Having Another Baby Without Maternity Coverage

Do neither you nor your husband work for companies that provide insurance? I'm not sure what your options are but I would rethink having a baby until I was a little more financially stable. I don't mean to seem harsh but if you are having the government pay your health bills your really having all of us pay for them.

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I have 2 kids both brought into this world with no insurance. It's not that bad. It's actually cheaper sometimes than paying for maternity coverage and all that jazz. You just call the OB and tell them that you're self-pay. They will ask for a deposit(OUrs was $600). And you make payments every month. The hospitals would also prefer that you make a deposit but, when it comes down to it, they won't turn you away when you're in labor. Of course, my youngest is 10 months old and we're still making payments but, who cares? Also, the OB's and hospitals give you HUGE discounts when you're self-pay. (Make sure you use that term). It's really not that big of a deal. I called around to a lot of OB and the best prices were on the southside at Southside OB/GYN and Association for Women's Health. Good Luck!

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Have you tried the Wishard advantage plan. They have very good service if you chose the right doctors. You can go to one of the clinics or right to Wishard Hospital to fill out an application.

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DON'T do it without coverage. Take it from me. I was without insurance with my first child. Things went smoothly until the delivery...emergency c-section. $8,000-$10,000, I believe. If you can afford to blow your money like that, then fine. We didn't, and had to file bankruptcy. Good Luck!

I would definitely look into the Medicaid like the previous posters suggested. Also, can you get insurance through school? Usually, you can get reasonable health insurance through school. That's what I did with my first pregnancy. I wouldn't risk having a baby without insurance. If you can't afford health insurance, you definitely can't afford the medical bills that can come along with having a baby!

J.

You might also look into having your prenatal care at the health dept. Usually they base what they charge you on your income, and if you're not working, or make very little, it's usually free. I used to get my yearly exams and birth control pills at the local health dept when I was in my late teens, up till I was about 21, until I got married and got health insurance. So, that's something you may want to look into. In my experience, their nurse practitioners are just as knowledgeable and caring (at least back home they were; I've never been to one here in L'ville before) as any ob/gyn.

My husband and I didn't qaulify for govt assitance and we had another baby we were still paying on. A private Dr charged us over 4,000 plus the hospital bill was $20,000 aprox. Not to mention contracted svc like the anesthisiologist, lab work etc. We're talking over all about $30,000 to repay and a huge stress. She was born 7/24/06 and I'm due 7/10/07

We were told we could apply at St. Vincents on 82nd St for the slinding scale clinic. The full prenatal care plus deliver (by C-section) is under $3,000 and I think they even offer a sliding scale over that.

The Dr's have been very nice and professional. It was a bit hard at first for me not that have a private physician who called me on the spot but when I got very sick over the weekend I was seen right away. They always return my calls (nurses) although I have to wait a few hours. When I had concerns, they saw me the same day (thought I had too much discharge and was afraid it was amniotic fluid) so I would highly recommend them. I did have to go to a mandatory orientation and they gave me prenatal vitamins.

Amy

thats a tough one most insurance companies i know of cover that. i was on humana and blue cross with my daughter. with the last baby i was on passport i dont know if you would qualify but it never hurts to look into it

Hoosier Healthwise (state healthcare coverage for children and pregnant women) has been wonderful for our family. I had insurance when I was pregnant but was still eligible for this program. It covered what my insurance wouldn't pay. Even if you don't think you will be eligible, it would be worth looking into. Since you are a student, you might be more likely to qualify. More information can be found at: http://www.in.gov/fssa/maternal/hoosier_healthwise/whoise...
(This is the Indiana program).

I'm sure there are other programs out there to assist you with the bills, etc., but if there are not, I really, really suggest you wait until you can save up the money for that coverage. My personal experience . . .a high-risk pregnancy (pregnancy planned, high-risk part COMPLETELY unexpected after an easy birth a year earlier). In the end, our baby was fine and so was I, but that was after a total hospital bill of more than $200,000 -- yes, a 6-figure bill! Just for the delivery and the aftermath. We owed 20% of that with our health insurance, and ours had maternity coverage. Had to refinance our house to cover it. Make sure your bases are covered -- just for your own peace of mind. Babies are wonderful blessings, but the unexpected can and does happen :) Fortunately, we were fine, but the bills took a major toll on our family.

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Hi P.,
Once you are pregnant it is pretty easy to qualify for Medicaid for pregnant women. It is a different category of Medicaid and people who do not normally qualify for Medicaid can qualify in case of pregnancy (requires proof of pregnancy). Maybe something to look into? It only covers pregnancy related costs including delivery.

Even though you wouldn't regularly be eligible for Medicaid, every pregnant women without medical coverage is eligilbe for Medicaid for pregnant women. They have to give you a medical card to cover all of your prenatal nad postnatal visits.

I work in the Health Insurance Coverage benefits business. Have you had any quotes done? You say your a full time student are there any benefits offered on campus?

I did have a baby without insurance. I delivered @ St Francis south campus in Indianapolis. They can set up something with you if you call the financal department before you deliver. The ob I had before didn' t have a payment plan for delivery and prenantal care and wanted everything upfront. Somewhere like $3000.. So I changed to a doc in the hospital. The office is called Southside OBGYN and there I paid like $600 upfront and a monthly payment of $200. I think. So After all of that I think the total bill was like $15,000.(anethesiologist, delivery and doc fees) So we got financed and are now making payments monthly. My daughter will now be 2 in Sep. I thought I'd tell you and I hope this helps. G.

I would check out the Health Advantage Program and the Program and the Hoosier for Pregnant Women. The Hoosier would cover more servies. Health Avantage has a website with a book detailing all they cover at this website http://www.hhcorp.org/adv.htm

I had my son 27 months ago without maternity coverage. My husband and I made too much money to qualify for any help, you have to have a really low combined income to qualify for any help (like under $28000) My dr's office (Noblesville OBGYN) had a payment plan that started when I went to my first appointment, but had to be paid off before delivery. The hospital (Riverview in Noblesville) had a prepayment plan also and they were both discounted because I had no maternity insurance. The only thing my health insurance covered was an emergency ultra-sound, because I had some bleeding. If you have any health insurance, they will typically cover anything above and beyond normal vaginal birth (IE-C-Section or surigal complications). My total bill ended up at about $9300.00, which included my epidural($800 I wasn't planning on spending). We really wanted a child and it was not worth paying the maternity insurance for a year before pregnancy, and then still paying all the copays and deductibles. We actually saved $1000 by paying for it ourselves without insurance!! You should look at all of your options, but in the long run, you can't put a price tag on the life you are given! Good luck.