Thinking About Another Baby - No Maternity Coverage

I don't know how you'd find out if you can qualify for Medicaid, as they require confirmation of pregnancy before they'll qualify you, but it may be worth a look to see if there are any online calculators or information that will let you know what your income has to be under to get it.

I have Medicaid with this pregnancy and have a great OB at Presby Dallas; great care! I'll end up paying the $400 for private room but that's all I'll be out of pocket.

It's such a shame we have to consider how we're going to pay to have a baby, isn't it? Best of luck to you!

I just had a C-Section this year with no insurance and it was much less than that. Call around and ask for "cash pay" plans. Yes, you can use your credit cards. They consider it cash if they get their money upfront. I found Trinity Medical Center in Carrollton to be the cheapest in my area by far. It was $4500 for a C-Section. OBs also varied significantly, but I found one I loved that was under $3000 and that included 1 sono and all routine labs. You will also need to pay for your epidural, but that should be under $2000. My care was outstanding. I did not have to go to anything that was less than high quality care. Message me if you need more details. The key really is to call around hospitals and doctors. It is amazing how much prices vary - literally by thousands of dollars.

It is sooo expensive. I would look into how much it would cost to add maternity to your insurance with Unicare(if available). When we had to buy our own insurance there was an option to add it, though expensive, it was cheaper than paying full price for delivery. Also would one of you have the time to take a part time job at Home Depot or Starbucks, both offer insurance to part time workers and you would just know it was just for a year.

Check with your Dr and the hospital that you would be delivering at. Many have a pre-pay option that is much cheaper than paying full price.

For instance, when I had my son 4 yrs ago (we had Unicare then too), I pre-paid the hospital for the delivery. This was at Denton Community (now Denton Presby). Their pre-pay price was less than $3000 for a vaginal delivery. The money had to be completely paid before the end of my seventh month. It also locked me in to 1/2 price rates for everything additional. I ended up with a c-section, which only cost an additional $1500. **I had been told that if I waited til after the birth and had it billed to me, the total hospital cost for a vaginal birth would be between $8000 & $10,000**

I also pre-paid my ob/gyn for all pre-natal & delivery. It was also less than $3000.

So, I paid less than $8000 total for everything.

Don't even bother with maternity insurance coverage. Most of them are set up to only pay a small percentage for the first couple of years. By then, you've paid enough in premiums that you're paying overall about what you would pay in cash for the birth. You and your baby are covered by Unicare if anything were to happen during the birth.

Another option if you are open minded and are not a high risk pregnancy, is having your baby at a birthing center. They're cost for all pre-natal and delivery is usually around $2000.

Good luck!

Hi there E.,

I saw that Aetna has a program with a maternity rider, but it is another $150 a month for that. I don't know of ANY other private programs out there that offer maternity insurance. I am currently pregnant with no coverage: totally unplanned pregnancy , but we are still very excited about the baby! We are just not that thrilled with the cost.

If you can't get Aetna, there are still things you can do to lower the cost, but you won't be able to erase it.

I reviewed a program called the Maternity Card (I think) and for $1200 they offered to work with my health care providers to secure the lowest costs possible. With a little effort, you can do this yourself and save the $1200.

What I have done is call up all the hospitals in the area and specifically asked for their cash pricing. You will need to get quotes for:
1) Prenatal care - my OBGyn offers a package price that includes all monthly check ups, basic blood work, and 2 sonograms. Any special tests like the AFP, cystic fibrosis, or an amnio are all extra. My docs cost is $2850 for all prenatal care AND his time on D day in the delivery room.
2) Hospital costs - I have found these prices vary WILDLY from $3000 to $5000. My docs hospital is $4500 - that includes all cost for a standard vaginal delivery, 2 days of hospital stay for me and the new baby. This does not cover the costs for the pediatrician to check on the baby; our insurance will kick in after delivery to cover this cost since it is a check up for a new person, but we have to get the baby added immediately in order for these costs to be covered.
3) Anesthesiology costs - the cost for an epidural is all over the place. One practice I called has a flat rate, another charges based on the number of hours you are in labor with the epidural. Prices ranged from $800 to $2000. We finally secured a flat rate of $1200.

So far those are all the costs I have found to plan for and contend with. My OBgyn and the hospital require prepayment for the majority of the fees. If there are any extra lab tests that have to be done due to some complication on D day, those would be extra.

Anyway - good luck!

A. P

If you speak to your OB/GYN, they often have a "private pay" price that is affordable, whereby you make monthly payments up to the month of the due date. Also, if you notify the hospital and anasthesia people that you are going to be "private pay" they will often give at least 20% off, if not more, although you usually have to pay the anasthesia the month prior to due date and the hospital has to be paid prior to your leaving after having the baby, in order to get the "discounted/private pay" rate.

Good luck!

You might very well qualify for maternity medicaid insurance.
It wouldn't hurt to fill out an app and see if you qualify or call a medicaid office, give them your info and maybe they can tell you before hand if you'll qualify.
Most will qualify if you don't have any maternal insurance even if you make good money but if you're rich then no you won't qualify.

Good luck!