Lauren Stein

Babies are one of the most cherished and precious things in the world. They carry on family legacies and bring much joy to their families. However, the hefty cost of raising children is not one to be taken lightly. Despite many couples taking years to save and prepare for the next step of having children, there is always a shark waiting for them to take the bait. In the distress of being in labor, taking advantage of the naive parents, hospitals find a way to squeeze an extra cover fee. Typically, in America, it costs, on average, a total of $18,865 to just give birth. Being brought into the world costs almost as much as putting a down payment on a house.

In America, having health insurance does not mean much, somehow, the expenses always exceed the coverage. Parents have to deal with countless bills from hospitals, like being charged for waiting in the emergency room until they receive help. If there is a charge that can be made, the hospital will not hesitate to send in that bill.

In 2021, a mother who birthed quadruplets shared the medical bill for her babies. Hanna Castle gave birth to quadruplets who were born prematurely and were immediately admitted into the NICU. Staying in the NICU in the U.S. can range between $3,000 to $20,000 per day. The quadruplets stayed between 64 and 147 days. Her smallest son, Atlas, was only one pound and 14 ounces when he was born; he stayed in the NICU for 64 days. For just him, they were charged $714,747.15, for his overall stay. Her other babies ranged from $728,625.56 to 1.6 million. The total cost of their care was 4 million dollars.

 Castle decided before having the babies that she would quit her job and apply for Medicaid to afford to take care of them. Thankfully, Ohio Medicaid covered all her expenses except the bill for the birth. While cutting their streams of income in half allowed them to qualify for Medicaid, it has also left the family of six to survive solely on one stream of income. Some Americans are being forced to go to extreme lengths just to afford to give birth to their children. At this rate, the next best option for Americans looking to start a family and not incur insurmountable debt is to move to Canada.