Federal Employees Health Insurance - which has the best maternity coverage?
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Anonymous
It depends on whether you have the high option or basic. The high is only 150 per hospital visit. I delivered with this and my total bill was under 300. However, it is VERY expensive - almost double what the others cost...With basic you pay 10% (like BCBS standard) so depending on whether you have a complicated pregnancy or not the bill could be cheap or very expensive. I know too many people with unexpected pregnancy complications that end up in the hospital for extended periods and with the baby in the NICU that I'm afraid to chance Aetna basic. I want to know what I am paying upfront. |
Anonymous
I have the High Open access plan -- will I be OK??? I plan to switch to the Bc/BS standard or basic once i have the baby but my OB only took teh Aetna plan and did not want to switch insurances in the middle of a pregnancy and lose my OB. |
Anonymous
| This is a very ignorant question, but for all of you who are referencing BlueCross BlueShield-- you're talking about the FFS plans (basic and standard), not the CareFirst BlueChoice HMO plans, right? Would anyone recommend the HMO options instead? |
Anonymous
| Echoing the poster seeking advice on GEHA. I delivered my first at GW with BCBS Standard and paid nothing, but we switched to GEHA when we started taking the baby to an out-of-network pediatrician (GEHA had the best coverage for out-of-network providers). Now I wonder if we're going to get sneaky hospital bills when baby #2 arrives. |
Anonymous
| Still waiting for someone to comment on Aetna Open Access Plan High about maternity coverage..... |
Anonymous
I delivered with GEHA last June at Sibley. I also had a D&C a few weeks later for a retained placenta (yay, talk about a fun recovery). I paid nothing except the charges for the private room and the cable tv (which I never ended up using, but oh well) for both. I am delivering again at GW any day now and am not worried about having to pay anything. However, we are having a boy this time and I will have to pay surgical benefits for the circumcision - (15% of charges after deductible if it's done by a preferred provider). I'll probably stick with GEHA next year too. The only downsides are the deductible and the sucky prescription drug benefits (they basically only cover generic drugs). But I think I will still save money in the lower premium, and I like being able to go to out-of-network doctors. |
Anonymous
See poster 17:46 |
Anonymous
I guess her/his post confused me. She said you could end up paying a lot with Aetna HMO if you have complications, but does she mean the high or low plan? |
Anonymous
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FOR THE POSTER WHO MENTIONED NICU FOR BABIES:
Can you elaborate on what these costs might look like, in a relative sense? We just found out we are expecting after IVF. We transferred two and thus there is a chance that I may be expecting twins, which obviously have a better chance of being in the NICU than a singleton would. Not sure what to do, the changes of twins are only 25%, and we won’t find out how many I am carrying until after open season. In every other sense, Basic makes more sense for our family. Also, what might one allocate for FSAFEDS For a year that includes a BCBS birth? |
Anonymous
| I had a baby for $10 total (inc hospital) with Aetna basic about 10 years ago sounds like those days are gone. Anyways..keep in mind that though Aetna (basic) only covers up to 90% of the hospital stay it is only up to a maximum per year (I think it is $5000). Meanwhile you are saving $$ monthly with much cheaper insurance. Experts say most of the federal employees on BCBS are very over insured... Also Aetna has $5 dental visits..another huge savings vs BCBS |
Anonymous
Not the PP, but here is what I posted on the other thread: I would stick with Basic in this instance. Actually having the child counts as a life event for which you can make a change outside of open season, so if you have twins AND if they need ICU time, you can make the switch to the Standard plan when you add the bab(ies). |
Anonymous
Hi! I lived in DC for 7 years and am back in CA. This is a great thread! Is BCBS Basic still better than Standard for maternity coverage? Thanks so much 
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Anonymous
FYI, this isn't true anymore. Bumping old insurance threads is dangerous! |
Anonymous
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Thanks for the replies. Has anyone here done IVF? If so, did your insurance pay for any of it?
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Anonymous
The only federal health plan to cover IVF is MDIPA, which is probably a large part of the reason the premiums have skyrocketed in recent years (I'm all for coverage of IVF, fwiw, I just think it makes no sense to concentrate those patients in a single plan). There's another plan that covers meds to some extent but not the rest of IVF. Do a search in the infertility subforum - this has been covered in better detail there. |