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Louise Thomas
Editor
Who knew giving birth could cost as much as college tuition? One mother on TikTok was shocked to find out when she received her hospital bill in the mail.
On June 24, Devynne Haddox took to her social media page to detail the long, costly list of hospital charges from when she gave birth to her firstborn in January. To her dismay, the bill was well over $80,000. “The reality of giving birth in America,” her caption read.
Haddox sat in her car, peering at her phone as she read off each item’s price. From the hospital room where she stayed for three nights to not even a full bottle of Motrin, the new mom was charged an obscene amount for nearly everything she used during her stay.
“For reference, I went into the hospital Wednesday and got released Saturday,” she explained. “I was in there for three nights. I had to get medically induced. I got an epidural, and there were no complications or anything like that.”
Still, Haddox’s total charge was $87,891. She laughed in disbelief as she read the number out loud, while her partner next to her was speechless.
“Okay, let’s break it down,” she said. According to Haddox, the room cost $14,706, the laboratory services were $8,794, and the Motrin she took was $3,608.
At the mention of the Motrin price, Haddox’s partner exclaimed: “I could’ve just gone down to the Walgreens.”
Haddox also claimed she charged $7,406 for the “emergency room” she was never in, but assumed the line item was referring to the triage room.
“And then for the room I delivered in, I think, $49,664,” she confessed, before her partner sarcastically added: “I didn’t know we stayed in the Hamptons. That’s insane.”
But that wasn’t all. Haddox was billed $3,036 for anesthesia services and $677 for “supplies.” Though Haddox had allegedly already been sent a bill for the anesthesia, she was now required to make another payment for it.
“So, that’s what it’s like to have a kid in America,” Haddox finished.
As baffled and defeated as Haddox was, most of her 4.6 million viewers seemed to feel the same. More than 15,000 commenters flocked to her page, expressing their disapproval over the steep cost.
“Best birth control I’ve seen yet,” one woman jokingly said, referring to the bill. Another added: “And they wonder why the birth rate is declining.”
“3K MOTRIN???? MOTRIN?????” someone else wrote.
A fourth person commented: “So do they take your baby back if you can’t pay the bill or what... $87k is INSANE.”
“Only in America,” one Swedish woman said, adding how childbirth is free in Sweden.
Other individuals encouraged Haddox to request an itemized bill, noting that the total cost could change if she wanted to dispute certain charges.
The Independent has contacted Haddox for a comment.
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