I’m Pregnant, Can I Still Buy Insurance?
By now just about everyone is aware that we’re in the middle of a nationwide
healthcare crisis. There are over 41 million of us living without the health
insurance we need.
Health insurance premiums have been rising steadily for years and they’re
expected to continue to do so. Too many people are simply going without medical
insurance and hoping for the best. One group that’s in trouble as a result
is pregnant women.
Roughly 13% of the women who become pregnant each year do so without the protection
of health insurance. That means that they’ll receive prenatal care that’s
either inadequate or simply non-existent. Even those who would otherwise be
able to afford to buy into a health plan face the challenge that many insurance
carriers view a pregnancy as what’s known as a pre-existing condition.
In plain words, the variety of health insurance options open to an uninsured
woman who is already pregnant range from slender to nonexistent.
Here are 4 ways to find maternity coverage for you to explore:
- Student Status: If you happen to a college student, your
university’s health center may be able to help you with a few leads.
- Find Group Coverage: You can look into group health plans
that will offer you coverage during your pregnancy –either by taking
a job that provides an employer-sponsored health plan that includes maternity
coverage or by finding a group health plan through your local chamber of
commerce or a professional organization you belong to (or are eligible to
join) that will cover maternity expenses.
Note: The above also applies if you’re
currently covered by a COBRA Health policy that will have
expired by the time you give birth; because it’s not
possible to extend COBRA coverage past its end date.
- State Programs: You might be able to find insurance if
you're lucky enough to live in one of the states (California, Colorado,
Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, Virginia
and Washington, Alabama, Arkansas, Idaho, Louisiana, Mississippi, Montana,
New Mexico, etc.) that cover pregnant women under the CHIP or Children's
Health Insurance Program. The CHIP Program is a jointly administered federal/state
health plan that provides medical benefits for children whose parents can't
afford insurance but who make too much for existing welfare programs.
Note: Once your child is born, you may
also be eligible to obtain health insurance coverage for
them under CHIP. Furthermore, if you’re the parent
of a CHIP-eligible child, you may also qualify for healthcare
coverage under the program in some states.
- Explore Medicaid Options: Medicaid may also be an option
if you fall inside its income guidelines. Medicaid will accept you if you
are already pregnant. But even if you are eligible for Medicaid it may still
be a challenge to afford the costs of prenatal visits and delivery. The estimated
cost of delivery alone is in the vicinity of $6,000.00 to $8,000.00 for routine
pregnancies and the costs of high risk pregnancies is higher still.
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