Help!

[Missbollinger 1]

OK I know I haven't been round but life is busy but here's the nitty gritty.

We had TWO appts scheduled for an interview with CIncinnati USCIS. One for Jan 30th and one for March 19th 2006.

Well as luck would have it we went to the Jan one and were approved pending the medical report which we submitted on Feb 28th (They actually gave us untill April 1st to submit it).

Unfortunately DH's work has locked out their Union employees untill they can agree on a new conract. So we've gone from $4500 a month income to a little over $2300. And to top it all we're pregnant without medical ins.

Does anyone know if we qualify for any form of medicaid? It would be temporary untill DH goes back to work or finds a new job whichever is sooner. Cobra is offering us our old policy for $800p/m but thts just ridiculous although we may just have to bite the bullet on it to ensure I have the coverage I need for the baby at least.

So anyone have any ideas? Or are we up the creek without a paddle?

[meddykomp 0]

Who is the USC? If mother is USC, then yes medicaid is available to her. If not, then I do not believe that it is since that might fall under public charge. There are however health clinics that use a sliding fee scale that may help you to get prenatal care while you wait for the insurance situation to resolve.

[Missbollinger 1]

DH is the USC. I could probably fly back to England for Prenatal care worse comes to the worse. Its such a gray area, I might try the health clinics and see what happens. Tahnks for the idea!

Edited March 19, 2006 by Missbollinger

[JayJay 4]

Do NOT panic

Firstly, there are many types of state financial aid toward medical expenses. You just have to ask, and you will be given forms to help ya out! We had to go this route when Ben was hospitalised last October, and couldn't work - and neither could I. It worked

Now also, try going to planned parenthood, and explaining your situation. They will be able to put you in touch with a number of organizations who will be able to help you out with medical expenses, and let you know where to go also, for low-cost medical care.

Another route to go is to find out your nearest free clinic - these are open at odd times, sometimes, but they are free. Again, they can put you in touch with more of the resources you need. Including reasources for recent immigrants - they might be able to help too.

Should you have to at some point cough up money toward things (occasionally the state help will pay for everything over a "certain amount", and you pay say, $1000 toward the care, depending on what they determine), you will be allowed to do so on a monthly basis - they will be able to come up with a payment plan for you - so don't panic about having to find all the money at once.

Remember - you're not the only woman who's ever had to go through this kind of dodgy situation - which is good, because it means there are resources out there for you! Ask around, and don't accept "no" for an answer - I bet you'll find a hundred times more than you thought was even there...above all, don't be worrying your head off!

Edited March 19, 2006 by JayJay

[motu 6]

I know that the state of Colorado has a department of Social Services that you can go to (and maybe even call) to find out what is available for people in your situation - they have programs for all types of needs. I am not sure if people who are non-residents qualify or not (since you don't have the Green card yet.) Perhaps your state or city has such an agency that you can try to contact also. Good Luck

[mollyandstephen 0]

I would definitely follow the advice of previous posters and check with your local health clinic as well as Planned Parenthood. Many physician's office, especially OB offices, offer package deals where you pay monthly payments towards the package of your total prenatal care and the cost of the OB doctor during the delivery (does not cover the hospital's fees). If none of these options work out for you, check with a few of the major insurance carriers to check on the price of getting health insurance. Many carriers have begun offering insurance for uninsured people, combining all of them to create a "group coverage" similar to what an employer would offer. I have heard that the prices are actually fairly reasonable. I have heard of people dropping their insurance through their employer because they got a cheaper rate directly from the insurance company. Would definitely be cheaper than 800 dollars a month from COBRA. If you just need some temporary solutions for your prenatal care, I would check with the local clinics/OB offices in your area. If you think you will not have insurance at the time of delivery, I would try to get insurance through a carrier as an individual. The hospital costs of delivery can get quite high and with a new baby at home, the last thing you need is a huge hospital bill to be paying. Diapers will put a big enough dent in the budget...lol.

Molly

[kerewin21 2]

Many states (not sure if Ohio is one of them) offer free prenatal care to all women who qualify based on income, regardless of citizenship status. I agree with trying planned parenthood; if that doesn't work, try calling any local community health centers, or even the financial services department at a local hospital.

You really should be okay, prenatal care is one of those things that you can get covered even if you don't have insurance.

[hcj 0]

One more idea -- check with your DH's HR dept or with the Cobra administrator. It is probably possible for you to stay on the Cobra policy but to take your DH off. That can half the cost of the monthly premiums. I know it's still expensive but if you want the better coverage, that is one way of getting it.

There are the state-run programs of course and you will get access to prenatal care some way some how. But if you want to be able to see your own doc and have the presumably better coverage your old policy offered, that might be one way to get it at less than $800/month.

[yogib37 3]

I dont know if this is a option but have you looked for healthcare on your own.. Just do a search on the internet and you can find a good healthplan that is not expenive.

There is Blue shield/blue cross etc...

Just make sure you get a copy of previous insurance so they wont denied any medical for your baby cause they could consider pre medical coverage

It is a heck a lot cheaper then COBRA. you can maybe get a famly plan for maybe $200 or so a month.

It is worth checking into

Yogi

[hcj 0]

Hi Yogi --

Good idea but I looked into this when I left my job a while back... and I found that almost no individual health plans have maternity coverage, and the ones that do usually cost quite a bit. A lot of times they will put some kind of stipulation on it, like you have to have it for a year before you can get maternity coverage.

With births costing as much as they do -- especially if there's a C-section which is fairly common these days -- the insurance companies aren't taking any chances. They want to make sure they make a profit, not lose money.

[Autumnal 25]

Talk to Planned Parenthood and other pregnancy-oriented groups in your area. Many of them are going to be well-connected in the community and staffed by volunteers or people with significant knowledge of what's available. Even if you are looking at payments (rather than free/non-profit services), usually these are signficantly reduced.

Another option may be to check into any midwives or whatnot that might be in the area. I've heard stories through friends that were in really tough financial spots who couldn't really qualify for any sort of official medical aid that managed to arrange prenatal check ups and care through nurses and midwives very inexpensively.

Your public health office might also have these resources.

And like you said, if it really comes down to it, you could always try the UK. I always said I'd have my kids in Canada, if only for the maternity benefits!