*Baby Corner*

[Dr. Obvious 49]

10K is cheap for a c-section and subsequent hospital stay. No one wants to plan for that, but things happen that no one could foresee. I'd err on the side of caution.

[Eveline 9]

10K is cheap for a c-section and subsequent hospital stay. No one wants to plan for that, but things happen that no one could foresee. I'd err on the side of caution.

Considering that 'failure to progress' is usually a reason for a c/s I wouldn't want to think about the cost of induction medicine, epidurals, monitors and everything that comes with it. I think 10k is way on the low side. It's probably more around 15K++++

[ajames79 0]

I don't really understand it since I never had to worry about finding a maternity plan. My question would be. Are your prenatals covered? There's a lot of blood drawing and testing involved (of course you don't HAVE to do all tests) and that is expensive. I went in for an US and that alone was 200 bucks, blood drawing was about 400 Dollars. You go for checkups every 6 weeks, then 4weeks, then 2 and then you'll be seen every week. Depending if it is a low risk pregnancy or not there might be more US etc. involved. I wouldn't want to be without ANY insurance since there's a lot of things that could happen but then again yuo might have a easy pregnancy.

From what I know, if you find a midwife and consider a homebirth the entire pregnancy is gonna cost you about 2500 Dollars in total. Midwifes are cheapest.

Thanks for your replies!

First of all my insurance is an HSA....so we pay for all our Dr. visits until we hit the deductible anyway. We can physically afford to go to the Dr and pay what ever we have to pay..of course unless there is a huge tramatic event.

So my understanding is that we are going to have to pay $200 extra a month to add maternity on (even before we are pregnant) So if it takes me a year to get pregnant that is 2400.00 extra for that year we come up with. And none of that goes towards our deductible. So at that point we pay our monthly maternity insurance....then we pay our detuctible..and still our regular rates...which will exceed a $10,000 birth in a given year(barring in mind it is a simple birth with no complications) your already paying that anyway. As I mentioned under law NC insurance has to help you in there are complications.

So if we can afford a $10,000 plus birth and there is coverage for emergencies...and we can make payments to the Dr for weekly appointments...then why pay for the extra insurance.

I'd never have a child without any coverage at all. So no worries there.

Wacken~I agree that with a c-cection it would in fact cost more. So that is a question I will ask the agent...if I have to have a c-section would we have coverage? My opinion and I know there are lots of people who can't afford medical tests and so on, and have insurance to cover most medical things..but I have insurance to help if I have a stroke..or a heartattack...or cancer...not to cover NON emergancy things...ya see?

A Midwife is a possibility...my sister and I both were born at home. My mother was a midwife and helped with several births of close friends...But I just don't know!

All this is so stressful to me. Chances are we will just get maternity insurance I just find all this paying for minimum coverage so insane.....

I need to take a deep breath!

[ajames79 0]

10K is cheap for a c-section and subsequent hospital stay. No one wants to plan for that, but things happen that no one could foresee. I'd err on the side of caution.

Considering that 'failure to progress' is usually a reason for a c/s I wouldn't want to think about the cost of induction medicine, epidurals, monitors and everything that comes with it. I think 10k is way on the low side. It's probably more around 15K++++

Also I think it depends on where you live etc etc.

My girlfriend has had 2 childern and one cost $7,000 5 years ago..and $8,000 for one 3 years ago. No emergencies..

In doing the research yesterday on the Bluecross blue shield website, average cost for NC is around $10,000. Again this is for non emergancy stuff.

[Eveline 9]

OK, I get your point. There is no way to add maternity once you are pregnant? If so, I would just skip maternity until you get preggers and then add it. I wouldn't want to pay that money either, not knowing when I'll get pregnant.

[ajames79 0]

OK, I get your point. There is no way to add maternity once you are pregnant? If so, I would just skip maternity until you get preggers and then add it. I wouldn't want to pay that money either, not knowing when I'll get pregnant.

nah...silly insurance companies want your money even if you aren't currently pregnant..and you can't add it after you become.

One of the companies we are talking to have excellent coverage but they do not cover maternity in NC..why? No clue!

Anyone know anything about discount programs such as Maternity Advantage? Just reading now.

Please know that I am reading everything you guys write in response to my question...I hope I am not sounding to pushy and abrasive to your answers..I am just concerned about this!

[Eveline 9]

You have every right to be concerned about yourself and your family. Pregnancy can be a complicated thing and unfortunately insurance companies don't make it easy. I'm sorry but I'm not very much help right now. Maybe one of the girls here can help you. Just wait a little, some have to wake up from their beauty sleep (while it lasts, hehe)

[~ Karima ~ 0]

Are you looking into a personal policy and not a group policy through an employer?

[chri'stina 190]

hiya girls! I am back with a not preggy girl question!

Husband and I are doing insurance shopping and we are considering adding maternity insurance to our plan.

Number one: our company doesn't have that option....

other companies do but it will cost about $200 plus dollars more a month.

One agent we talked to told us to look at it like this. If you can afford the $8,000 to $10,000 average cost to "have" a baby then you don't really need maternity insurance. Also if there are any complications, under NC law you and the baby have to get covered. Also as soon as the Dr releases the baby you can have she/he added.

He said to add it up like this: if you add $200 dollars more a month for maternity that is $2400 a year that you are spending even before you are preg. Then if you have a $5,000 deductible, that is another $5000 you have to pay before you really get coverage.

So to me it seems that you don't really "need" maternity if you can afford to pay without unforseable (sp) complications.

So I guess my question is how many of you have maternity insurance....and am I veiwing this correctly??

If it doesn't mak sense I am sorry...insurance sucks!!

Hope all is well guys!

Me and my husband discussed this kind of thing also before trying. After researching, and after having friends whose baby had to stay 3 weeks in NICU(can you imagine the cost?!), we decided to get me covered under his insurance, even though it costs us over $300 a month. Now with the baby it is over $500 a month.

We got a copy of the billl from my c-section and hospital stay from our insurance...the hospital billed the insurance about $36,000. I was only in the hospital 2 nights. And that didn't include every physician fee(there were a few, with the surgeon, midwife, anesthesiologist,etc it adds up). The insurance only paid like $4000-6000 of that $36K b/c they have those deals set up with Dr's/Hospitals . We only had a $500 co-pay thank God. The hospital would have billed us that $36K plus thousands more for the physician fees. I would not risk not having insurance even if it costs $2400 more a year if you can swing it, or you will have hospital bills to pay for many many years to come instead of paying a lot for the next couple of years.

Ultrasounds were like $800 or so when billed, then you have blood tests that cost a couple hundred dollars throughout the pregnancy. I just had $30 co-pays instead of paying for those. All my regular office visits were covered with no co-pay, and only had to have the co-pay for tests or extra ultrasounds. (I have Blue Cross Blue Shield of Florida)

Insurance does suck, and it really sucks that the medical facilities give insurances a huge discount while people have to pay most of the bills if they don't have insurance and can't qualify for assistance. I hear you on that one!! It's expensive, but we weighed the possibilites and I am glad we got the insurance. It takes a load off of your mind in one way, knowing that if something big happens you aren't paying the whole bill. Yeah do more research on the discount programs too.

Best of luck with your decision! I know it's a really tough one.

[sara535 15]

about the weight guesstimates, one day about a month before I had my baby I was in with my midwife and she was feeling around and I asked her big the baby is and she told me anumber and I said, wow, really? and she laughed and said no, there is really no way to estimate the size accurately and its always just a guess. I had 3 U/S and the last 2 both were telling me I was having a big big baby. so what a surprise when she was only 7 pounds!

and the bill for my C-section (not including the anesthesiologist, he bills separately) was over 23 grand, I sure was happy for my insurance that day!

[ajames79 0]

Thanks Stina and Sara....

Stina..great information!

Eveline...just adding little bits of knowledge is very helpful! So thanks!

I love this thread~

[Kopa 3]

I'm not pregnant but have a 6 month old and also love reading this thread . My hospital billed my insurance company $12,000 for my hospital bills $5000 for my daughters part, however, they only got around $4000 from me & the insurance company (vaginal birth). My sister in law also had a baby in January 2008 and she did not have insurance at all. She went and talked to the hospital and they happened to have a non-insured/under insured program and if she was able to pay up front before the birth they would only charge her $3000 if she waited till arriving at the hospital in labor they would charge her $12,000. So I think it also depends on the hospital you are interested in going to.

Thanks Stina and Sara....

Stina..great information!

Eveline...just adding little bits of knowledge is very helpful! So thanks!

I love this thread~

[Jonesie 1]

Hello mommies and mommies to be! I've been away from VJ for a while (between full time school and being a parent, I didn't have any spare time) but wanted to come in and see how everyone is doing. The photos of the children are just beautiful! Gavin is doing great - he's very vocal and attentive. I would love a daughter in about two years or so but we'll see how that plays out.

[nannygirl82 0]

hiya girls! I am back with a not preggy girl question!

Husband and I are doing insurance shopping and we are considering adding maternity insurance to our plan.

Number one: our company doesn't have that option....

other companies do but it will cost about $200 plus dollars more a month.

One agent we talked to told us to look at it like this. If you can afford the $8,000 to $10,000 average cost to "have" a baby then you don't really need maternity insurance. Also if there are any complications, under NC law you and the baby have to get covered. Also as soon as the Dr releases the baby you can have she/he added.

He said to add it up like this: if you add $200 dollars more a month for maternity that is $2400 a year that you are spending even before you are preg. Then if you have a $5,000 deductible, that is another $5000 you have to pay before you really get coverage.

So to me it seems that you don't really "need" maternity if you can afford to pay without unforseable (sp) complications.

So I guess my question is how many of you have maternity insurance....and am I veiwing this correctly??

If it doesn't mak sense I am sorry...insurance sucks!!

Hope all is well guys!

just reading that has my head spinning....i think what the agent told is pretty right on...BUT...if there are problems were you need a stress test, more blood work, u/s done those are extra...and not only are you paying for the test...but also for the test to be read so that can add up quickly as well...i know before i got medical assitance i was asking around at local places...and you can get in with some practices as "cash paying" where they will cut you a deal where you pay so much up front and then when you are so far a long you pay the rest....you have to find out what that all includes...i know for me if i were to need a c-section that would have been a extra 500...you just have to call around...

Sometimes insurance may not include a normal pregnacy but they will inlcude you if you become high risk or need a c-section...that is what my original insurance said...so then i got the Maternity Card... ok let me tell you a little bit about that card...it does work!! you have to go to Lap Corp to get your blood taken and they help a lot with that!! You have to go to a certian place to get u/s done as well...Also to dr may or may not except it...and the way they explained it to me was the dr part of the card is a bonus feature if you can get a dr to except it....and you have to pay for it for 12 months...

did you check into aetna??? i know sometimes that have maternity already included in the price....

[TracyLuis 0]

So far, I've paid all of $50 to my doctor's office for copays. And I've got a $250 copay due for my impending delivery/hospital stay. But that's it, as far as I've been informed. The $250 covers a vaginal or C-section delivery, the anesthesiologist, and the circumcision (should one opt for that).

I've been VERY happy with my insurance thus far. It's so nice to have one less thing to worry about!