Financial planning is an essential component of preparing for the birth of your baby. The Minnesota Birth Center (MBC) is happy to be your partner in navigating your insurance and planning for your pregnancy-related healthcare costs so that upon the arrival of your sweet baby there are no financial surprises.
Financial Policy for insured clients:
– Self-Pay Clients, please click here –
MBC’s financial policy is that you prepay your insurance deductible by 37 weeks of pregnancy as a down payment toward your anticipated costs for care. If you are planning on birthing at one of our birth centers, MBC will also collect a down payment as an estimate for your baby’s care, depending on the details of your policy. If your care spans two years (for example you are receiving care in 2019 but due in 2020) we will collect your full deductible amount based on your due date.
We hold these prepayments in your MBC account as a credit. As claims for your care process with patient responsibility, we will draw from your prepayment to satisfy the amount due. At the conclusion of your care with MBC any amount you have overpaid will be refunded to you, and any amount you still owe (perhaps due to co-insurance, co-pays, or an uncovered service) will be billed to you.
Our hope is that by prepaying a good chunk of the cost of your care before your baby even arrives that you will have fewer bills to worry about postpartum.
what you can expect when you establish care at MBC
Prior to your first visit with us, you will be presented with a financial contract that reflects your prepayment amount (deductible only). We ask that you make a plan to prepay this amount by completing your contract no later than your second visit. You get to choose when and how you prepay (e.g. one lump sum or multiple prepayments), as long as prepayments are made by 37 weeks or alternative arrangements have been made.
Please take a moment to review the most commonly asked questions about paying for care at MBC. In addition, our Billing Team is happy to assist you via phone or email (612-545-5311 ext. 1 / billing@theminnesotabirthcenter.com). We respond to billing inquiries within two business days.
Frequently asked questions
- Aetna
- Blue Cross and Blue Shield
- Cigna
- Health Partners
- Medica
- Preferred One
- UCare
- UMR
- United Health Care. In addition, MBC is a participating provider with United for the VA Community Care Network program for due dates 10/7/2019 and onward.
However, every insurance company has many different plans, each of which cover services differently.Therefore, it is important that you call your insurance company to verify that MBC is in-network for your plan. Sometimes it is helpful to provide our Tax ID, which is 27-1689468.
In most instances MBC is in-network, but it is still important for you to do this double-check. While you are at it, also confirm that Quest Diagnostics (our primary lab processing facility), and Abbott Northwestern and United Hospitals (our transferring hospitals) are in-network as well. If you learn that MBC, the hospitals, or Quest is out-of-network, please contact our Billing Team to discuss potential next steps.
MBC is not able to accept out-of-state Medical Assistance plans, Tricare, or Veterans Benefits.
Note that when you apply for MA you are usually put on “straight MA” through the state of Minnesota and later transferred to a managed care MA policy such as BCBS-MA, Health Partners-MA, or UCare-MA. Please notify MBC when this change takes place so that we do not submit claims for your care to the wrong location.
If you have insurance, the best way to determine coverage is to call your insurance company and review with them each CPT Code listed in the MBC BirthBundle® (see below). Based on this information, your insurance can tell you which services are covered and which would count toward your deductible. Once you meet your deductible, you may have co-insurance, which means that you are responsible for a portion of costs up to an out-of-pocket maximum. This information should help you to calculate an estimate of your costs for care with MBC. In the event that additional care is necessary MBC will submit claims for your care accordingly.
Remember that any estimate that you calculate from the BirthBundle® is for routine care at MBC. It does not include the cost of labs (typically sent to Quest Diagnostics), problem visits, non-routine care, or any care received at Abbott or United Hospitals or any facility outside of MBC. These businesses will bill you directly. Remember to confirm that each of these entities is in-network on your insurance policy.
MBC’s providers (Certified Nurse-Midwives, RNs, Sonographers, and Medical Director) are committed to practicing evidence-based care and will only assess, test, and treat when medically indicated.
BirthBundle®
CPT / CARE FOR MOTHER / PRICE
99205 / 60 min Initial Consultation / $450.00
81025 / Pregnancy Test / $15.75
99000 / Specimen Handling x 3 / $45.00
36415 / Venipuncture x 3 / $37.80
59400 / Maternity Care / $4,900.00
96127 / Mental Health Assessments x 6 / $94.50
76805 / 20wk Ultrasound / $439.00
59409SG / Facility Fee / $5,650.00
A4550 / Delivery Supply Kit / $150.00
99349 / Home Visit / $298.00
Mother Total / $12,080.05
CPT / CARE FOR NEWBORN / PRICE
99464 / Newborn Exam / $331.00
99463 / Care and Discharge / $300.00
J3430 / Vitamin K Injection / $31.00
88720 / Bilirubin / $26.00
99463SG / Newborn Facility Fee / $1,600.00
99348 / 24 Hr. Home visit / $194.00
99000 / Specimen Handling / $15.00
36416 / Heel Stick / $5.25
92558 / NB Hearing Screen / $158.00
S3620 / Metabolic Screen / $210.00
Newborn Total / $2,870.25
TOTAL BILLED TO INSURANCE: $14,950.30
AMOUNT YOU OWE: DEPENDENT ON THE SPECIFIC DETAILS OF YOUR POLICY
Please note that the costs above are subject to change.
Service Facility | Vaginal Delivery w/o complications* | Normal Newborn* |
Abbott Northwestern | $14,041 | $5,390 |
HCMC | $13,238 | $3,848 |
United | $15,798 | $5,423 |
University of MN | $13,527 | $4,425 |
Woodwinds | $11,257 | $4,822 |
MN State Hospital Avg | $13,572 | $4,782 |
MBC | $4,965 | $1,500 |
Average Savings | $8,672 | $3,282 |
If you have co-insurance on your insurance policy (i.e. the percentage of healthcare costs that you pay after your deductible has been met), then the cost-savings can be significant.
*Note: These charges reflect the average of what the hospital charges for use of their facility. This price does not include charges for the provider or other professional fees, such as pharmacy, diagnostic imaging, or lab work.Source
There are specific rules about which policy will be first and it’s important to know that you do not get to pick which one is primary. Please carefully consider dual coverage to ensure it makes sense for you and your family once you have all the facts about the costs and benefits.
One final note on dual coverage: We prepare your financial contract and prepayment plan based on the lower of the two deductibles.
- The new company name
- The new ID and Group numbers
- The effective date of the change. This is extremely important to ensure claims are submitted to the correct company.
Once we have updated information from you we will update your financial contract to reflect your new deductible and prepayment amount.
MBC most commonly uses Quest Diagnostics for genetic testing. If you plan to opt for this testing you should confirm that Quest is in-network with your insurance policy. We also recommend using Quest’s QNatal Cost Estimator to estimate what your out-of-pocket costs might be for the most common Quest genetic test.
On occasion Progenity may alternatively be used if Quest is out-of-network. Progenity will often accept a “prompt pay” discount if the test is not covered by your insurance. Contact the number on your Progenity bill for details.
or call 612-545-5311 ext 1. We’ll respond to your inquiry within two business days.