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What Is The Best Healthcare Plan If I Am Having A Baby?

A good healthcare plan is an integral thing to have when you are pregnant. A sufficient healthcare plan will help you effectively manage all the planned and unplanned expenses that come with delivering a baby.   

 

Moreover, a lot of future mothers think that maternity and infant care will cost them big bucks. But, with the help of the right healthcare plan, the mothers can focus on their prenatal and postnatal care without fretting over their costs. 

 

Here we have brought all the information you will need before choosing a healthcare plan for a safe and trouble-free maternity journey. 

Things to Consider While Choosing a Healthcare Plan

 

Choosing the best healthcare plan when pregnant can seem like a complicated task. However, with sufficient knowledge, you can surely pick the right health insurance plan for your pregnancy. 

 

Here are a few things to consider to find the right healthcare plan when expecting a baby. 

  • Prioritize In-network care 

You can get the lowest costs if you opt for in-network care. There is also no condition of certain plans, and you can enjoy good coverage regardless of what plan you have chosen. That is because the health insurance company you have chosen will already come to terms with the network providers. 

 

Therefore, you must get familiar with your plan’s network if you intend on minimizing your maternity expenses. We suggest you always plan it all out with your GYN/OB. This way, you can be safe from ending knowing about an out-of-network or out-of-pocket procedure at the very last moment.

  • Don’t prefer a high deductible over a higher premium 

A lot of expecting women are highly likeable to consider two factors; plan deductibles and premium costs. However, many women are not familiar with that they both often cancel out each other as they move opposite each other. 

 

Considering that, we can say that a combination of a low-cost plan and high deductibles is not quite beneficial. Hence, the mothers won’t be able to save considerable money when they check into the healthcare centre for labour and delivery. For this reason, expectant parents should always prefer a health insurance policy that offers a combination of a higher premium and a lower deductible. 

 

It should be noted; the parents-to-be can hit deductible at a higher speed even when the insurance premiums are high. This will further enable the couple to save a great deal of money in the long run by letting the insurer pay for the services. 

  • Make an estimation of the cost 

A great way to know the actual cost of having a baby under the coverage of health insurance coverage is to get an estimate. Firstly, you review the Summary of Benefits and Coverage (SBC) document of your healthcare plan. Notably, every insurance plan is required to have this document as per the healthcare rules set by the government. 

 

In this situation, you can ask your chosen insurer for this document. Moreover, you can also find this document on the websites of many insurance services. Now, when you get the document, you can find the coverage section at the back of the document. This section will provide you will all the information regarding the costs of having a baby. 

 

Moreover, with the help of this document, the soon-to-be parents can get an idea of how these costs can be hard to manage without a good in-network policy. Plus, the couple should also take into account the emergency procedure they can possibly go through. 

 

Given that, it is important to know that every 1 out of 10 babies is born prematurely. Therefore, the parents-to-be should know that intensive care for premature babies can be hard to bear without a good in-network plan. 

  • Discover your options

Looking for an adequate healthcare plan while expecting a baby can be stressful. Also, a lot of moms end up believing that they have only a few limited options. However, this is not the case. There are a wide array of options that need to be discovered. 

 

Furthermore, you can also find a good amount of options on different health insurance marketplaces. These marketplaces will help you compare the costs and benefits of various healthcare plans. This way, the comparison will help you purchase the health insurance that seems the best fit for your needs. 

Best Healthcare Plans for Pregnancy 

  • Aetna Medicare 

Aetna Medicare provides ample benefits to pregnant women through their healthcare plans. Being the largest employer-based insurance company, it ensures the satisfaction of its customers. Hence, you will only get the best of the healthcare plans. 

Aetna Medicare provides coverage for:

  • The first doctor visit 
  • Routine care visits during pregnancy 
  • Pregnancy-related tests and services 
  • Hospital stay before and after the delivery 
  • The expenses of the doctor 
  • Newborn charges for healthy and standard deliveries 
  • Breast-pump supplies 
  • Blue Cross Blue Shield 

Blue cross blue shield is another health insurance company that supports women from the prenatal stage to the postpartum stage. Their Pregnancy Incentive Program provides the future mother with incentives and ample support through each stage of pregnancy. 

 

Moreover, once you have visited the doctor for a prenatal checkup, you can earn an incentive of $75 along with a Pregnancy Care Box filled with all the pregnancy essentials, including:

  • Books for the baby 
  • Various informative booklets regarding pregnancy 
  • Coupons and samples for various brands 
  • Clothing for the baby 
  • United Health Care 

 

Options to Avail if You Have No Maternity Insurance

Being pregnant and having no insurance can make you feel overwhelmed.  However, there are a lot of options you can get benefitted from if you don’t have a health insurance plan, including: 

Local Health Department 

Plenty of expectant couples opts for their local Health Department. A good amount of Public Health Departments offer good-quality maternity care. 

 

However, most of these services are only available for individuals with a low income. But, even if you don’t fulfil the income criteria, you still can get ample information regarding available options. This way, you can know what resources are there that you can avail in your area. 

Community Health Center 

Individuals who are exposed o limited health care services can get great benefits from Community Health Centres. These Community Health Centres provide good quality health care services at affordable costs. 

 

However, Community Health Centers do not provide individuals with maternity insurance. Instead, they provide prenatal and comprehensive care with fees according to the individual’s income. This way, individuals are not burdened with fees more than their capability to pay. 

Medicaid 

Medicaid is a government-run program. This healthcare program provides individuals with a low income with free health insurance. If an expectant couple qualifies for this healthcare program, the prenatal care expenses before they had applied for Medicaid will also be covered. 

 

Moreover, Medicaid also provides coverage for the baby once it is born. The best thing about Medicaid is their enrollment is open all around the year. Unlike other healthcare plans with enrollment windows available only a few times a year. 

 

Medicaid offers high eligibility rates for pregnant women. Even in some parts of the country, expecting mothers are considered eligible for this health care program even if they don’t fulfil the income criteria. Furthermore, the baby is considered a household member even before it is born. 

Children’s Health Insurance Program 

Apart from offering health insurance to children, the Children’s Health Insurance Program also provide coverage to women expecting a baby. 

 

Although the main focus of the Children’s Health Insurance Program is to facilitate individuals who are unable to afford health insurance, however, this program offers higher incomes as compared to that of Medicaid. 

 

Moreover, like Medicaid, the Children’s Health Insurance Program keep their enrollment window open throughout the year. 

Charity Care Organizations 

Many organizations, including Lutheran Services and Catholic Charities, offer programs with the aim of helping women with maternity care. However, these services may vary by region. 

 

Additionally, these services basically consist of referrals and counselling.  Despite that, some regions also offer extensive services, including maternity homes. These maternity homes provide the new mothers with services like maternity care, parenting classes, postpartum care, and a private room. 

 

Lastly, these charity care organizations also educate the future parent about various available resources they can get in their area. 

What Does Health Insurance Cover When Pregnant?

Most of the healthcare plans provide coverage for the following maternity services:

  • Prenatal and postnatal visits to the doctor 
  • Medications
  • Tests and screening 
  • Hospitalization 
  • Breast pump rent 
  • Training from a lactation consultant 
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