Maternity Insurance

[Anonymous]

If your husband is employed, can you switch to his policy?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Do you have annual enrollement coming up soon that you can switch insurance plans?

I have jumped from 1 insurance to another during this time based on pregnancy coverage and costs.

Good idea. I'm not sure it is an option. BC said they would reject me because I am already pregnant. Were you pregnant when you switched, what did you switch to?

Thanks.

i

I am about 90% certain that preganancy is not a pre-existing condition. When I was pregnant with my last child I had just started a new job, I was about 18 weeks along and HR told me they could not stop me from enrolling because it was not a pre-existing condition like cancer or diabeties.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP I am in the same boat. 12 weeks and I have yet to go to the dr. I feel so depressed and sad about this.

OP here. It is really depressing and scary, but do go to a Dr or midwife. Shop around, if you are inclined to use a midwife for the birth or just want more affordable prenatal care then check out this website: http://www.birthoptionsalliance.org/midwifery_dc_area.asp they have midwifery listings.

If you find any magic way to get an insurance company to cover you, please post it here.

Thanks and good luck.

Thanks OP. I am in MD so I may be able to get coverage. I feel like I am too well off to use it but I think I am going to have to use it. I need to take advantage of what the system will offer me at this point.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Do you have annual enrollement coming up soon that you can switch insurance plans?

I have jumped from 1 insurance to another during this time based on pregnancy coverage and costs.

Good idea. I'm not sure it is an option. BC said they would reject me because I am already pregnant. Were you pregnant when you switched, what did you switch to?

Thanks.

i

I am about 90% certain that preganancy is not a pre-existing condition. When I was pregnant with my last child I had just started a new job, I was about 18 weeks along and HR told me they could not stop me from enrolling because it was not a pre-existing condition like cancer or diabeties.

Yes, if you work for a large company - then there are no pre-existing conditions. Everyone is basically accepted. This is not true for individual plans.

The system is terribly broken, esp. for the lower middle class, the self-employed, and those who work for very small companies.

[Anonymous]

OP here. Leg cramp woke me up, fuming about health insurance kept me up!

Thanks for all your replies. In the last few months I have discovered health insurance is indeed broken! I cannot get maternity insurance and don't qualify for any government coverage. For those who asked, I get my insurance through my husband who buys it independently and is partially reimbursed by his employer.

Here's what makes me mad!

BlueCross BlueShield does provide a maternity "rider" under my plan, read the fine print, I missed this when I was shopping for plans. The rider costs $127 monthly, I would have paid $3,048 in the 24 months that I've had the plan.
The maximum that BCBS will pay for maternity services even with this rider is $3,000.
The average vaginal hospital birth without complications is $6,000, that excludes the cost of prenatal care.
I would have gone home with whooping hospital bill even with insurance! Thanks BlueCross!

So in the 24 months that I have held this policy our fit healthy family of three who eats organic and excises regularly has paid BCBS $11,688. For what... vaccinations, flu shots, annual check-ups and a twisted ankle.

I delayed prenatal care, opted for non-hospital birth and have been caused huge stress and worry while BCBS makes money hand over fist from my healthy little family...

Yup, the system is broken.

Thanks DCUMs now I can go back to sleep!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here. Leg cramp woke me up, fuming about health insurance kept me up!

Thanks for all your replies. In the last few months I have discovered health insurance is indeed broken! I cannot get maternity insurance and don't qualify for any government coverage. For those who asked, I get my insurance through my husband who buys it independently and is partially reimbursed by his employer.

Here's what makes me mad!

BlueCross BlueShield does provide a maternity "rider" under my plan, read the fine print, I missed this when I was shopping for plans. The rider costs $127 monthly, I would have paid $3,048 in the 24 months that I've had the plan.
The maximum that BCBS will pay for maternity services even with this rider is $3,000.
The average vaginal hospital birth without complications is $6,000, that excludes the cost of prenatal care.
I would have gone home with whooping hospital bill even with insurance! Thanks BlueCross!

So in the 24 months that I have held this policy our fit healthy family of three who eats organic and excises regularly has paid BCBS $11,688. For what... vaccinations, flu shots, annual check-ups and a twisted ankle.

I delayed prenatal care, opted for non-hospital birth and have been caused huge stress and worry while BCBS makes money hand over fist from my healthy little family...

Yup, the system is broken.

Thanks DCUMs now I can go back to sleep!

OP are you in Maryland?

[Anonymous]

http://dhmh.state.md.us/mma/mchp/pdf/MCHP_Application_Form_08.pdf

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So in the 24 months that I have held this policy our fit healthy family of three who eats organic and excises regularly has paid BCBS $11,688. For what... vaccinations, flu shots, annual check-ups and a twisted ankle.

For most healthy people, the cost of preventative care and even "normal" health problems (going to your PCP for strep throat etc) is much much less than the insurance premiums that they pay. That's not why people have insurance - it's there for emergencies. And in an emergency, $11K will not get you very far. That's like 3-4 nights in a hospital, if that.

Good luck, OP. No suggestions, just sympathy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So in the 24 months that I have held this policy our fit healthy family of three who eats organic and excises regularly has paid BCBS $11,688. For what... vaccinations, flu shots, annual check-ups and a twisted ankle.

For most healthy people, the cost of preventative care and even "normal" health problems (going to your PCP for strep throat etc) is much much less than the insurance premiums that they pay. That's not why people have insurance - it's there for emergencies. And in an emergency, $11K will not get you very far. That's like 3-4 nights in a hospital, if that.

Good luck, OP. No suggestions, just sympathy.

OP here. Agreed, it is important to carry health insurance for emergency situations. We work hard to pay our health care premiums to protect our family from emergency. Still it leaves a bad taste in my mouth when I'm pregnant and unable to find good, affordable care.

I don't entirely blame insurance companies, they are businesses and should be expected to behave as such. I do think that state and federal laws should protect women and babies from the entirely natural impulses of business. Those who asked if I live in Maryland, you are right to wonder... If I did I would be in much better shape. BCBS would have to cover my maternity expenses. I'm in DC and DC has the worst infant mortality rate in the nation. An apples to oranges comparison, but one does wonder is bad insurance laws and limited access to prenatal care isn't part of the problem.

By the way the US does not have much to brag about on this front. I think we should do better. Maybe that is just self interest, but....

(CNN) -- An estimated 2 million babies die within their first 24 hours each year worldwide and the United States has the second worst newborn mortality rate in the developed world, according to a new report.

http://www.cnn.com/2006/HEALTH/parenting/05/08/mothers.index/

http://www.statehealthfacts.org/comparemaptable.jsp?ind=47&cat=2

[Anonymous]

OP - ok, so maybe BCBS doesn't work for you, but how about other insurance plans - Kaiser, Aetna, etc.

Or even supplemental insurance - Aflac (is the only one I can think of at the moment)?

I know there are risks to at home births with midwives/doulas, but would you consider that as on option if it meant a cheaper medical bill?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP - ok, so maybe BCBS doesn't work for you, but how about other insurance plans - Kaiser, Aetna, etc.

Or even supplemental insurance - Aflac (is the only one I can think of at the moment)?

I know there are risks to at home births with midwives/doulas, but would you consider that as on option if it meant a cheaper medical bill?

Tried Kaiser, Aetna, Aflac... all said they would not cover me as pregnancy is a preexisting condition.

I am having a midwife birth, had my 1st child naturally and I'm choosing to do that again for reasons other than cost. I feel for women who are in my position but would be more comfortable in a hospital setting.

[Anonymous]

OP, I am a doctor (not an OB), and I rarely give medical advice on this site. I personally know someone who's daughter died in a home delivery with a midwife. I am not suggesting that you can not be safe going that way, but there are many poor outcomes that you might not be able to imagine.
I would suggest that you do as previous posters have told you, that is call a doctor and explain your situation. Be prepared to pay something, but this is your child's welfare (and yours) that is on the line. They may ask for anywhere from $1600 to $3800 for the care.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here. Leg cramp woke me up, fuming about health insurance kept me up!

Thanks for all your replies. In the last few months I have discovered health insurance is indeed broken! I cannot get maternity insurance and don't qualify for any government coverage. For those who asked, I get my insurance through my husband who buys it independently and is partially reimbursed by his employer.

Here's what makes me mad!

BlueCross BlueShield does provide a maternity "rider" under my plan, read the fine print, I missed this when I was shopping for plans. The rider costs $127 monthly, I would have paid $3,048 in the 24 months that I've had the plan.
The maximum that BCBS will pay for maternity services even with this rider is $3,000.
The average vaginal hospital birth without complications is $6,000, that excludes the cost of prenatal care.
I would have gone home with whooping hospital bill even with insurance! Thanks BlueCross!

So in the 24 months that I have held this policy our fit healthy family of three who eats organic and excises regularly has paid BCBS $11,688. For what... vaccinations, flu shots, annual check-ups and a twisted ankle.

I delayed prenatal care, opted for non-hospital birth and have been caused huge stress and worry while BCBS makes money hand over fist from my healthy little family...

Yup, the system is broken.

Thanks DCUMs now I can go back to sleep!

I'm the PP who said the system is broken. Yes, all of this is true. I've started two separate threads on this site in the past, asking if anyone else could find anything better than the $3000 maximum maternity coverage (paid through the maternity rider). I've talked to the experts. And I ended up choosing BCBS too. It sucks. I've paid that rider now for more than two years, and I dread getting pregnant again since I will probably need a c-section.

I'm so sorry and hope that somehow you can come up with a solution that works for you, even if it's not perfect.

Does your plan have an annual out-of-pocket expense maximum???

[Anonymous]

Maybe this is crazy, but would you consider starting a new job that had health insurance? I think Starbucks even offers health insurance if you are part time. I can't tell from your post what kind of work (or hours) you are in now or if you are unable to pay a fixed price to a doctor. Does your employer have an open season coming up where you could change and no longer fall under your husband's plan?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here. Leg cramp woke me up, fuming about health insurance kept me up!

Thanks for all your replies. In the last few months I have discovered health insurance is indeed broken! I cannot get maternity insurance and don't qualify for any government coverage. For those who asked, I get my insurance through my husband who buys it independently and is partially reimbursed by his employer.

Here's what makes me mad!

BlueCross BlueShield does provide a maternity "rider" under my plan, read the fine print, I missed this when I was shopping for plans. The rider costs $127 monthly, I would have paid $3,048 in the 24 months that I've had the plan.
The maximum that BCBS will pay for maternity services even with this rider is $3,000.
The average vaginal hospital birth without complications is $6,000, that excludes the cost of prenatal care.
I would have gone home with whooping hospital bill even with insurance! Thanks BlueCross!

So in the 24 months that I have held this policy our fit healthy family of three who eats organic and excises regularly has paid BCBS $11,688. For what... vaccinations, flu shots, annual check-ups and a twisted ankle.

I delayed prenatal care, opted for non-hospital birth and have been caused huge stress and worry while BCBS makes money hand over fist from my healthy little family...

Yup, the system is broken.

Thanks DCUMs now I can go back to sleep!

This is why families should take a close look at high deductible low premium policies.