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The cost of raising a child in America has soared (2018)

marketwatch.com

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Re: The cost of raising a child in America has soared (2018)

#11

I'm having identical twins, classified as high risk. The cost is mind-boggling. I've already paid $7000+ out of pocket, and they have not even been born yet. Costs are mostly related to having to do ultrasounds all the time, and one MRI.

What insurance plan can result in $7k out of pocket for unborn children?

High deductible plans for one.

Re: The cost of raising a child in America has soared (2018)

#12
post #6

The article points to housing as one of the largest factors of raising a child, and mentions healthcare as well. To my very limited understanding, we calculate inflation from some fixed [per comments below: not entirely fixed] index of consumer goods prices [per comments below: which include some notional aggregate of rent]. Is it possible that instead of saying "The cost of children, housing, healthcare, and educati…

> we calculate inflation from some fixed index of consumer goods prices CPI includes housing, healthcare and tuition. The basket isn’t fixed, e.g. 1999 CPI didn’t include cell phone data costs.

It includes rental, not purchasing homes

Re: The cost of raising a child in America has soared (2018)

#13
post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> we calculate inflation from some fixed index of consumer goods prices CPI includes housing, healthcare and tuition. The basket isn’t fixed, e.g. 1999 CPI didn’t include cell phone data costs.

It includes rental, not purchasing homes

> It includes rental, not purchasing homes

Home prices work their way in through owner-imputed rent, i.e. the rent offset by owning the home. Home purchases include a utilitarian portion (the housing) and a speculative portion (the investment gains). We don’t include the stock market in inflation; we similarly don’t include housing prices beyond the housing utility. Nobody has to purchase a home; everyone needs a place to live.

Every study that tries to include housing prices finds an inflation figure lower than CPI [1].

[1] https://seekingalpha.com/article/4173463-cpi-housing-prices

Re: The cost of raising a child in America has soared (2018)

#14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What insurance plan can result in $7k out of pocket for unborn children?

A very poor one it sounds like. Even a high deductible plan shouldn't have an out of pocket expense that is that high.

7000 deductible is pretty common

Re: The cost of raising a child in America has soared (2018)

#15

I'm having identical twins, classified as high risk. The cost is mind-boggling. I've already paid $7000+ out of pocket, and they have not even been born yet. Costs are mostly related to having to do ultrasounds all the time, and one MRI.

What insurance plan can result in $7k out of pocket for unborn children?

Aside from the high deductible plans mentioned, even a fairly modest one can reach that if you split the pregnancy over two years :-(

Yes, folks outside the US, we here in America try to time pregnancies over bullshit details of how our insurance plans work. At least anyone who's thought about it does. Those who haven't get a nasty surprise, and pay (up to) double.

Re: The cost of raising a child in America has soared (2018)

#16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What insurance plan can result in $7k out of pocket for unborn children?

A very poor one it sounds like. Even a high deductible plan shouldn't have an out of pocket expense that is that high.

All my plans since 2013 have been $12K+ deductible. (Self-employed in Ohio.) Every medical event is a major shopping and price comparison exercise, and nearly every provider refuses to quote hard-and-fast prices. (You also get treated very badly by some practices who act terribly put-off that you'd have the lack of decency to ask about prices. You get that treatment double when it's about a procedure for your kid. P/A in the ER was a straight-up asshole when I questioned if a x-ray of my daughter was strictly necessary.)

Re: The cost of raising a child in America has soared (2018)

#17
post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It includes rental, not purchasing homes

> It includes rental, not purchasing homes Home prices work their way in through owner-imputed rent, i.e. the rent offset by owning the home. Home purchases include a utilitarian portion (the housing) and a speculative portion (the investment gains). We don’t include the stock market in inflation; we similarly don’t include housing prices beyond the housing utility. Nobody has to purchase a home; everyone needs a pla…

This is correct. To expound on this, bay area housing is very expensive vs rent because the market believes that the price of housing will appreciate. In other markets the cost of owning is nearly flat with renting after factoring in the down payment. In those markets, the market of buyers believes that housing will not appreciate to the same level.

You cannot include for sale housing in the index because the price paid is a speculation/estimate by the buyer (future looking)

Rent is a snapshot of today's price.

Re: The cost of raising a child in America has soared (2018)

#18

I'm having identical twins, classified as high risk. The cost is mind-boggling. I've already paid $7000+ out of pocket, and they have not even been born yet. Costs are mostly related to having to do ultrasounds all the time, and one MRI.

If you knew you would be having a baby one year, wouldn’t it make sense to pay a higher premium for a better plan with a low or 0 deductible? Or does the math still not work out?

Re: The cost of raising a child in America has soared (2018)

#19
Medical guilds, unions and financial players are mature, strong and in-place. Many if not most, are well paid across the spectrum, and therefore can afford their own services. Why bring prices down ?

ps- if you think this is an endorsement of the situation, think again; simply a cold-blooded game theory thought on a most emotional topic

Re: The cost of raising a child in America has soared (2018)

#20

I'm having identical twins, classified as high risk. The cost is mind-boggling. I've already paid $7000+ out of pocket, and they have not even been born yet. Costs are mostly related to having to do ultrasounds all the time, and one MRI.

If you knew you would be having a baby one year, wouldn’t it make sense to pay a higher premium for a better plan with a low or 0 deductible? Or does the math still not work out?

I did switch to the best available plan at the soonest date I could, but that was halfway into the pregnancy
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