Displaying items by tag: pregnancy prevention
Statistics tell us that 13% of American women do not have insurance. Most of those that do are underinsured. As if the discriminatory view of insurance companies that women are much bigger liabilities than men does not make their lives harder than they already are, pregnant women who find themselves without insurance have their application constantly rejected. This could happen because their pregnancy is considered a pre-existing condition, thus not warranting the insurance company’s coverage. The companies that do accept expecting mothers’ application are only willing to cover future pregnancies and not the current one, which is precisely the reason that the woman is seeking support in the first place. Being pregnant these days can be very expensive. The lowest rate that can be had for a normal hospital birth is about $3000.

A c-section will add at least $2000 to that. Not purchasing a health insurance with pregnancy coverage early on is not a responsible move. However, many women choose to do this because they view the insurance payment money as something that is better spent for immediate needs like gas and electricity bills, food, and other things. While this may be a valid point, the ridiculously high charges that can be acquired from pregnancy should be considered and weighed against that of paying a small fee every month and the benefits it will bring. Those that do have health insurance are advised to study the terms carefully for these might not have pregnancy coverage or if they do, do not cover enough. If this is the case, then the best choice is to get a supplementary pregnancy insurance. Workingwomen should also check out the company health insurance for pregnancy coverage. Companies use group health plans and these usually automatically cover pregnancy expenses. Working expecting moms also need to know their rights.

Sooner or later they will need to go on a maternity leave and it is their employer’s duty to hold her job until she can come back. They are, however, not obligated to continue her pay during her leave so insurance would really be a big help. For low-income employees, seek aid from state-sponsored programs like Medicaid. They offer a lot of benefits and are available most everywhere. Try searching for their website and locate the nearest office. One should remember that there is an income limit for this program. Forgoing useful income just to qualify for it is strongly not recommended. Other programs with various benefits are also available. These are not insurance but are healthcare discount programs. Companies that offer this service have a wide network of healthcare providers that cooperate with them ensuring a member’s easy access to the discounts they provide. One such company is American Health Benefits Inc. They are certified by the Better Business Bureau (BBB) and have been in this business for over 15 years without getting many complaints. For an inexpensive monthly fee, one could get discounts from physician care to prescription drugs. The higher plans also include an accident policy up to $5000.
Published in Pregnancy
It might take a while to make people realize the value and importance of getting any kind of pregnancy health insurance, especially before actually getting pregnant. But unfortunately, there are not a lot of potential parents who don’t really plan ahead about something as basic as health insurance. The worst thing about it is that there are a lot of parents and expecting parents out there who don’t have any idea of what pregnancy health insurance is all about. It is sad but it happens every day. According to the American Health Association, 13% women who are pregnant in the US do not have any kind of health insurance. What’s ironic about this is that pregnancy is actually the most difficult and sensitive period of a woman’s life. Not to mention, pregnancy can also be the most expensive phase in a woman’s life because given that the situation can be sensitive, it needs to be given special care and medical support. If 13 percent of pregnant women in the United States do not have any kind of pregnancy life insurance, then how much more pregnant women do you think don’t have the same privileges in other part of the world? For this very reason, millions of mothers and babies around the world suffer from different kinds of birth and pregnancy complications. Since prenatal visits can cost a lot of money, not everyone are capable of giving much needed medical attention to during their pregnancy so both the baby and the mother suffer.

But if you are already pregnant, is there a way to save your family from potential complications and problems? Fortunately, the answer is yes. Here is a guide to follow if you want to get life insurance for you and your baby. First, do your research about insurance options that will still approve your application even if you are already pregnant. The most popular program that gives an insurance policy even when you are already pregnant is Medicaid. Thank God for this federally-funded program, you can still save your family from the risks of having any kind of pregnancy complications.

But you have to understand that having an insurance policy with Medicaid is not as easy as applying for any other kind of insurance programs, or you can get indexed universal life insurance. They have strict qualifications for potential insurance holders. One of those is that you have to have low income. If you cannot meet this primary requirement, you cannot avail of their policy. But think about this; if you cannot avail of any kind of pregnancy insurance because you are already pregnant, why not just make the necessary adjustments to meet the low-income requirements of Medicaid. You just have to weigh the odds and see which option works better for you. You can drop some minor sources of income that are not so stable during your pregnancy. By sticking with the most stable and dependable source of income, you might be able to meet the low-income standards of their program. In the long run, it might work well for you to make both ends meet during your pregnancy than keeping your other sources of income and pay a lot more for prenatal visits and other medical support that your pregnancy needs.
Published in Pregnancy

Vasectomy reversal is pretty much like the “undo” command in a computer program: when you realize you’ve made a mistake, you press Undo and reverse your document to the state that preceded the mistake. No joking, some young couples who don’t want children see vasectomy as a good prevention method. Years later, either they change their mind and decide they want kids, or they get a divorce and the guy meets another woman who wants to have children. Another reason for the reversal procedure is the Post Vasectomy Pain Syndrome (PVP), which has a strong impact on the patient’s quality of life.

Vasectomy is a surgical procedure which interrupts the tubes that carry the sperms from the testes to the urethra. Vasectomy reversal is the surgical attempt to connect them back again. However, maybe less than half of the procedures are successful, so if it crosses your mind to get a vasectomy, just be aware that it can be for good. This low success rate isn’t too motivating. Besides, medical studies have shown that a vasectomy isn’t 100% effective in preventing an undesirable pregnancy. One of these studies included 540 women out of whom six got pregnant within a time frame of 6 weeks to 1.5 years after the vasectomy of their husbands. Now, I’m not sure those ladies weren’t cheating on their spouses and I suppose neither did the doctors who ran the CREST (Collaborative Review of Sterilization) study.

Vasectomy Reversal Costs and Insurance Coverage

Vasectomy reversal is considered an elective medical procedure, therefore most chances are that it’s not covered by your health insurance plan. However, check it with your insurer, because some of them do cover the first surgery attempt. If this fails, then you’ll have to pay for the following ones from your own pocket. A loan can be a good solution, in case you don’t have so much cash available. The rates depend very much on the country, as well as on the vasectomy surgeon himself. For example, the average price for a reversal vasectomy in the US is $10000, while in Canada, the same procedure will cost you only CAN$5000. Probably the biggest part of the cost comes from the surgical fee. Additional to that, the patient has to pay the anesthetic fee and the hospital fee. Nonetheless, going for an out-patient surgical center will decrease the cost. As you can see, this is not a cheap procedure. Microsurgical vasectomy reversal, also known as vasovasostomy, needs a very powerful microscope. Besides, if complications occur, and if the surgeon needs to opt for another alternative of vasectomy reversal, namely the vasoepididymosostomy, the costs would go up.

Pregnancy After Vasectomy Reversal

Neither vasectomy nor its reversal are 100% guaranteed. It’s possible that your partner gets pregnant after you undergo this surgery, but it’s also possible that she doesn’t. It may sound funny, but there are doctors and medical centers who offer a vasectomy reversal refund program for their patients in case the procedure fails.

Knowing all these, choosing your doctor becomes a real challenge, but there’s no need to worry: just do like in any other shopping situations, collect multiple quotes, ask for certificates of good practice, try to get in touch with former patients and don’t ignore promotional discounts that you may find.

Published in Pregnancy