Ok, I am to get a fetal anatomy scan next week (Aug 7), problem is my lovely insurance does not cover -any- scans unless medically necessary blahblahblah. My OB strongly urged I get the anatomy scan done, and of course i want it done too, but this means we must pay out of pocket and they charge $300-$400 (she never gave me an exact pricing just said it's between that)

DH is being pretty stiff and not wanting to pay that amount and asked me to cancel and we can try and find somewhere cheaper, but from what i've read up an anatomy scan is a lot different than your average ultrasound, as they check for EVERYTHING. So i am thinking, is that why it is so expensive? Because they are going to have a specialist look and make sure that everything is where it should be and get all the details of our little bundle? He wants to find a cheaper place...but then i am thinking where would we go for an anatomy scan??? and how much does it actually cost? Does $300-$400 seem on target for something like that?

I have to either convince him to keep our current appointment or I have to find somewhere here that will do it cheaper and i really don't know what to do! He is getting pushy, today he asked me "did you cancel the appointment yet?" and when i said no, he started to get upset at me!

Maybe you could make him feel better by checking around with area hospitals to get a price list. Don't cancel your appointment, just get some numbers together to compare with the price you were given for your scan. That way if your hospital/clinic charges a normal amount, you can show him that it's no better if you were to go elsewhere.

I can imagine it costs that much because of how in-depth it is and how long the scan itself takes (mine was about an hour), and that you need a doctor to review all the stills to check everything (which also takes time; they took about 70-80 still frames for later review at my session). I would imagine it would cost at least $300 for good reason!

I would get it done as there are lots of things it can pick up on. Though ours are of course free here so it's easy for me to say that... We didn't get the quadruple test done for Down's so were relieved that the scan didn't show any indicators. Plus you get to see LO!

Thanks for the ideas... at first i was thinking that is very expensive (well, it is no matter what i guess hehe) but after reading up on what they do at an anatomy scan and such, iu started to think maybe that was average price for such a thing...

that and i REALLY dont know where to look to get one done elsewhere here. sort of feel i have no choice in the end. just need a way to convince DH without him being so upset over it

I agree have a look on the internet for different scan options and prices then speak to OH and see what he thinks!!

I read that if you're looking to shop around, you should ask your midwife/OBGyn/healthcare provider if there are any experienced sonographers in your area that would offer level 2 ultrasounds, as they would likely have that information. I mean, the worst they can say is that they don't know of any... in which case you can tell your DH that there isn't anyone else who could give you the scan in the local area.

It's a long shot, but do you have an ultrasound school in your nearby area? We have one an hour from here that offers free ultrasounds; they're done by students and supervised by experienced sonographers.

Someone did pose a question about the cost on Yahoo questions... and yeah, you get some crazy people on there, but at least the answers can give you an idea of what others have been charged, if you want to take a look:

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/in...2183043AAXtBGa

Doesn't seem that 300-400 is all that much to pay for a level 2...

That's a good idea because you don't want someone who just knows how to use the machine, you need to make sure they are medically qualified to look for all the physical signs on illnesses.

I am sorry that you are faced with this dilemma. How on earth can that not be covered? It looks like you are on military insurance which makes me angry. (I'm from the US too) Your insurance should be better than that. Is there any way your doctor will require it? I know...probably not, but just trying to thinking of all solutions. Best wishes!!