Mount Carmel, a private hospital in south Dublin, is billing pregnant women for their accommodation three months before they are due to give birth. They are being charged deposits of at least 50% of their estimated bill in order to secure a bed. The remainder is cash after delivery.
Expectant mothers have criticised the new practice as insensitive and claim the hospital is taking advantage of an emotional situation.
One expectant mother was sent an invoice earlier this month for €1,924 of the estimated €3,874 bill for having her baby 12 weeks later. She was told that if she didn’t pay the deposit, her date for the birth could not be secured.
“They seem to be assuming, with three or four months to go, that everything will go okay,” said the woman, who preferred not to be named. “The situation fills me with unease. There can be complications during the latter stages. This is a shocking liberty and I don’t feel they have considered the emotional aspects.”
Another woman, who is expecting her second child, told a website for parents-to-be: “A ‘booking deposit’ to have a baby, especially when I haven’t even set foot in the hospital during the pregnancy, seems like a very strange (and greedy) practice indeed. This was not the case when I had my baby there 18 months ago. Maybe we shouldn’t just put up and pay up, at least not without a fight.”
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The Irish Patients’ Association said the advance charges were insensitive to expectant mothers. Stephen McMahon, a spokesman, said: “This is not like paying three months in advance for a cheap airline ticket. What happens if you pay upfront and something goes wrong with the pregnancy, or you are unhappy with the service you receive?” Mount Carmel hospital introduced the new policy of demanding cash before delivery last month. Those without health insurance are being asked for €3,599 for accommodation in advance, while VHI or Bupa patients have to pay €1,924. Other outlays such as consultants’ fees are being charged as normal.
“Unfortunately we’re requiring a booking deposit 12 weeks before our patients are due,” said a staff member. “The board brought it in this year.”
Those who had previously had babies at the hospital were querying the charge, he admitted. The fee is refundable if the mother does not have the baby at Mount Carmel.
It is understood the hospital introduced the deposits due to a shortfall in payments owed by private patients.
Brighid Smyth of the VHI said: “We understand the hospital has introduced this system as part of their credit control procedures. They’ve experienced some difficulties in collecting the shortfall, which is the difference between what we give and what the member owes. But this is a matter between the member and the hospital and is outside the control of the VHI.”
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Jean McMahon of Bupa said: “This arrangement does not form part of our arrangements with Mount Carmel and is an administrative issue. All insurers pay only a contribution towards maternity costs at Mount Carmel, which in our case is up to €2,100.”
The Irish Patients’ Association warned expectant mothers not to sign claim forms with their health insurers until they have been treated.
At Holles Street maternity hospital, pregnant women who aren’t covered by health insurance are asked to pay for their accommodation a few days before their due date. A semi-private bed in Holles Street is €393 a day, while a single is €501.