Pregnancy Health Insurance Choices for Healthy Families
Do you have maternity health insurance? People who are looking for some sort of maternity health insurance generally fall into two categories. They are planning for a future pregnancy, and they are concerned about the cost of having a healthy baby. Or they are already pregnant, and wonder how they can get some help with doctor’s visits and hospital costs. Some of these people may have some coverage, but it does not cover pregnancy very well, or they may have no health insurance at all.
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.
I have only seen one private individual insurer, Assurant, that offers a maternity option, and that is with a fairly high deductible. That option is a rider (option) to some of their policies. You have to select it at an extra cost. Note that there could be others, particularly regional plans, I am not aware of. That is why I always suggest that people start their search with online quotes for their own zip code.
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 a higher income or some savings?
Some people use pre-paid plans to pay for normal hospital, medical, and doctor’s costs. This can be a good way to plan for your costs. You can check for payment plans by calling hospitals and doctors. I have seen some listed online too.
You can learn more about maternity health insurance.
categories: maternity,pregnancy,health insurance,having a baby,health insurance,major medical,family health,health