How Pregnancy Insurance Helps for Pregnant Uninsured Women

What Every Uninsured Mom-To-Be Must Know!

Suddenly you are expecting! This was not in your plan, but you and your husband are thrilled. Despite what plans you had about when to start your family, your little baby already decided he or she could not wait any longer. In nine months your little bundle of joy will arrive and you are thinking about cribs and names and wallpapering the little bedroom next to yours with teddy bears.

One thing may not be apparent during the first blush of excitement about your new pregnancy, but on your first visit to your doctor, it will assert itself with no hesitation. The costs. Pregnancy is not free. And neither are prenatal care, delivery and post-natal care, not to mention the possibility of neo-natal care in the event the baby is a preemie.

The pregnancy business is expensive business and from the minute you purchase a home pregnancy kit to the first day you bring Baby home, you will be racking up bills for unimaginable costs that go into the having of your baby.

This is where pregnancy insurance can be a relief and a requirement. But if you are suddenly pregnant without having any maternity health coverage you are already at a financial disadvantage. Health insurance providers typically consider pregnancy a pre-existing condition and require you to sign up for it well in advance of your becoming pregnant. It is available from some carriers after the fact because you cannot be denied coverage, but it will be more expensive to obtain.

Another option is to be your own advocate. This option is for women who want to take the control of costs in their own hands and who are willing to negotiate with the hospital or the doctor. One way is to discuss payment plans with your doctor directly. He or she may offer some low cost options such as reduced rates at the hospital he uses, or even suggest the use of a low-cost alternative facility.

The hospital may offer a supplement plan that can reduce medical bill costs if you suddenly find yourself pregnant without maternity care insurance. You can also work out a payment plan directly with the hospital that will give you more time to pay them back.

Keep in mind there is no insurance policy that will pay 100% of the bill so everyone has some out of pocket expenses. Yours will be more than those others who purchased their insurance in a more timely manner and already had a policy in place when they got pregnant, but it is not as if they are paying nothing at all. Far from that! They will simply be paying less than you, but you will still be availed of the same procedures and care. In the end, the bottom line is securing the best care for you and your baby and most people would be happy to have a healthy mom and baby at any cost.

If you like the notion of negotiating directly with the doctor or hospital, but do not want to do the actual negotiating, there are advocacy services available that will help and are available online with their 800 numbers so you can talk with them directly about your individual situation.

Check with your husband's health policy at work, or the baby's father's health policy if you are single, as you may be able to get something from those sources as well. Policies will cover the mother and baby whether the couple is married or not.

About 13% of women are not insured when they become pregnant. Medicaid will cover uninsured pregnant women, but they have to be eligible for Medicaid benefits by providing proof of low-income.

WIC, or the Women, Infants, and Children programs can help low-income women with the cost of groceries for themselves and for their new babies. Help is available online at that organization.

If you suddenly find yourself pregnant and uninsured, don't despair. There are still some good measures you can take to help you with the financial burden and insure a safe pregnancy and delivery for you and your baby.