Pregnant but no health insurance
 

Its taking me a lot to come on here and seek advice, so please be kind.
I have been married 5 years to my wonderful USC husband. We have 1 beautiful daughter and all is well.
3.5 years qgo he was diagnosed with cancer and since then he has beat it and is in remission. Following that he was forced to leave his gr8 paying job and get another due to stress (it was affecting his health) and drama at the job.

I have a degree in HR and finance but after 2008 couldnt find a job so went to get my masters in teaching which I am almost complete with (should graduate summer 2014)
I have no family here and my husbands family live in a different state.
Ive said all that to say that I just found out that I am pregnant (which is always a blessing), I have minimal insurance (for school purposes) and now my husband and is looking to put me on his insurance. The deductable is 2500$ and I know we cant afford that on our income. I dont qualify for medicaid cos I havent been a resident for 5 years (its 4) and ive researched ways I can pay out of pocket but the cheapest ive found is a home birth at 2400$ all inclusive.

My last option would be to go home to the UK, if that is an option..but b4 I do that, I just wanted to know if there was anyone out there who has been through this. The first birth was fine because we had insurance at 100%, but now I feel alone and nowhere to turn, this is the first time I have verbalized the fact that I am expecting...not even my family knows

Please dont be harsh., thanks for ur advice in advance.
And sorry for the long thread.

Re: Pregnant but no health insurance
 

Planned parenthood might be able to help with prenatal checks (yes they do more than abortions) and could probably advise on other charitable orgs that can help.

Re: Pregnant but no health insurance
 

Thank u. I will look into it monday morning :)

Re: Pregnant but no health insurance
 

What State are you living in??

Different states and different counties in states have different medical help.

Re: Pregnant but no health insurance
 

If you had an easy first birth and are expecting similar this time round, consider a non hospital birth. I chose midwives as I wanted a more natural birth and they quoted something like 2300 for the whole thing, ie whole set of pre and post natal check ups and two midwives on the day in my home. This meant I had No additional cost for the hospital room, drugs I didn't need ( ie them putting in a cannula on arrival 'just in case I needed it') etc. they also were prepared for payment plans, bartering or other non traditional ways to settle the bill.

If I had needed to transfer to hospital at any point in the labor, then clearly the charges would be incurred but in an emergency that's the least of your cares.

It's not everyone's cup of tea, but I had had two very easy previous hospital births in the uk and very much disliked the 'invasive' style and unnecessary testing etc that the US system seemed to favor. So for me it worked perfectly and I had a superb experience. I had the added benefit of it being hugely cheaper too overall.

Re: Pregnant but no health insurance
 

Another vote for home birth if possible here :thumbup:

Re: Pregnant but no health insurance
 

When are you due? If it is after January 1, open enrollment for the health care exchanges start October 1 with coverage starting on January 1. If your family income is low or moderate, the price should be relatively inexpensive, pre-existing conditions are covered, and you can't be refused or charged more than others in your age group. The following is a link to the an estimate calculator for California (other states should be similar). Also the "Getting Covered" selection explains the plans.

http://www.coveredca.com/calculating_the_cost.html

Also if you aren't going to have insurance and my have the child in a hospital (due to complications), go to a county hospital ahead of time and ask what they would charge someone without insurance. Some will significantly reduce the price for people without insurance. If you end up in a private hospital, they tend to be more hard nosed about negotiating the price.

Re: Pregnant but no health insurance
 

In some states the 5-year ban on Medicaid does not apply to pregnant women. Which state are you in?

Re: Pregnant but no health insurance
 

Depending on what your current income is you may be able to get covered under your state's mother and baby insurance if they have it. In IL it comes under the All Kids program, you should be able to find it if you look for WIC in your state. There is no minimum residency requirement for it either.

Re: Pregnant but no health insurance
 

What state you in is probably the most important question before anyone can help.

Some states offer far more help and care than others and some also have decent high risk type pools for uninsured people.

Re: Pregnant but no health insurance
 

She's in the great state of Georgia - where we limit access to medicaid as much as is humanly possible :rolleyes:

Re: Pregnant but no health insurance
 

Well that's a bit rough then...

Re: Pregnant but no health insurance
 

And a +1 3rd vote from me. Daughter had her two children at home. You can spread out the payments over the 9 months so you don't have to pay it all at one time. Perhaps hubby can take an evening job temporarily to add to his income. Also many hospitals have clinics and they will be happy to set up a payment plan for you in regards to the deductible.

Congratulations btw!

Re: Pregnant but no health insurance
 

Even if you have a homebirth you may end up in hospital... Speaking as someone who did so in quite a spectacular fashion (PPH, ambulance, two lots of surgery, blood transfusion, IV antibiotics).

So I would do your absolute best to find some health insurance that does cover hospitals, but plan a homebirth if that's your thing.

Re: Pregnant but no health insurance
 

Georgia