Recently, an online newspaper here in NYC published an
article lamenting the woes of expecting mothers who are left “scrambling” for a
hospital where they can deliver their forthcoming bundle of joy. (See: http://www.dnainfo.com/new-york/20121220/kips-bay/nyu-hospital-closure-leaves-expectant-moms-scrambling)
To set the scene, back in October, the weekend right before
Halloween, if you recall, NYC was devastated by Hurricane/Superstorm Sandy. From
the Rockaways to Staten Island, to Lower Manhattan, the City was absolutely annihilated.
The entire public transportation system
was shut down for days. There are still areas of Lower Manhattan that have no
electricity due to salt water damage of the flooding. And let’s not even open
the door to what the folks in the Rockaways are dealing with. That’s a whole
other situation unto itself.
Anyway, NYU Langone is a pretty swank hospital and is the
hospital of choice for many women having babies. Location, staff, the
physicians, etc. all play into the decision making. No judgment. People should
be able to seek medical care of any kind, including their maternity care.
Unfortunately, due to the hospital’s location, during Sandy, all patients had
to be evacuated. Due to damages and whatnot, the hospital remains shuttered,
hoping to have its obstetrics unit up and running by January 14, 2013.
So, by mid-December, women who were expecting to deliver
before the re-opening were left “scrambling” to find an alternate location for
said delivery. I guess it was too much to expect them to pursue a Plan B during
the 7 weeks between Sandy and this epiphany in the 3rd week of
December. I mean, come on… really? SIX months or more before your delivery, and
you had made the necessary arrangements to deliver at NYU Langone; and THREE
months before your due date, with your Plan A up in smoke (or submerged in salt
water, whichever you prefer) you didn’t think about what to do in case the
hospital wasn’t ready?
Here’s an idea… my guess is that the OB/GYN you chose has
privileges at other hospitals. Maybe you could contact him or her for some
referrals, opinions, references, or ideas of alternate facilities where your
baby could be born? Perhaps you could contact NYU Langone for assistance? I
mean, they did evacuate patients during Sandy (including maternity patients) so
obviously, they will have some kind of rapport with alternate facilities. If
you have specific concerns, needs, etc., they might well be able to help you
triage some of the other options that are available to you!
No, instead you sit with your head buried in the sand,
trying to convince yourself that somehow, someway, NYU Langone will
miraculously be repaired and ready to accommodate you. Except it’s not. And now you will have to go to a hospital
that isn’t your first choice.
BOO HOO!!
Meanwhile, in other parts of the world (yes, there are
things going on outside of the borders of this country!) there are women who
are being beaten when they try to leave the hospital after giving birth,
because they can’t afford to pay their hospital bill from delivering their
baby. (See http://bigstory.ap.org/article/kenya-hospital-imprisons-new-mothers-no-money).
Health care and health insurance, as always, is a hot topic
in this country. So many folks without healthcare coverage, at least for
now. That will, of course, decrease once
Obamacare is in full swing. But healthcare reform is also a separate issue. In
this country, if you are a pregnant woman without insurance, you can receive
Medicaid for the duration of your pregnancy, and the baby will continue to be
eligible for at least partial benefits after birth. Yes, it’s crappy coverage but it’s better
than nothing. From a provider’s position, yes reimbursement is next to nothing,
but it’s something. When said uninsured woman presents in the emergency room,
in labor, and received no prenatal care, the risk of complications is extremely
high. At that point, the hospital and the physician are required to provide
care. Even though they will get very little reimbursement from Medicaid (as
compared to commercial insurance payments), it’s again, better than nothing.
In Kenya, these women have no health insurance. The hospital
bills average less than $200; still they cannot afford these bills and are
beaten with sticks when they try to leave. Here in the USA, the cost of a
hospital stay associated with the birth of a child is upwards of $20,000. Yet
we lament because we can’t go to our first choice hospital. Oh woe are we.
To those women, I again say this: I understand having a
preference of healthcare providers. But at the end of the day, you are
receiving some of the best medical care in the world. There’s a reason medical
students from all over the world come HERE to receive their education, fulfill
their internships and open practices.
There’s a reason that dignitaries, leaders, and common folk come HERE
for treatment, surgery and medical care (if they can afford it). Our government
has been so successfully lobbied on your behalf (your being pregnant women)
that you are afforded more rights and opportunities than your non-pregnant
counterparts. So please, your failure to adequately plan for the birth of your
child in the aftermath of Sandy does NOT a tragedy create. Quit your whining
and get over yourselves. There are real tragedies out there and your pretend crisis
is a distraction from real and important issues.
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