Giving birth in the US

I'm a 2.5 months old father. Our daughter was born last year in October. And we are very happy! I thought I share some information about such affairs.

Our health insurance is with Kaiser Permanente, which is an HMO provider. I wrote briefly about HMO and PPO plans in my earlier post. Our hospital is the one in Santa Clara:


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It started with the checkups. Everything was organized. There is a well established protocol what to do in each phase, when the checkups should be and so on. Well there's no ultrasound exam every time you go see a doctor like in the movies. They do ultrasound only 2-3 times during the pregnancy. And strictly for medical reasons.

If you want a 4D ultrasound you have to go to a private company. There are tons of those! They have multiple packages available, like recoding the baby's heartbeat into a plush teddy bear and I'm sure they can fulfill your wildest expectations. It's a business :)

The hospital offered various classes and you were advised to take them. Most of them were free. By the time Baby is about to come to this world you feel prepared. Well they don't emphasize how painful and exhausting it is for both of the parents, but I guess they just don't want to discourage you...

We stayed in the hospital for 3 days. During that time we felt everything was revolving around us. We felt safe. The staff was excellent, always kind, friendly and very helpful. The coffee in the break room is extra strong. You'll need it! Everybody is professional! You don't feel the urge like at home to bribe the doctor and the nurses to get the right attention and care...

At the end you get the bill, which is called 'Financial responsibility'. Nice name for a bill isn't it :) Luckily our insurance is great so it only cost $250 but it can go up to a 5 digit number if you're uninsured or have a crappy plan.

Dad can stay with mom. There's a fold out bed. Extremely uncomfortable... But you'll sleep, trust me!

You hear the critics how awful it is that health care is a business. Well it is, and I think it better be. The competition is high, and if you're not satisfied you go somewhere else, so everybody is seriously trying to satisfy you and they go beyond your expectations. Doctors and nurses take the time to explain everything. You'll get all the help you need, medical or not.

Once you're about to leave you name your baby and the hospital applies for SSN for your newborn. That comes in the mail in about 4 to 6 weeks. You also have to obtain a birth certificate. It's possible 4 weeks after birth. You have the possibility to go to your local office, but if you don't feel like standing in line you can obtain it by mail, but it takes an additional 6 weeks to get. If you're not in a hurry get your sworn statement notarized in any UPS store for $10, write a check and mail the signed form.

Another administrative obligation is to get your newborn health insurance. In the first 30 days it is covered under mom's health insurance automatically, but make sure to notify your employer on time so she'll be covered. If you are not insured by your employer you need to shop for insurance for her.

Another thing you might want to do is start saving for college. It's expensive, and every dollar counts. The sooner you start the better is your position. I decided to go with a 529 plan by the State of California. Many a little makes a mickle...

What's left for me to do is a US passport for her and get Hungarian dual citizenship...