Pregnancy is a very crucial period in a woman’s life. It does not only affect her but also affects her family. With all the joy that comes with it are some potentially problematic things. One such thing is pregnant health insurance. According to statistics, 13% of women in the United States are not ensured. A significant chunk of those who are underinsured. Since health insurance is not that inexpensive, a lot of women keep putting off buying one. Some totally forgo it. This method may enable them to save a little in the meantime, but when something big happens like pregnancy, that is when they scramble to get one. Individual health insurance may or may not have pregnancy coverage. The terms differ from company to company. For someone who has this, it is advised to read the terms carefully to be sure of just what it covers.
If one’s health insurance does not cover maternity days, then one can choose to add a rider to the terms that does just that or get a supplemental health insurance for pregnancy. It is true that adding these things will require additional payments, but they are ultimately beneficial when the time of need comes. Having a healthy and medically well-supervised pregnancy is quite expensive. Giving birth alone in a hospital may cost somewhere between $3000-$10000 for a normal delivery. If any complications arise, it will add at least $2000 more to the already astronomical cost. Add the regular doctor check-ups, lab work, sonograms, and all other procedures that make sure the baby is growing fine and one may be looking at roughly $20,000 of medical bills.
Paying all that out of one’s own pocket is bordering on suicidal. Sadly, this is the case for a number of women who failed to acquire health insurance for pregnant ladies before conceiving. Most health insurance agencies do provide for pregnant women. However, they only cover future pregnancies and not the current one, which is not at all helpful for those who need coverage now. There are other options albeit limited ones. The best thing out there is Medicaid, a government sponsored program that offer medical assistance to low-income individuals or families. The downside of this is that one must qualify for the serviceable income bracket first to get help.
Some women make the decision to reduce their income just so they could qualify for Medicaid. This is not a very advisable action because as an expecting mother, one will have to maximize all available resources in case something comes up. It is best to be prepared for the worst-case scenario. After all, the baby still needs feeding and diapers, things that will eat up whatever remaining prenatal funds one has. It really is difficult for currently pregnant women, especially those in their second to third trimester, to get insurance. Another option one could explore is joining maternity discount programs. American Health Benefits is one of these and is legitimate and BBB approved. Careful scrutiny and research should be done before joining one of these programs for several of them are scams.
