My Insurance No Longer Covers Maternity!

I would highly recommend a homebirth with a midwife. There are a lot of great ones in the DFW area if you are local. I had both of mine at home and can't imagine having done it any other way. I paid 1600.00 for ds(2003) (prenatal care, basic testing, delivery, newborn screen and postnatal care(2days, 2weeks, 6 and 12 weeks w/pap, usually) and 2,000. for my dd(2007). I used my midwife's student for second for a 1,000 discount-my midwife still supervised everything. Most midwives allow you to pay it out. I love my midwife, Molly Germash. She is now located near Weatherford. Her website is www.heartsdesiremidwifery.com. If you'd like more info. feel free to send me a message.

Have you considered home birth or a birthing center. They will often work with you. There are many reasons why a hospital delivery is the safest option for people with certain medical conditions, but many people safely deliver with a midwife at home or in birthing centers and enjoy the experience. I can give you several reputable referrals to investigate if you are interested but don't know where to begin.
K. @ The Nestingplace

Hi A.,
Good for you...wanting to have more children. I'm from a family of 5 girls and one boy and it was always a "party".
I'm also a RN and while I think there is something to be said about having your baby at home, I've seen too many last minute complciations that required several nurses and doctors trained for these types of emergencies. If something goes wrong you would want you and and your baby to be where they can get the very best care immediately.

I recommend that you check into AmeriPlan. AmeriPlan is a discount health program that allows you to chose a credentialed doctor on the plan and any hospital. The fees are discounted 25% to 80% for the doctor, lab, testing, hospital, depending on the type of service and are already negotiated. Payments plans (without interest) can be arranged for the hospitals without you having to worry about any of that. Since you already have other insurance, you would only need the $29.95/mo plan, that does not include Dental. If you also need Dental, that plan is only $10 more. You can discontinue the plan whenever you don't need it any longer...no contracts. You can check it out at this website: www.DNShealth.net . If I can help you answer any questions you can call me at ###-###-####. Best wishes to you! ~ N.

First of all, don't listen to that Joan G lady...what a jerk! Like you were asking for advice on whether or not you could afford another child! What nerve!

Anyway, my last 2 kiddos were paid for with cash! Sounds funny, but that's how we did it. Our insurance wonlt cover maternity either. Since my first was was an emergency C, I didn't feel comfortable not having the next 2 in the hospital. The very first thing I did, WAY in advance of concieving #2, was PRAY PRAY PRAY that I would not have another section. It was really hard on me, and part of the reason that I waited almost 3 years before getting pregnant again. My doc gives a discount if you pay before the 7th month. He was $2800. There are 2 hospitals in Amarillo, both "say" a vag birth is $2500 flat rate. At one a c is $4000 and at the other a c jumps to $6000. Well, with my history I chose the one that's $4000. What I found out later is that the hospital I chose really does charge a flat rate of 2500 for a normal vag delivery. The other hospital charges that for the first 24 hours. Any time after that is additional. Plus, that's just the charge for the room. Any meds, like Advil, are additional. They even charge you for your popcicles! The real kicker is, the cheaper hospital is the nicer one! Now, an epidural at both places was extra. Those run anywhere from 1000 to 1500 dollars. I figured I could do it without and I did with both of them. NO meds period. I'm telling you, money was a huge motivator for me! I decided I could take the money I saved and go shopping after the weight was gone!

So, all that to say, just do your homework on the hospitals in your area. Ask specifically what discounts are available and when payment is due (I forgot to mention, the hospital I chose let you pay your $2500 up to a month after delivery, the other one wanted to be paid 30 days before your due date).

I think our total bill for both babies (including sonograms and labs which are extra, but you can usually get around 30% off if you pay up front) was about $6000 each.

The other thing to know is that if you get another job with benefits, pregnancy cannot be considered a pre existing condition, no matter how far along you are.

Anyway, hope that helps!!!

Oh, gosh. I know you can save some money not having an epideral and also staying extra nights in the hospital also increases your expenses. I learned this after having our first. We had insurance; however, still had to pay $3,000 out-of-pocket b/c of the epideral and a 3 night stay in the hospital. Anyway, it sounds like you received a lot of great advice. I wish you the best of luck!!

Hello Anji,
Sounds like you have a wonderful little family! I had 4 children and they have been the blessings in my life!
Something to think about besides doing something were you are paying out of pocket cash for the whole birth and could risk the chance of complications and costing more. You might consider weighing the cost of just carrying your own insurance separate from your work. My husband has been in the insurance business for years and he represents alot of companies that are very cost efficient and have great benefits. If you would like to meet with him or just let him give you a quote you can email me or give him a call. His name is Darren Hamilton ###-###-####. Good Luck and I hope that helps!

T. Hamilton

this is a very extreme idea for many, but have you ever entertained the idea of having a home birth? i had the same issue, no maternity insurance for my 2nd. i had a very text book delivery and decided to have a natural birth w/ my first, so when i got pregnant the second time i decided to go for it and have a home birth. the total cost was $2300 for everything. it was a wonderful experience and if we have a third i'll do it all over again. we had a hospital about 2 miles away so if there was an emergency, our major medical would cover me and the baby. i was not one of those who have 2 hour labors. 24 hrs w/ my first and 11 w/ my second. it was not pretty, but i loved being home and not having one ounce of pain killers in me. i got to shower in my shower, and sleep in my bed cuddling w/ my baby w/out a bunch of nurses waking me up every 2 hours telling me to nurse or checking vitals.
i understand that this is not for everyone, and you may be giving me dirty looks through the computer for even mentioning it! :o)
this was totally right for our family and i have some friends who have had home births and had babies in birthing centers and loved the experience.

This happened to us for our third child. I had quit working and started with a private insurance not knowing that maternity is often not covered. We made a payment plan with the hospital. They gave a considerable discount for cash pay and even knocked more off the price when paid prior to the birth of the baby. My doctor also gave me a discount for cash pay. He was my doctor for the first two as well so he knew us but I imagine any doctor would do the same in your situation. I even called the anesthesiologist group beforehand to get there prices and see if anything could be worked out in case I decided to have an epidural. That was the only place I had problems. Unfortunately, I wasn't sure that I wanted an epidural so I didn't want to pay ahead of time. The doctor at the hospital was an absolute jerk when I decided to get it and essentially asked my husband for $1000 in the hospital room before he would do my epidural.

The best thing is start planning for it now. If you don't pay ahead most times the hospitals will have a payment plan for you to pay afterward so that you don't have some huge chunk of money to pay.

Good luck! I would have paid any amount for my precious baby so it's well worth it. As I'm sure you are already aware.

have your baby at home! it's just as safe (if not safer, depending on risk factors, of course) and without the doctors, hospital stay, and interventions, muuuuuch lower cost. carefully select your midwife, just as anyone would carefully select any birthing professional, and do your homework. if you're interested, you might find a really good resource is this forum at mothering dot community: http://www.mothering.com/discussions/forumdisplay.php?f=213

HTH!

Hi A.,
I completely agree with Kristine and Kay; a birth center or homebirth is extremely cost effective when compared to the standard hospital birth. I had my daughter at a birth center with a midwife, and it was the best experience of my life! Like they said, if you need referrals or have other questions about the experience, what a midwife is/does, safety concerns, whatever, you can send me a message and I'd be happy to send you some resources.
Good luck!

A.,

Many find that their Health Insurance either no longer covers certain areas and is no longer affordable. I market a Discount Health & Dental plan which has a Hospital Advocacy Program which our negotiating group will go in and negotiate your bill with great success and a discount off Doctor visits. I would be glad to send more information or you could go to my website to view information about us. I can certainly help you AND save you some money.
www.mybenefitsplus.con/ncarson
or
CALL ###-###-#### N.

First of all, in response...Not having $5,000-$10,000 laying around to pay and OB or hospital does not mean a family cant afford another addition !

Ihave 5 kiddos and have had my last 3 a home with a fabulous midwife who is now my preceptor as I am a student midwife! Lisa Black at www.treeoflifemidwife.com We are still working on her website a bit but all the needed info is there.

The average MW in DFW is about $3500. Most offer discounts if you are paid in full by 36 weeks and even deeper discounts if you pay it all upfront. Birthing centers run about $4000 and some take medicaid.

Having a homebirth is an awesome and rewarding family experience! If you are interested check out :
www.texasmidwives.com to locate a midwife or you can look at my website www.mtmbirthing.com and see my page on birth centers and midwives.

The Homebirth Association of North Dallas has an awesome yahoogroup you can acess from our website www.homebirthdallas.org for info and support on the homebirth option.

If you have already had 3 healthy pregnancy there isn't much reason you would not qualify for a homebirth!

Feel free to PM me if you want more info!

K.
Mom to 5
DONA Certified Birth Doula
Lamaze Certified Childbirth Educator
Student Midwife

Looks like a lot of mamas already said what I was going to say, and that is to consider a birth center or homebirth. Much cheaper than a hospital birth and most midwives I know will let you pay a little bit every month as the pregnancy goes along.
There are many midwives in the DFW area that are wonderful. Many of them have been mentioned already. One that hasn't is Jean Sala up in Denton. Her website is www.inannabirth.com.
One of my homebirths cost me 1600.00 because we paid all cash up front and she was a fairly new midwife (she had only been practicing a few years). My second homebirth cost 3000.00 but my insurance paid for it.

Good luck!

S.

Hi A.,

I just want to throw in another vote for a non-hospitalized birth. Since you have already experienced 3 healthy pregnancies and deliveries, you should feel empowered to know what is best and right for you. Look into options for birthing centers (a wonderful one in Grand Prairie is Special Beginnings, http://www.special-beginnings.com/), midwives who will deliver at home, and, if you need extra support, consider a doula.

I also second the vote to read mothering.com about birth options. It is also empowering to read some research and statistics about how interventions lead to more interventions, and many are geared towards protecting the doctor's liability than towards the optimal health of the mother and child. (This is *nothing* against doctors or hospitals, it is just a statement of fact, and if anything, a criticism of our healthcare system.)

Well, that's a lot to put on a mom of 3 young kids, so just look up some stuff online when you get a chance to breathe and make the best decision you possibly can! I hope our crazy healthcare system will not prevent you from creating the family you desire.

Peace and Joy,
M.

Dave Rasmeys's (the money guy) advice - shop hospitals. Get dressed in your nice clothes and meet with the local hospitals. Offer cash up front to be paid at the beginning of the thrid trimester and you will get a deal. Let them know you are interviewing other hospitals. We live in a great area, so there will be no bad choice. Maternity is the business they want.

I work for an OB/GYN office and we offer a "Cash package" for familes without insurance. It's a discounted amount. Try calling the OB/Gyn offices in your area and ask if they offer discounted prices.

This is what I've been told by multiple sources...I also don't have maternity coverage.

Tell your doctor that you don't have insurance and are a cash patient. Do the same thing with the hospital, make arrangements with them before you deliver. The rates you are charged will be considerably cheaper than if you had insurance. You don't literally have to pay in cash but this lets them put in their records that you are paying out of pocket vs. dealing with insurance.

After delivering, really research your hospital bill. Make sure that everything was coded correctly to ensure that you are getting charged for the proper procedures and stay.

The first thought that comes to mind is that if the birth of a fourth child is potentially a financial burden for the family, is having a fourth child a responsible decision?

Hi A.,

I can't believe insurance companies are dropping maternity care. It's cost-effective for crying out loud!

Anyway, Like EW said, I've also experienced that cash pay can actually be surprisingly less than expected. I've not had to have a baby on cash pay but I haven't had health insurance for years and I've been amazed at some of the rates I've been able to get. Also, for meds (if you end up needing them for some reason), depending on your income many drug companies offer free drug programs.

There may be MANY things you don't have to pay for like boxes of kleenex, vitamins during your hospital stay (if you take them), lotions. Talk to the hospital and ask what you can bring with you so that you won't get charged. This may seem minor but have you ever seen what they charge for these things in the hospital?

Best of luck to you.

We had very limited maternity insurance with two of our children and prepaid the hospital and the doctor. It worked out very well. The doctor and the hospital both had a set fee and we even got a discount on the epidural because we agreed(while in the hospital)to prepay that doc. Both of the births were with different doctors and different hospitals so I imagine if you look around you will find lots of options. We got all kinds of little gifts and beautiful rooms where you stay from the time you arrive until you go home unless there is an emergency. I think they called them birthing suites. This was over ten years ago so hopefully you will have even more options. Our package with the doctor included all visits, delivery, and the six week check up after the birth.

A.,
With my first child, we did not have insurance until I was about 4 months pregnant. We ended up going to St.Paul Medical Center in Dallas. It is a teaching hospital/clinic, and you can prepay your labor. We liked them so much that even after we got insurance we stayed with them.

M.