Advise Needed - Queen Mary vs. Maltida with No Insurance
- Thread starter jwc209
- Start date
hi we were in the same case, debating whether to pay for matilda from our pocket or go with QMH... and ended up in between, going private at QMH...
our first choice was Matilda, as my private obgyn whom I am very comfortable with delivers there and I have heard many good experience from our friends. but as my company?s insurance over covers a very minimal amount, we would have been paying out of our pocket. being first time parents, we would want the best experience and hubby being around to support is one of the top priority. our obgyn who we trust a lot took time to went through the pros and cons to go private or public with me & hubby from the first few visits and helped us to make a reasonable decision to use our savings towards other areas instead of over a few nights at a nice hospital. we switched after the 20-week structural scan. though reluctant to say goodbye to my obgyn, she cannot take me as private patient unless i deliver with her.
like previous posters mentioned QMH is the best place if there are any medical emergency or special needs during your pregnancy or the birth. we ended at the private clinic side @QMH as i didn?t wanna go through the long waits and seeing a different trainee each prenatal check (which I did initially), I ended up seeing the same doctor each time whom was very reassuring and always explained everything clearly to us in English, took time to went through our birth plan with us etc. our baby was growing at a very slow rate towards mid third trimester so it was good to be with QMH who are experienced in handling various case, so to cut a long story short I was induced with natural birth and the whole experience was great and we were thankful to have the support. so while it was not the $200 paid by octopus check out, we were able to get private care with a fraction of the price from Matilda.
Regarding communication and support at QMH, we had no problem communicating in English. though I was originally born in hong kong , i am not fluent in speaking while hubby's Chinese is nearly non-existent. all prenatal checks, pre/post delivery stay and the delivery process was conducted in English per our request. we also passed them a copy of our birth plan (using the template from family zone where we did our prenatal sessions) and the midwives followed it to a tee, keep checking if I am ok and if I needed my epidural (I wrote that I will only want one if absolutely necessary), guide my hubby to massage my lower back (my preferred way for pain relief per birth plan) etc., hubby was by my side from the moment we checked in until we check out from the hospital. being a room in guests he was also offered meals (while not the full room service menu like Matilda there was choice of chinese or western style with choice of main each meal which i'll say it?s pretty decent)? baby was also with us at all times apart from the few moments that he was being bathed or tests being done... the lactation consultation came by to support few times per day and on call when requested, with nurses come in now and then to offer help in many ways...
must say it was a good experience for both hubby & I, and we will do the same route if we are having another kid in hong kong one day
our first choice was Matilda, as my private obgyn whom I am very comfortable with delivers there and I have heard many good experience from our friends. but as my company?s insurance over covers a very minimal amount, we would have been paying out of our pocket. being first time parents, we would want the best experience and hubby being around to support is one of the top priority. our obgyn who we trust a lot took time to went through the pros and cons to go private or public with me & hubby from the first few visits and helped us to make a reasonable decision to use our savings towards other areas instead of over a few nights at a nice hospital. we switched after the 20-week structural scan. though reluctant to say goodbye to my obgyn, she cannot take me as private patient unless i deliver with her.
like previous posters mentioned QMH is the best place if there are any medical emergency or special needs during your pregnancy or the birth. we ended at the private clinic side @QMH as i didn?t wanna go through the long waits and seeing a different trainee each prenatal check (which I did initially), I ended up seeing the same doctor each time whom was very reassuring and always explained everything clearly to us in English, took time to went through our birth plan with us etc. our baby was growing at a very slow rate towards mid third trimester so it was good to be with QMH who are experienced in handling various case, so to cut a long story short I was induced with natural birth and the whole experience was great and we were thankful to have the support. so while it was not the $200 paid by octopus check out, we were able to get private care with a fraction of the price from Matilda.
Regarding communication and support at QMH, we had no problem communicating in English. though I was originally born in hong kong , i am not fluent in speaking while hubby's Chinese is nearly non-existent. all prenatal checks, pre/post delivery stay and the delivery process was conducted in English per our request. we also passed them a copy of our birth plan (using the template from family zone where we did our prenatal sessions) and the midwives followed it to a tee, keep checking if I am ok and if I needed my epidural (I wrote that I will only want one if absolutely necessary), guide my hubby to massage my lower back (my preferred way for pain relief per birth plan) etc., hubby was by my side from the moment we checked in until we check out from the hospital. being a room in guests he was also offered meals (while not the full room service menu like Matilda there was choice of chinese or western style with choice of main each meal which i'll say it?s pretty decent)? baby was also with us at all times apart from the few moments that he was being bathed or tests being done... the lactation consultation came by to support few times per day and on call when requested, with nurses come in now and then to offer help in many ways...
must say it was a good experience for both hubby & I, and we will do the same route if we are having another kid in hong kong one day
charade, I've replied by PM
carang - yes the charges of private patient is same for all public hospitals and is clearly listed on the HA website...
also didn't mention above the downside is it's pay as you go so there is no package rate and all price is listed as a "range" so you really need to check with the private clinic what type of price to expect for budget purpose. my hubby is the number guy so i'm glad to have him to figure these out.
carang - yes the charges of private patient is same for all public hospitals and is clearly listed on the HA website...
also didn't mention above the downside is it's pay as you go so there is no package rate and all price is listed as a "range" so you really need to check with the private clinic what type of price to expect for budget purpose. my hubby is the number guy so i'm glad to have him to figure these out.
TheQuasimother
Registered User
Just my two cents. Both my children were delivered privately and under no circumstance would I have wanted it differently. First bub was paid for by insurance in full and second bub partially paid for by insurance (at Matilda).
Both births were uncomplicated. But I found that as a new mum, there is a steep learning curve. Here is why I'd go with Matilda even if I had to fork out my own cash:
- At Matilda (and my other private hospital in Sydney), there was a lot personal attention and help at the push of a button. If i had a question, it was answered before my anxiety had a chance to kick in. The post-natal care alone was well worth the money I spent.
- You get the very much needed rest without having to worry about anyone or anything. THIS was the most important bit of my hospital stay ... I was ready to go home and deal with the unknown.
- You don't have to deal with any hassle - I know that ordering food is simple enough but I just don't want the hassle. If I needed a cup of tea, it's like a hotel, its' a button away.
- My husband and child can stay for as long as I needed them too. And, he was there through the entire birth. Everyone was happy and not stressed which is how I wanted to bring the baby into the world.
- I am NOT bounded by any restrictions, not any that I can recall.
- Before I left for the hospital, I had help, even with the car seat! Again, it's biggest selling point, the help I got from when I checked in and til I checked out. There was not a single moment that ruined my birth experience. The midwives took care of everything, reminders about meals, anything else that I might have needed and overlooked. The care, at Matilda during delivery, is top notch.
If I had to do it over, I'd do it again (and no where else except for another private hospital back home).
Both births were uncomplicated. But I found that as a new mum, there is a steep learning curve. Here is why I'd go with Matilda even if I had to fork out my own cash:
- At Matilda (and my other private hospital in Sydney), there was a lot personal attention and help at the push of a button. If i had a question, it was answered before my anxiety had a chance to kick in. The post-natal care alone was well worth the money I spent.
- You get the very much needed rest without having to worry about anyone or anything. THIS was the most important bit of my hospital stay ... I was ready to go home and deal with the unknown.
- You don't have to deal with any hassle - I know that ordering food is simple enough but I just don't want the hassle. If I needed a cup of tea, it's like a hotel, its' a button away.
- My husband and child can stay for as long as I needed them too. And, he was there through the entire birth. Everyone was happy and not stressed which is how I wanted to bring the baby into the world.
- I am NOT bounded by any restrictions, not any that I can recall.
- Before I left for the hospital, I had help, even with the car seat! Again, it's biggest selling point, the help I got from when I checked in and til I checked out. There was not a single moment that ruined my birth experience. The midwives took care of everything, reminders about meals, anything else that I might have needed and overlooked. The care, at Matilda during delivery, is top notch.
If I had to do it over, I'd do it again (and no where else except for another private hospital back home).
carang
Registered User
you're lucky you could afford to do it privately. not everyone is that lucky.
for me, having had 2 EXTREMELY complicated births, i can say that the things you speak of had absolutely no meaning to me. ALL i cared about was the fact that my kids and i were happy and healthy. one of the ways i could manage that? i didn't have to worry about what it was costing me.
i should also add that i was hospitalised 13 times over 2 pregnancies.... i can't even begin to imagine what that would have cost privately.
again, if i had full insurance coverage. sure, i would have gone to matilda. i did not have that luxury. so, i used the public hospital.
would i make the same choice again? in a heartbeat.
everyone is entitled to their own choice. that is the problem with a question such as the one the OP posted. we each have different criterea, needs and medical histories. this type of decision can ONLY be made by each individual. other's wants, needs and histories are different, so you cannot judge what choice you should make by asking what others' choices were.
ps> quasi, i readily admit that there were times when i was a little green with envy of my friends who were going to matilda, but i am still happy iwht the choices we made.
for me, having had 2 EXTREMELY complicated births, i can say that the things you speak of had absolutely no meaning to me. ALL i cared about was the fact that my kids and i were happy and healthy. one of the ways i could manage that? i didn't have to worry about what it was costing me.
i should also add that i was hospitalised 13 times over 2 pregnancies.... i can't even begin to imagine what that would have cost privately.
again, if i had full insurance coverage. sure, i would have gone to matilda. i did not have that luxury. so, i used the public hospital.
would i make the same choice again? in a heartbeat.
everyone is entitled to their own choice. that is the problem with a question such as the one the OP posted. we each have different criterea, needs and medical histories. this type of decision can ONLY be made by each individual. other's wants, needs and histories are different, so you cannot judge what choice you should make by asking what others' choices were.
ps> quasi, i readily admit that there were times when i was a little green with envy of my friends who were going to matilda, but i am still happy iwht the choices we made.
Carang - I think you made your point clear and more than once. I dont think comments "you are luck you can afford it not everyone can" bring much to the discussion The first poster asked a question and we all including you spoken our minds not much point going on in circles. I'm sorry you had tough time during your pregnancies - I suppose we are very lucky we can all fall back on public system which is great in this country especially when in trouble. However the question was about making choices on the assumption all is well. Matilda is not just a hotel it is a medical facility and yes for extreme cases the baby or the mother would get shipped out to QMH but this would happen in many other hospitals in England which are not the teaching hospitals. It is however equipped and prepared to receive babies from 36 week of pregnancy and including twins. My baby was slightly premature and I delivered in Matilda with full confidence that the doctors in charge would make the right decision. I also think that there are as many people who will vote for private system as there are for the public one.And yes it goes without saying the private health system is expensive. So this discussion could go for another two years and never conclude.
I have never come accross a person who said anything negative about their experience in Matilda.
I have never come accross a person who said anything negative about their experience in Matilda.
will attempt to shut up now.
carang
Registered User
sometimes, i feel that those who went to places like matilda look down on those of us who didn't... so, i tend to get a little defensive about it. if i'd had insurance, i'm sure i would have made use of it. we didn't. neither are we here on a big "expat" salary. i married a local who grew up in gov't housing...so money IS an issue for us... and a very important one.
maybe to console myself with having to make-do with the public system, i, myself dismissed Matilda as a lot of very expensive window dressing.
either way, i still have two happy & healthy children. and while my pregnancies (and first delivery) read like something from a horror story, i can't blame the public system for it... they delivered my two greatest achievements and kept me from having a stroke/heart attack during delivery.
maybe to console myself with having to make-do with the public system, i, myself dismissed Matilda as a lot of very expensive window dressing.
either way, i still have two happy & healthy children. and while my pregnancies (and first delivery) read like something from a horror story, i can't blame the public system for it... they delivered my two greatest achievements and kept me from having a stroke/heart attack during delivery.
Just wanted to second on Blessed experience at QMH. I also went private at QMH and had a great experience with almost all benefits as a private hospital. Got guaranteed a private or semi-private room, access to expertise for complicated cases, one doctor handling everything, hubby had the choice to stay the night, someone ready at push of a button, nurses to help with BF, baby rooming in but could stay at nurses station as well if I needed rest, visiting hours are longer compared to public ward. When you check in you have to pay a deposit of 100K, I think my bill ended up being a little above 50K (induced vaginal birth, with forceps, 1st class room for 4 nights), but I'm not 100% sure since they send the bill directly to the insurance company.
I had a private room at Matilda. Everyone went great during the delivery and after. The midwives taught me so much about how to look after the baby and of course, I think I had the best obgyn in hk. I had the best view from my balcony too ... Having said all at, the 5 day "spa" experience came to 170k... Even the tv was a nice flat screen. Food was good and I bet the nurses would've given me a foot massage if I had asked for one. They looked my little one v well.
My friend delivered at qmh on the private stream. She had a good delivery and mother and lil one were both well looked after. I think she paid a third of what I did. If wasn't on full coverage insurance, there was no way I would have forked out that much monkey for maltida, I would rather have used it on a few years' worth of vacation
My friend delivered at qmh on the private stream. She had a good delivery and mother and lil one were both well looked after. I think she paid a third of what I did. If wasn't on full coverage insurance, there was no way I would have forked out that much monkey for maltida, I would rather have used it on a few years' worth of vacation
carang
Registered User
wah! i didn't know that there was insurance out there that would cover $170k! then again, i never imagined it could cost that much @ matilda!
may i ask if you paid the insurance premiums or if it was your employing company?
hmm....i think i am going to dream about such service when i go to bed tonight! LOL!
ps> for 170K they darn well better have brought you tea when you buzzed!
may i ask if you paid the insurance premiums or if it was your employing company?
hmm....i think i am going to dream about such service when i go to bed tonight! LOL!
ps> for 170K they darn well better have brought you tea when you buzzed!
howardcoombs
Registered User
I cant comment on company insurance, but you can get personal insurance that will cover the 170K.
Last I checked (a couple of years ago), PPP AXA Gold costs around 5000GBP per year (around 60,000 HKD) and will cover maternity after 18 month wait.
Last I checked (a couple of years ago), PPP AXA Gold costs around 5000GBP per year (around 60,000 HKD) and will cover maternity after 18 month wait.
howardcoombs
Registered User
*smile*
insurance companies are not there to lose money
*smile*
PPP Gold is one of the best ones around. It certainly is expensive, but its coverage is practically limitless. Anything, anytime, any doctor for very long lengths of time.
insurance companies are not there to lose money
*smile*
PPP Gold is one of the best ones around. It certainly is expensive, but its coverage is practically limitless. Anything, anytime, any doctor for very long lengths of time.
TheQuasimother
Registered User
Cara - I always appreciate your candour. And, it is extremely refreshing as there are many of us who aren't covered by insurance paid for by employers! So keep it up! But, your perception is so wrong though. I don't know any mum who would smugly look down upon anyone who didn't deliver at Matilda, that's just downright silly and arrogant! I'm always amused by such expats who do put up such pretenses! It's almost as if they've forgotten their regular Joe/Jane existence in life back home! Here, they are royalty but back home, their just regular Janes/Joes! LOL!
There are insurers out there who will cover most of Matilda's bills as long as you are not opting for the single room. I would rather go home and deliver than deliver in HK, especially with a complicated pregnancy. Just wanted to add, about insurers, I was covered partially for Matilda for a regular pregnancy but the minute I was considered complicated, there was a part of the pregnancy when the doctor was worried that I had placenta previa, the entire pregnancy would have been covered in full! So in all honesty, in my case, I was NOT worried at all about the hospital bill.
Also, had I not had insurance coverage in HK that allowed me to deliver privately or I did not have the money for a private delivery, complicated or otherwise, I'd not have had my second bub in HK. There is no bloody way, after a beautiful birth experience for the first one, which did get complicated as he was coming out, I would have used the public system in HK, which is probably adequate enough given that many use it.
Birth is a beautiful experience and an amazing experience. For me, it was something I wanted to control in terms of experience. So the money I paid, on top of insurance, was money well spent. And really, if you can afford it, Matilda, is an experience!
There are insurers out there who will cover most of Matilda's bills as long as you are not opting for the single room. I would rather go home and deliver than deliver in HK, especially with a complicated pregnancy. Just wanted to add, about insurers, I was covered partially for Matilda for a regular pregnancy but the minute I was considered complicated, there was a part of the pregnancy when the doctor was worried that I had placenta previa, the entire pregnancy would have been covered in full! So in all honesty, in my case, I was NOT worried at all about the hospital bill.
Also, had I not had insurance coverage in HK that allowed me to deliver privately or I did not have the money for a private delivery, complicated or otherwise, I'd not have had my second bub in HK. There is no bloody way, after a beautiful birth experience for the first one, which did get complicated as he was coming out, I would have used the public system in HK, which is probably adequate enough given that many use it.
Birth is a beautiful experience and an amazing experience. For me, it was something I wanted to control in terms of experience. So the money I paid, on top of insurance, was money well spent. And really, if you can afford it, Matilda, is an experience!