Advice needed: Private hospital won't provide IFC for my birth.
Hi everyone, I'm hoping to get some advice on what steps I can take. I'm due to give birth at a private hospital, but they still haven't provided me with Informed Financial Consent. As far as I know, the IFC is normally provided between 32-34 weeks, but I am already past 36 weeks! Whenever I ask, they just tell me that I need to pay a $500 hospital excess.
Does this mean the $500 is my only out-of-pocket (OOP) cost for the hospital admission and there will be nothing extra?
For context, I have private health insurance but no Medicare, and I have already paid my OB's pregnancy management fee in full. I've also double-checked with my fund, and both the item numbers (for a normal delivery and a C-section) are covered by my private health insurance.
Has anyone else experienced this? What steps can I take to get them to give me a proper, written IFC breakdown so I don't get hit with surprise bills? Thanks in advance!
Located in Melbourne.