Essy

By the time i get to the states i will be a few weeks from having our first baby. We are worried about affordable medical insurance. My fiance is an independent contractor and his job doesnt offer insurance. Any advice please?

Duncan Roberts

Don't move to the US until the baby is born and your husband has secured family insurance. Unless you have a ton of cash you will find yourself in massive debt within weeks of arriving. If its not a straightforward birth you could be looking at 25k+ in expenses. You will find it almost impossible to get insurance within the time its needed and with coverage you need.

Mummy in the foothills

Agreed, don't do it, even if you and baby are healthy it can cost a few thousand. If anything not so good should happen it can bankrupt you.

Thydney

Thirded you'll be mental to move then get a wallop for that sort of money

ChocolateBabz

Sorry but you would be daft to move with only a few weeks to go. Even with insurance you are going to have to pay your deductible and co-pay which is bound to be more expensive than staying in the UK a few more weeks - although I can also see it from your point of view.

If your hubby has to be here on a certain date you don't want to have baby without him if he can't come home for birth and you probably don't relish the thought of flying with a newborn.

I am afraid it will come down to $$$$ - can you afford to be 'possibly' thousands out of pocket the minute you arrive ?

GeoffM

Will the airline even fly you? Some don't go beyond 7 months, some do but only with a note from your doctor stating that you're fit to fly. Personally I agree with the others and would hold off for a couple of months and take advantage of the "free" NHS.

SanDiegogirl

Coming to the US with a new baby and no health insurance set up is a hugely risky business.

Your fiancee should come over and put this in place before you arrive.

Have you considered how you would manage if you were NOT able to get health insurance? Since you are having to pay for this yourselves pre-conditions and the cost of the premiums become of paramount importance.

Jerseygirl

TBH unless your husband can afford good health insurance...plus co-pays, deductables etc...I wouldn't dream of moving here even after the baby's born.

Sally Redux

I agree - some states, like California, have a basic health provision for children if you have a low income, but I would be very disinclined to give up UK health coverage for that.

Moonshadow_Girl

I have to agree with everyone else on this. The only way you should consider coming over while still pregnant is if your fiancé has health insurance in place before you come over. Even if you wait until after the baby is born, you should wait until your fiancé/husband has insurance in place. You certainly don't want your baby to be without insurance when there are still vaccinations to be had. You might eventually get a job where insurance is offered, but what are you going to do in the meantime? Frankly, if the fiancé won't ever have the option of insurance through his job, maybe the two of you need to consider his moving to the UK.

Sorry to sound so pessimistic, but the reality is that the U.S. is a harsh place to be without insurance.

Juswus

Or even with it. They always find a way to NOT pay out

Thydney

It bankrupted us with insurance without it I'd be a widdower

penguinsix

Sorry to join the chorus of what you probably don't want to hear, but given the specifics of what you've mentioned I'm afraid I would also advise you to stay in the UK for the baby's arrival.

Your husband, as an independent contractor, is going to have to buy a private insurance plan (as opposed to being part of a 'group' plan). Individual plans are able to discriminate against those with pre-existing conditions (i.e. your pregnancy) and they often choose not to cover any pre-existing condition for a period of months. If your husband was able to get into a group plan, then the law would prevent the group plan from denying coverage for pre-existing conditions, but whether he can get in the group, and whether they have some caveat / condition that they would use to deny you coverage would come down to the exact specifics of that plan, something we simply don't know at this time.

Our last child, born about two years ago in a non-complicated hospital delivery cost $16,600, or about £10,000. We paid a small fraction of that as we had insurance (in fact our first child cost us, out of pocket, less than £50 or so). A complicated delivery, such as a premie or an emergency c-section with complications, etc., could easily top £100,000 in a matter of just a few days. No, that's not a typo. And without insurance, you're liable for that and your American dream is basically over before it starts. Midwives do exist for home delivery, but the practice is not as common as the UK and you are rolling the dice that there will be no complications and a need to admit you (or your baby) to the hospital.

But even if you did save money with a midwife, there's the battery of doctor's appointments that come in the first weeks and months for a baby. You'll be seeing a pediatrician nearly a half dozen times in the first month alone, and those can add up at £300 a visit if you don't have insurance, at least. With a complications, again it can be insane.

There are a few states that have some medical assistance for low or no-income families with children, or with pregnant women, but the specifics of these programs would depend on your immigration status and exactly what state you end up living in. One state might provide a bare minimum of care, and the next provide absolutely nothing whatsoever.

And finally there's the airline. Many airlines have a 7 or 8 month rule, refusing to fly any passenger who is pregnant, even with a doctor's note. The potential for premature labor and having to land in Greenland or Iceland or someplace to deliver is something the airlines would like to avoid.

So with all that said, I really think sticking it out over there is probably your best option, barring some miraculous insurance change.

Duncan Roberts

A friend of ours just had a very complicated pregnancy and is well over that figure in total bills. Insurance picked up the tab mostly though. You can see how complicated it was if you like, Discovery Health, 8/26 or 8/25 on NCIU!

MsElui

last thing on earth id want to do is get on a plane with just a few weeks to go. The increased pressure can induce the baby and whilst the stewardesses etc are trained - i want someone who regularly delivered babies with me - especially if the baby was coming early.

also - the seats are a squeeze and uncomfortable at the best of time - let alone with an 8-9 month sized bump and all the other trappings of late pregnancy like frequesnt toilet visits etc.