applying for maternity insurance/some kind of coverage
Hello everyone! I am new here. I'm 22w4d pregnant for the first time, and it has been quite the adventure so far. A week ago, I was going in to a family planning group so I could find out how things were going and whether I should terminate, thinking I was about 2.5 or 3 months along. We really weren't sure what we would do.
It turned out I was actually at 21 weeks. When we found this out, my husband and I decided to keep the baby and set up my first prenatal exam the next day. Financially we are in a fairly good position to have the baby, because we have health insurance and we are able to meet the deductible without issue.
Unfortunately, it turns out our health insurance through HumanaOne doesn't cover maternity care at all. No prenatal, no labor and delivery, etc. though they will cover complications due to pregnancy. That's still not a good thing though, considering we'd have to meet the $7500 deductible before the insurance would pay out anything on their end.
From what I have read, Medicaid (which in AZ is called AHCCCS) may be my best bet if they accept me. I just don't know how long the application to approval process takes.
There is also the option of going to a birthing center and paying out of pocket which would not be a problem if it's within that $7500 or so we were planning on paying with insurance. I'm fine with the idea of a birthing center, the cost is more what's confusing as I can't seem to find what the total cost might be at one.
I've read that I can also look at getting a prepaid maternity care package/ setting up a payment plan through a hospital (no idea how those work or where they'd even be offered).
I literally realized the insurance could be an issue when I read this article about a woman whose claim for maternity services was totally denied. Because of that, I called my insurance, and lo and behold, I'd end up in the same boat unless I do something now.
Does anyone with experience as an underinsured/uninsured pregnant woman have advice for me on what to do? Or if you have first hand experience with using Medicaid during your pregnancy, or using a birthing center or a hospital maternity package, stories of your experiences would be very helpful as well. I'm currently reading through related tags here on the community, but the more stories, the better!
It turned out I was actually at 21 weeks. When we found this out, my husband and I decided to keep the baby and set up my first prenatal exam the next day. Financially we are in a fairly good position to have the baby, because we have health insurance and we are able to meet the deductible without issue.
Unfortunately, it turns out our health insurance through HumanaOne doesn't cover maternity care at all. No prenatal, no labor and delivery, etc. though they will cover complications due to pregnancy. That's still not a good thing though, considering we'd have to meet the $7500 deductible before the insurance would pay out anything on their end.
From what I have read, Medicaid (which in AZ is called AHCCCS) may be my best bet if they accept me. I just don't know how long the application to approval process takes.
There is also the option of going to a birthing center and paying out of pocket which would not be a problem if it's within that $7500 or so we were planning on paying with insurance. I'm fine with the idea of a birthing center, the cost is more what's confusing as I can't seem to find what the total cost might be at one.
I've read that I can also look at getting a prepaid maternity care package/ setting up a payment plan through a hospital (no idea how those work or where they'd even be offered).
I literally realized the insurance could be an issue when I read this article about a woman whose claim for maternity services was totally denied. Because of that, I called my insurance, and lo and behold, I'd end up in the same boat unless I do something now.
Does anyone with experience as an underinsured/uninsured pregnant woman have advice for me on what to do? Or if you have first hand experience with using Medicaid during your pregnancy, or using a birthing center or a hospital maternity package, stories of your experiences would be very helpful as well. I'm currently reading through related tags here on the community, but the more stories, the better!