"British Guessing Game: How Much for a Baby in the US? Spoiler Alert: They’re Off by a Mile!"
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In a world where healthcare can feel like a game of roulette, the U.S. stands out as a real head-scratcher! While stargazing might guide us to insightful decisions, Americans are left spinning in circles over astronomical medical costs that no one but Uncle Sam seems to understand. Can you imagine stepping outside in the U.K. and stepping right into a conversation about the price of childbirth in America? A recent street interview caught Brits guessing wildly—some thought a baby might set you back a mere couple of hundred bucks, blissfully unaware that the reality is in the tens of thousands! Strap in, because as we venture into this eye-opening exploration, you’ll find laughter, disbelief, and a whole lot of gratitude for universal healthcare. Is it written in the stars that reasonable medical costs can truly exist? Welcome to the reality check of your life! LEARN MORE.
The U.S. spends considerably more money on healthcare than any other country. While this is an unfortunate truth for Americans, it can be hard for foreigners to fathom when they aren’t used to paying outrageous costs for basic medical services.
That’s why one journalist took to the streets in the United Kingdom to ask British people how much they think healthcare costs in the U.S. Their answers may surprise you, though no viewer will be as surprised as the people themselves were when they heard the real price Americans pay for basic needs.
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PoliticsJoe, a platform run by British news outlet Joe, often posts videos of street interviews that tackle political topics. In 2019, during one of the U.K.’s many debates over whether it should privatize its National Health Service and make it more like the U.S.’s for-profit healthcare system, an interviewer asked ordinary Britons to venture a guess at the costs of various medical procedures in America, including giving birth.
When asked how much having a baby costs in the U.S., one woman guessed, “$100? $200?” Oh. If only. “The average is about ten grand,” the interviewer said, before stipulating that “it can go up to $30,000.” The woman could not believe her ears. “Ten grand!” she exclaimed. “For a baby?!”
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Of course, those are statistics from 2019, and things have changed since then. More recent estimates suggest that having a baby costs about $19,000 in the U.S. these days.
And all of that doesn’t include absurd additional fees for things like skin-to-skin contact, which some parents have been billed for. Told that American hospitals sometimes charge for this basic privilege, one woman said, “You have to pay to do that?! To hold my own child that I’ve been carrying inside of my womb … I’m going to punch you.”
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The interviewer also questioned people on the street about asthma, a serious medical condition that affects about 28 million Americans. With how common the illness is, treatments like inhalers are serious business, which is code for “very expensive” in the U.S.
In the U.K., as with most other parts of the world, the opposite holds true, and life-or-death medications and equipment are often cheaper. So when asked how much she thought an inhaler costs in the States, a British woman had trouble landing on a number.
Towfiqu barbhuiya | Pexels
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When informed that it often costs as much as $350 dollars in the U.S. without health insurance, she couldn’t believe it. “$350?! For an inhaler?!” she asked. “Man, so if you’re poor, you’re dead.” It should be noted that the typical price range for an inhaler can be anywhere from $60 to $500.
Next up were EpiPens, another life-saving device. When asked how much he thought two EpiPens might cost, a man guessed $80. Another woman guessed $40. Obviously, they were both very wrong. In 2019, the actual answer was more like $600. Today, a brand-name pack of two EpiPens can cost as much as $700.
The interviewer shared a few more troubling facts with the people he found on the street. For example, if having a baby costs so much, surely contraception is cheap in the U.S., right? Wrong. He reported that an IUD typically runs around $1,300, which is still pretty standard for current care.
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Meanwhile, a nice man assumed that there was “zero payment” for calling for an ambulance when your life is in danger, while another thought it was $100. The interviewer informed them it was actually “two and a half grand,” although it may be a bit less expensive depending on the kind of care you need.
Tima Miroshnichenko | Pexels
All the absurdity had the Brits in the video feeling mighty grateful for their National Health Service. Like most systems, it’s not without its flaws and problems, but it’s far and away better than what we have in the United States. “Literally, the gift that keeps on giving,” as one person described it.
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And as for those profiting so heavily off of life-or-death treatments and services here in the States? One British woman said, “I think they should be stopped.” Your lips to Congress’s ears, ma’am.
John Sundholm is a writer, editor, and video personality with 20 years of experience in media and entertainment. He covers culture, mental health, and human interest topics.
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