We got the bill for having a baby – $37,000. Welcome to life in America | Arwa Mahdawi

Our insurance covers most of it, but the extortionate prices in America's healthcare system - and the absurd bureaucracy - boggles the mind

For the last couple of months my wife and I have been playing a quintessentially American game of Guess the Baby Bill. The rules are simple: try to guess exactly how much we would be charged for the birth of our daughter earlier this year. Last week the hospital bill finally came, putting an end to the guessing game. The cost of an uncomplicated vaginal birth? $37,617.69.