Baby Insurance/Cost

[MIZZYD]

Hi

 

[Pirate]

If DH has insurance and you want on it, you should be able to get on his because loss of insurance is considered a "qualifying life event" thus is not subject to open enrollment as long as his employer will let spouses on the insurance (he should check with his company HR department). A baby would be covered on his insurance (also not subject to open enrollment). Even if you cannot get covered on DH's insurance the baby will be able to and it will start immediately after birth (DH will need to fill out paperwork-again, check with HR). You might also check to see if you qualify for your state's Medicaid program. I'm not sure what it would take to qualify for this, but I do know that they don't like to see pregnant women uninsured. You might also look into a midwife or birthing center as these tend to be cheaper than a hospital delivery.

The cost of having a baby scares the crap out of me! I'm fully expecting to pay $4000-6000 out of pocket to have a hospital delivery after insurance ($2500 deductible plus 10% of whatever remains). And we have really good insurance.

 

[MIZZYD]

Yea

 

[Pirate]

When is the open enrollment period? Worst case it will be less then a year away. For example my open enrollment period was from April 20-May 20 and the insurance goes into effect on July 1.

Could you look into purchasing a policy independently until you can get on DH's policy? Not sure of the cost for this, but at least it would be something to bridge the gap until you can get on DH's policy. Assuming you are young(ish) and in relatively good health it shouldn't be too bad. Also, did you look into COBRA from your old job? The premiums are usually ridiculous, but it might be an option.

Seriously, good luck! This is a pretty crappy situation to be in (and one that makes me extremely jealous of our friends in the UK and Australia that have NHS).

 

[MIZZYD]

.....

 

[oneKnight]

Also, if your income level is borderline or slightly too high for Medicaid as a two person household, the moment you become pregnant you become a 3 person household and the income level cutoff is instantly higher so you might qualify when you become prego. That's what I'm counting on, since my hubby is disabled and money is tight, and I do have insurance through my work, but the maternity coverage is slim. Healthcare is so high, practically everyone has a primary and secondary insurance nowadays.

 

[MIZZYD]

OH

 

[Pirate]

Also remember WIC (Women Infants and Children)-It's not insurance, but the program provides healthy, nutritious food for pregnant women, infants, and children. You get coupons every month that you use for milk, cheese, cereal, etc. They limit the things you can buy (e.g., you can get Cheerios but not Fruit Loops), but you could get some groceries free of charge.

 

[MIZZYD]

Yea