Loss of Insurance Coverage and Crap Luck

[amakasitae]

I'm freaking out a little bit. Okay, a lot. I'll be 34w on Sunday, and I've lost my insurance coverage. I've applied for Medicaid and I'm waiting on the case decision, but I'm not sure how long that's going to take and I'm afraid that I won't have any coverage when it's time to deliver. I can't go in for my weekly prenatal appointments because

Comments

[orionrogue]

Unless your husband works for some huge trade conglomerate, if he just started working I'd ask him to go to HR and appeal to them to get the family on the health insurance sooner, on account that you're expecting. You should look at whatever income you have right now (just his electrical work, right?) and see if you could swing 100% contribution to the health insurance. Companies with probationary periods are there so that they don't go through the paperwork just to have someone quit after a month. The worst they can do is say "no."

How exactly did you lose your insurance; were you let go? Did you quit? Did you have the option for COBRA?

[amakasitae]

I lost my insurance because I was covered under my dad's plan, but he took a better position and I lost my coverage since I was already 26 when he changed jobs. I had a retail job that offered insurance, but they found out that I was pregnant and laid me off due to cutbacks. I took another retail job that didn't offer insurance, but had to resign after I found out I was at risk for pre-term labor. I'm not eligible for COBRA.

Thank you for the tip about going to HR, I'll ask my husband to do that and see what they say.

[mercurialness]

I checked your profile and see that you're from OH? I live in the tristate area and one of my best friends got Medicaid through them when she was pregnant. You can be up to 200% above the poverty level for the state so with you not working, I'd say there's a fairly good chance you're going to get it. Did you ask them what the likelihood was that you would get it? Have you tried following up with your caseworker to see what the status is and let them know that you need to be attending appointments? If it is approved, it will be backdated through your pregnancy so if you do have to go to an appointment before you get an answer or if you don't get approved before you give birth, it will still be covered. But I can definitely understand how distressing it still is in the meantime. I would definitely follow up with your caseworker. They get busy, the system is overloaded, sometimes it's the only way of getting a timely answer.

[thesynergizer]

i'm sorry that this is completely OT but tristate area made me crack up and say, "hey, where's perry?"

clearly, i need more sleep.

[amakasitae]

I took your advice and followed up with my caseworker, with good results! They said that I am eligible, I just have to wait for the red tape to go through, and all my appointment costs would be reimbursed after the paperwork cleared. Phew! :)

[mewsicfreak]

I don't know if she's right about your state, but I know here in RI, it doesn't cover your WHOLE pregnancy if you sign up near the end...but whatever date you apply, once you're approved, the coverage is retroactive starting back at the beginning of THAT month.
Good luck!

[mela_chan]

Call and speak with a caseworker; make sure they've got your file labeled as 'pregnant'. When I was pregnant with my son and applying for Medicaid, they didn't label my file and then denied me because they didn't realize I was pregnant. *sigh* Medicaid is supposed to expedite processing on applications from women who are pregnant.

[amakasitae]

I did call and restate that fact, and they said I was eligible and all of my appointments that I have to pay for out of pocket will be reimbursed once the paperwork goes through, which should be ten days after my in-person appointment with my caseworker, which should be next week sometime. :)

[katie_wagner]

Don't panic...if you know you'll qualify for medicaid you'll be fine. In most cases, it can be retroactive. It'll probably start coverage for you on January 1st. Even if it doesn't go through, yet, you could give birth tomorrow, and once the paperwork goes through, you'll be taken care of. You'll probably have to call the place you deliver at (and all the bills that go with it like the doctor, anesthesia, and all that) afterwards, and give them your medicaid info, but then they'll apply it to any of the bills and they'll get taken care of.

I'm in SC, not OH, but I know in many states that medicaid for pregnant women usually goes pretty quickly through the system.

Don't worry about the nursery, either. Working on getting it together after she is born is ok, too. She won't notice, and in a few months, this will be nothing but a memory. I know it's adverse to your nesting instinct, but try to relax and you'll be fine.

[nynaeve_sedai]

Something else to consider is negotiating your prices. Because you'd be self-pay (if you can't get Medicaid to reconsider your claim), you can usually score cheaper deals. Also, something else to look at, see if there are any Catholic charities or Catholic charity hospitals - they often have donations set aside to help pay for people who need it.

[futurenurselady]

This is all good advice.

If you have already applied to Medicaid, talk to the Office Manager at the doctor's office. They might be able to delay billing, put you on a company-specific sliding scale, see if you're eligible for a charitable grant or pro-bono appointment.

[amakasitae]

Thank you both! I called my OB and they said they would get me a referral to their free/low-cost clinic so I wouldn't be swamped in bills, even for the period while I was waiting for Medicaid reimbursement.