Pre-Paying for Delivery

I'm glad to know this sub exists. This is a tricky spot and no one I know understands insurance enough to try to help me make a decision.

So last month I went ahead and pre-registered for delivery so I wouldn't have to do paperwork while I'm in labor. A week or so later I get an estimate from the hospital for about $11k and then they factored in my deductible and OOP Max (not sure how they know those things) and ultimately gave me a "you pay" price of about $5,300. It also said if I pay before my due date (Aug 22) they'd give me 10% off which totals about $4,800.

After checking my Anthem portal, right now I have about $4,500 left to reach my OOP Max. Is there a way I can somehow only pay that $4,500 to the hospital? I seriously doubt Anthem or the hospital will cut me a check for the difference if I just went ahead and paid the $4,800.

I've thought about just letting the bills roll in and pay as they come. But I realized that my insurance will reset at the end of the year and I've heard the hospital bills will roll in sometimes a year past the delivery. Thus I'd probably never reach my OOP Max this year, meaning I'm on the hook for everything. And I'm sure it'll cost more than just the $4,800 they're asking me to pay, so even the $300 isn't so bad when insurance will have to foot whatever is charged over the initial estimate.

submitted by /u/W33P1NG4NG3L
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