Packed Insurance

If you are planning for a baby in the future, or if you are already pregnant, you may have some concerns about all of the health care you will need to make sure that you protect your health, and the health of the baby. It is easier to plan if you are planning for a future arrival, but if you are already pregnant, you still have some options.

Here are some options to get medical coverage so you can have a healthy baby.

People usually turn to group heath plans first. A good group plan should cover the biggest share of the costs. If one spouse works for an employer with these benefits, the other spouse can usually be covered. Not all jobs come with group health though. There are some employers who do not have a plan. Small business people, contract workers, or self employed professionals will not have a group plan either.

These people could turn to private insurers if the woman is not already pregnant. But actually, maternity options are rare in the individual health insurance market. And you must have the policy in place before you start working on making a baby! If you are planning for a future pregnancy, you probably want to search for private health insurance with a maternity rider.

In any case, complications of pregnancy, should be covered by any medical plan. But people also want coverage for normal expenses associated with having a baby. Services like doctor’s visits, routine tests, and a normal delivery, are not covered by most family or individual health insurance plans.

Right now, individual insurers will decline pregnant women. You must take the policy in advance. Perhaps in the future, with health reform, this will not be true. But according to the news, those changes will not be in force for about 4 more years. I am not exactly sure what sort of pregnancy benefits that future policies will have either.

Let us look at some public health care options, and also at some private charities that may provide some financial help.

Every state has some sort of high risk health insurance pool, but not everybody qualifies for it. In many cases, premiums are expensive and deductibles are fairly high. Now the CHIPS program is the federal and state public health insurance option for children from low to moderate income children does also cover pregnant women. This is a viable option for many families. And the newborn children should also be covered as soon as they are born. You could look for information on CHIPS, Medicaid, and High Risk Health Pools in your state.

You could also look into low cost clinics that the federal government or your county health system provides. Some private charities have funds to aid pregnant women. Try searching the Partnership for Prescription Assistance website. They have lots of information, and a lot of the resources they list do much more than just offer prescription medicine.

Do you have money, but no health insurance for maternity?

Prepaid Services with Doctors and Hospitals: If your family has a higher income, but just lacks maternity health insurance, you can probably work out a payment plan with doctors and hospitals. I have seen several obstetrician’s websites with information about these services. If you already have an obstetrician, ask them. If you do not have a doctor yet, call area hospitals or search the internet.

We also have more information on maternity health insurance.