care is likely cheaper but you do pay for it your entire adult life.
So while they charged you $100 during birth (btw that’s extremely cheap a private room in a central London hospital without insurance copay is a few £100’s a night) you pay for that room from your first paycheck to the last.
The only problem I have with it is that unlike say Germany I have no option to go completely private. I
No. In the UK you pay into a fund that pays for everyone, not just yourself.
As you do in the US .. it's just that the section of taxes you pay for it is generally much cheaper than health insurance costs.
And you get it even if you have no pay cheque.
That feels like a worse situation: you pay for it all your adult life, but you have to pay again when you need it.
(of course, I think we'd be better off in the states if we expanded medicare to everyone, giving everyone a baseline level of insurance... but I'd also expect it to be more expensive here than in the UK, just 'cause the payscales here are... pretty different.)
Here's the Agenda for Change pay scales, which seem relevant to a story about maternity care (which is usually going to be midwife led).
http://www.nhsemployers.org/your-workforce/pay-and-reward/ag...
Midwives are going to be band 5, so £22,128 to £28,746.
I think US midwives are getting about $100,000, so there's a considerable difference.
(I'm curious how this shakes out on the low end, and if it's just that in the USA, skilled labor captures more of the total labor compensation than in the UK, 'cause I didn't think our per-capita gdp was that far off. In silicon valley, unskilled labor pays around USD$15/hr. the rest of the country it's closer to USD$8/hr. There are a lot of people who try to live on that. What would the equivalent be in London?)
We’re talking about skilled, professional labor specifically, and boy, professionals are getting screwed over there. Here in the US you can afford a decent lifestyle on a doctor or SWE salary even if your spouse doesn’t work. I don’t know what folks in eg London do. Shit’s crazy expensive in London.
(median household income in SF is USD$75K/yr. I don't see how you could live in SF on that money without serious rent control or owning your place, but fact is it's the median household income. Come to think of it, I know a fair number of people in that situation; making under $75K/yr and living in a rent-controlled place.)
Interestingly, median household income in london, as far as I can tell, is GBP40.000 which is like USD$55K - which isn't nearly as large a difference as I see in, say, SWE wages.
The US does have socialised medicine: Medicare, and it costs as much as the health care systems of other countries, only it takes care of only a small part of the population, whereas in other countries it takes care of everybody.
The NHS covers everyone (although if you want fancier healthcare you can pay and go private).
The idea that people have to pay huge amounts of money for a basic human need like safe childbirth is very troubling.
Second child was in and out in 16 hours, and it was overnight, parking was free at that hospital, so only cost the petrol, about £1?
There's a lot of complaining about the fact it costs as much as a cup of coffee to go and visit people in hospital. Those with chronic conditions tend to get free parking (at least where I live now in Cheshire).
Considering how hugely complex and difficult a child birth is, and considering that there are professional doctors and trained nurses available for free, the complaint about the cost of a private room because what is given for free was 'not so nice', is, to my mind, seriously taking things for granted.
UK doctors don't work for free, and neither do nurses. Not to mention equipment and buildings. You're taxed for it.
Also, the US government pays more per capita on healthcare than the UK governments for a system that isn't free at the point of delivery.
https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/healthan...
My daughter was born by C-section in the UK. Mum and baby stayed in the hospital for a few days to recover from the C-section. This would have been completely free but they would have had to share a room with 3 other mums and newborns. That's not so nice so we opted to pay for a private room.
The cost for a private room in a hospital in the UK was the equivalent of $100 per night! In a HOSPITAL! Coming from the US that blew my mind.