No insurance and pregnant.?

Question

Serious answers only please.


I'm currently 13 weeks pregnant without insurance. Also, I live in Pennsylvania. I have had prenatal checkups and bloodwork and stuff done, but my mother-in-law in paying out of her pocket for everything.

My husband and I already applied for Medicare/Medicaid through the assistance office, but we got denied because we slightly make too much money.

At my work, pregnancy is a pre-existing condition and it won't be covered on my insurance if I picked it up.

The only other thing that I have done so far is apply for something at our hospital called the I-Care Fund. It only pays a % of laboratory work that you get done at the hospital such as bloodwork, etc. And they are going to pay 40% of the laboratory fees and a woman at the office said that it might cover the labor, but she's not sure.

If anyone has any other advice on what I should do, please tell me. I feel really bad that my mother-in-law has to pay for everything.

I'm a full time student and I only make about $300 a month. They told us even if I didn't work, we would not qualify for any insurance through the assistance office.

Also, I do qualify for WIC and have been on it for a couple of months, but they do not help with insurance.

Answer 1

As I understand it, under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) group health plans cannot consider pregnancy a pre-existing condition, regardless of whether you were covered when you became pregnant. Very small group health plans may not be affected by this regulation.

I’ve included a link to a Department of Labor Web site that states the following:
‘”Moreover, under HIPAA, preexisting condition exclusions cannot be applied to pregnancy, regardless of whether the woman had previous health coverage.
In addition, a preexisting condition exclusion cannot be applied to a newborn, adopted child under age 18, or a child under age 18 placed for adoption as long as the child became covered under health coverage within 30 days of the birth, adoption or placement for adoption and provided that the child does not incur a subsequent 63-day break in coverage.”

However, if your company’s health plan does not include maternity coverage, then it won't matter. Be careful with so-called maternity discount programs; several state insurance departments have warned against discount health programs that seem like insurance but really are not. If you need financial assistance with prenatal care, I’ve listed some possibilities in the Source section below.

The possibilities include free clinics, county health departments, Planned Parenthood, using a birthing center instead of a hospital, and adultBasic from the state. However, I would recommend finding out what you want out of health care (the place you want to deliver, the doctor and nursing staff you like, etc.) and work from there. In the short term, go to a free clinic and see what they can do for you. Prenatal care is important!

When you are able to consider private health insurance, try using MostChoice.com to find the plan’s that right for you. You’ll be able to research health insurance rates online and you’ll be able to have offline conversations with multiple health insurance agents – all without charge or obligation. Tell the agents what you need and see if they can deliver a health plan that’s affordable and includes the features you need.

Here are some questions to ask about a new prenatal and pregnancy health plan:

•Does it cover prenatal care?
•What prenatal tests are covered?
•What kind of delivery do you want to have and which types are covered?
•Is anesthesia covered?
•Does it cover nursery costs?
•Are sick and well-baby visits covered?
•How much are co-payments, if there are any?
•How much is the deductible?
•Ask to determine how much your bill would be if you used the insurance

You can find it here: http://www.mostchoice.com/health-insurance.cfm

Congratulations on your pregnancy!
Barnes@MostChoice

Answer 2

You can save on your insurance by compare quotes at FREETOINSURE.INFO-

RE No insurance and pregnant.?

Serious answers only please.


I'm currently 13 weeks pregnant without insurance. Also, I live in Pennsylvania. I have had prenatal checkups and bloodwork and stuff done, but my mother-in-law in paying out of her pocket for everything.

My husband and I already applied for Medicare/Medicaid through the assistance office, but we got denied because we slightly make too much money.

At my work, pregnancy is a pre-existing condition and it won't be covered on my insurance if I picked it up.

The only other thing that I have done so far is apply for something at our hospital called the I-Care Fund. It only pays a % of laboratory work that you get done at the hospital such as bloodwork, etc. And they are going to pay 40% of the laboratory fees and a woman at the office said that it might cover the labor, but she's not sure.

If anyone has any other advice on what I should do, please tell me. I feel really bad that my mother-in-law has to pay for everything.

Answer 3

If I am right I think the chip program goes based on your income
but will not deny you no matter what your income is I could be wrong when I lived in PA I know they had bill boards up everywhere for women who were pregnant with out insurance the medicaid assistance office should have told you about other options you have or directed you the right way you need to be agressive about it and demand your rights and sorry to say lie if you have to PA is tough enough just to find an OBGYN when I lived there it took me almost 4 months Just to find my self an OBGYN and I was not satisified at all with care they offered but Im not a panacker I kept my self calm and relaxed when the time was right everything turned out just fine so my advice is keep your cool try and stay relaxed keep looking for your options Midwifes are very reasonable much cheaper then your typical OBGY office and there more willing to work you
and trust in your faith and everything will be just fine
Good luck and I hope your one of those lucky women who give birth fast and easy best wishes

Answer 4

There is a program and I am almost positive that they have it in your state called Healthy Start/ Healthy Beginnings that almost never turn down pregnant women. I am pregnant myself and I applied for medicaid and was denied because they said that I make too much, but I didi get approved for Healthy Start which is almost identical to medicaid, that covers bloodwork, prenatal checkups, labor and delivery, prescriptions, and everything associated with pregnancy. I would try to research it on the internet to find out more info, but sweetie the most important thing during pregnancy is the care so GOOD LUCK!!!

Answer 5

The bast thing i can tell you since you were denied for state insurance is buy your own insurance. I live in NJ so i feel you on how much money it is. I am also pregnant and just sent out my form for medicaid today praying to get approved. They have health plans online like Horizon its $250 a month and if you divide it by you your hubby and your mother in law thats $83 each a month. Better then paying for each visit , then the child birth forget about it.

Your second option you have is go to a hospital and apply for charity care. Most women get help from the hospital.

Answer 6

I don't really have any suggestions as to how you can pay for it, but there are ways to cut down costs of the delivery and prenatal check ups. If you use a birthing center & midwife it's typically a lot cheaper, also if you avoid having any pain medication during the delivery it will be much cheaper. As long as you are not a high risk pregnancy you should be able to have your baby outside the hospital with a midwife.

I would do some checking.

Answer 7

I've never heard of WIC offering insurance like one person said.

I sell health benefits that ANYONE in the US can get. A household medical/health plan would be $59.95/month and would include doctor visits, hospital advocacy, ancillary services (x-rays, lab work, mris, natural healing, cosmetic procedures), dental, vision, Rx, and chiropractic. It would not cover 100% of the cost of things, but it would save you significant money.
There are no limits on visits or services. It can even be used for specialist and cosmetic work. Your "pre-existing" condition is NOT an issue and you are not even asked for that info. There is no limit on how often you can use your plan. A typical, one day, no complcations birth costs in the $13,000 range, and thats bare bones. With our plan, you would be assigned a hospital advocate for your birth, and any other time you are hospitalized and the total cost is over $2,500. Your advocate works with the hospital to cut all the fluff out of your bill. They also look at your financial situation and ability to pay. They get your bill down to payments that you can afford. When a family friend of mine had a massive heart attack and was in the hospital for almost a month, his total bill was almost $119,000. His advocate got it down to $33,000 and payments that he could easily afford. If you are unable to find an insurance that will take you on, this is a plan you KNOW FOR A FACT that you can get, since you are in the US. It would help take a lot of the pressure off, and save you a large chunk of your costs. Plus, if you want the plan for just you, its only $49.95 a month. But if you do decide to go with the household plan, it includes ANYONE that lives at that address, even if they arent related in any way.

I would be happy to help you in any way that I can.
You can reach me via email or instant message at [e-mail]
Or via telephone at 541-258-7148 7 days a week
website: www.everyonebenefits.com/burke

Congratulations, and I hope you find the option that works best for you.

Answer 8

Ask the medicaid office if there are doctors in your area who will donate their services. That will help. Contact local churches to see if they have any assistance programs. Check out christian hospitals, a lot of them will have charitable funds for people who can't pay their medical expenses. Also, consider a mid-wife for the delievery. They're much cheaper. Just be sure to check their references. Good luck to you!

Answer 9

It depends on your job, but if you make "slightly" too much, can you cut back on your hours at work? once you've been approved for medicaid during a pregnancy, they cannot take it away (you could increase your hours again in a couple months) Otherwise, just increase your hours a lot, or make your husband, and pay for the bills - That's my best advice.

Answer 10

well..I was in your position..my hubby & I made way to muchh money, so I had to quite my job, in order to qulaify for medacaid, and trust me..your MIL isn't gonna be paying for things much longer, I've seen how expensive tests & Drs. appt. are, and delivering a child alone can cost you up to $10,000+ so..figure out you 2 need to do..in the mean time, apply for WIC, that'll help some, I have medacaid, b/c my hubby don't have insurance yet, but rather or not he had It..It would be to late to put me or our unborn child on It..you can get help..just don't take NO for an answer..