Seems to be a wide range of hospital charges, depending on where you live. I've delivered at 2 different hospitals in the Chicago area, and have had 3 c-sections. Each one was billed to our insuance company for about $13k.
Don't ask friends and family. Ask the hospital where your OB is on staff. Get their charges in writing. If it is too expensive, consider looking for another practice/hospital with more affordable charges.
I also am a bit confused by how the deadline was missed. Each year when we do our open enrollment, we have to do it all online. We select each plan that we want, see the charges, and get a confirmation printout when we finish. I know the practices of insurance companies can vary from state to state, and from employer to employer, but surely there is a more formal procedure to add such a vital coverage.
Why wouldn't you call to check on it again if you knew you were planning on starting a family this year but hadn't had any confirmation from BCBS?
I think your only hope is to do a written appeal to the insurance company, or to take out an additional individual policy, if possible. Shop around to see what you can come up with--it'll surely cost less to get an additional policy for 1 year than it would cost to pay out of pocket for a c-section.
ETA: For example, get a quote from Humana here: https://www.humana-one.com/secured/individual-health-insu...