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First off - great news - DD had the MaterniT21 test done (baby had a echogenic focus on left ventricle) - and everything is great! No abnormalities.

But good googa-mooga! TWO THOUSAND DOLLARS! Her insurance covered 80%, but the $400 is still a lot for DD & her DH to pay...she's a SAHM with a 4.5 yo and 17 month old!

DD said that she told the specialist that no matter what, she would not terminate. They pushed her and said it was important for her to get it done and that insurance would pay for it in full. Unfortunately she did not get that in writing, but wow, expensive lesson.

Granted we are very happy that the baby is ok...but IMHO, given that her nuchal and triple screen was perfect, I don't understand the urgency of a $2k test especially when she made it clear that she would not terminate the pregnancy if baby had abnormalities.

She goes back at 30 weeks (4 more weeks) to see how that previa is doing....

[This message edited by Lalagirl at 1:45 PM, May 12th (Monday)]

I'm not sure what the test was for, but something with the heart? Perhaps they wanted/needed to be prepared should she deliver a baby with this abnormality? Better to be prepared than surprised?

Glad everything was OK! That outcome is priceless.

Glad everything came back clear.

I'm thankful everything is ok.

I'm glad it turned out ok, but

insurance would pay for it in full

The doctor should not have said this, and you should never believe a doctor that says this. They have nothing to do with this.

NEVER believe a US doctor about anything to do with the finances of medical care. NEVER.

You just touched on the reason I quit doing OB. I wasn't comfortable feeling pressured to pressure my patients into getting genetic testing when they would never have considered termination anyway. My colleagues and I had far differing opinions on this topic and I felt that I couldn't be in a group practice with them. Patients here just don't terminate for medical reasons unless the fetus is dead or the mother practically is. Sigh.

I'm so glad everything looks great. I understand the expense, I'm waiting for the next round of bills to start from the four ultrasounds I got with this last pregnancy (and another one today too for a grand total of five - for a pregnancy that only lasted 9 weeks). I feel like I should just direct deposit my paycheck to my OB's office at this point. And I have supposedly good insurance too.

When I was pg with my DS, I initially did not intend to do any testing of any sort (downs, etc etc). Wasn't going to terminate. I was working with midwives, birthing center, very woman-centered, because I was "old" and did not want a medicalized birth. Even the midwives thought I should go ahead and do it so that everyone could be prepared if need be -- both at the birth and after. (for instance, would we need special med gear at home?)

I do think if that is the reason, then even if the test was expensive it was worthwhile.

And 80% co-insurance is good, nowadays. Lots of employers offer only 70%. Hope the deductible is not too bad.

ETA, you can be sure that in the U.S. NOTHING is covered 100% unless you're on a medical study, and even then you're still paying for some stuff. BTDT, wrote checks with lots of digits

[This message edited by StrongerOne at 11:30 AM, May 13th (Tuesday)]

My problem with a bunch of those tests is that the problem will be picked up on the required anatomical ultrasound anyway.

NEVER believe a US doctor about anything to do with the finances of medical care. NEVER.

Oh believe me, lesson learned for her.

My problem with a bunch of those tests is that the problem will be picked up on the required anatomical ultrasound anyway.

Agreed. I recently read that ACOG is working on removing echogenic focus (white spot on heart) from the list of soft markers for Trisomies as it is a very common occurrence that normally resolves itself and baby is fine. I am not well-versed on what the MaterniT21 fully tests for, but I know it tests for the Trisomies and CF.

She is grateful that all is well with the baby - and I do understand one wanting to be prepared if there was something wrong. She just wishes she would have checked with the insurance company herself - but she was at the appointment, 2 hours away from home, and felt pressured - that's the part that is disturbing.

[This message edited by Lalagirl at 7:31 AM, May 14th (Wednesday)]