I just got a phone call from my cousin. A friend of hers in Morocco is apparently pregnant and is considering the option of coming to the US on a tourist visa to give birth. From what I gathered, if the child is born here, he would automatically become eligible for citizenship upon request. Anyhow, since I am apparently their “liaison” here. The burden of investigating the costs and feasability of such an operation falls on me.
As far as I know, a foreign tourist would not count with any kind of insurance and would probably have to pay the doctors/hospital or whatever in cash. However, I don’t have the slightest idea of how much the whole process would cost.
So, can any of you dopers shine some light on the subject?
As a Canadian, I’ve been a foreign tourist in the United States many times, and have never had any problem buying health insurance that is valid in the US (and in other parts of the world, for that matter). I buy it at home before I go, for the length of time that I plan to be away.
I would imagine out-of-country health insurance is a fairly common insurance product, and hospitals in the US would see policies from many different insurers, both American and non-American.
Now, whether your cousin’s friend could get a policy that would cover childbirth, especially if she is already pregnant, would be another story. Being a man, I’ve never checked my travel insurance policies to see if they cover pregnancy. Anybody know if they do?
My wife mentionned the same thing.Howeverl, giving birth is not a disease or an accident so it’s very possible it’s not covered by regular travel insurances. So we’re still in the dark…
What would be the point? Giving birth to an American citizen doesn’t give her any right to stay here (children must be 21 or over to petition for a permanent residency visa for their parent(s).) Is there something desirable about being an American citizen in Morocco?
I am aware of that. I really don’t know what her motives are. Hell, I don’t even know her name. Maybe she wants her son/daughter to be able to study/work in the U.S one day. It’s my best guess anyways. At any rate, it’s always good to have an american passport. It allows you to travel around more freely.
Well, if her child is a U.S. citizen, when the kid turns 21, he/she will be able to petition for his/her parents to get green cards, so maybe she’s just thinking realllllly long-term?
BTW Gozu, just out of curiosity, which INS office did you register at? I’m always collecting anecdotal information for clients.
This one: Miami 7880 Biscayne Boulevard Miami, Florida 33138
I doubt she’s thinking long term. Maybe she isn’t thinking at all
But hey, it’s not my place to tell her what to do. I’m just collecting some information for her. My bet is that she’s just probing a little. I don’t think she’ll really go forward with it.
In any case, I just need to tell her the costs of giving birth when I get the phonecall tomorrow. I seriously doubt the american embassy would ever give a pregnant woman a visa anyways…
Another anecdote:
The lady who interviewed me at the Casablanca consulate actually refused my student visa application (officially) on the basis that I didn’t have sufficient attaches to Morocco (my whole family lives there. I guess she wanted me to have 4 wives and 27 children).
The unofficial reason as I learned later was that the college I was applying to was “beneath me”. Granted it’s a community college, but it was the cheaper of the lot and I’m getting a transfer after 2 years anyways.
to make a short story even shorter, my mother had a colleague that had contacts in the consulate and he vouched for me. Else, I wouldn’t even be here.
This was all post September 11th by the way. Sometimes, I wonder how many thousands of arab/muslim folks were denied entrance for no real reason.
But back to topic. how much does giving birth cost?
The cost estimator on my health insurance website gives $12,000 as the average non-insured cost of normal vaginal birth. Well, that’s what they give as average out of pocket expense for no insurance. In a footnote they list a range of $6,000 to $12,000. This price includes some lab work, obstetrician, hospital room, anesthesia, and (I think) dealing with an epesiotomy or sewing up any vaginal tears.
I wonder if immigration officers may deny her entry if it is obvious she will be giving birth soon. I remember hearing stories of this happening to Mexican women.
Would they (meaning airlines) even allow her to fly if she’s that far along? I went on a cruise two years ago, and that particular line won’t allow women to cruise if they are in the third trimester (I think most are the same way). The logic behind that is that if she were to go into labor earlier, the baby wouldn’t survive anyway (more than likely), but if a woman were to give birth on a ship (to a live baby) then they would have some sort of liability involving the care of the baby. Any airline employees to answer that one?
