Currently I pay approximately 300-400 a month for maternity coverage on my bcbs of Illinois insurance plan. There is a 365 day waiting period before you can start using the maternity coverage. Is this the most cost effective health coverage for maternity in Illinois? What is the annual cost of having a baby in Illinois including office visits, ultrasound, and hospital delivery?
Maternity Health Insurance
- Thread starter jjunck
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Hard to determine. First, are you planning on having a baby soon? There is a 365 waiting period which would probably resume if you made a change to another carrier. Secondly, you could call your doctor/hospital and get a ball park figure for the cost of delivery, but bear in mind, that cost will be for a normal delivery. What if complications arose and mom/babty were hospitalized longer?
You are probably looking at $8,000 for normal delivery, but check because your area may be different.
You are probably looking at $8,000 for normal delivery, but check because your area may be different.
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I'm making assumptions based on the way health insurance works in Connecticut. Please be sure to check the below with an agent licensed for Illinois.
A health insurance policy that does not cover maternity may cover the complications. Maternity is not considered a sickness. The complications may be.
If you are considering going without insurance at all bear in mind that most policies will cover your child with no medical questions asked so long as you submit an application within the first 30 days of his or her life.
This coverage will be retroactive to the first minute of your baby's life. I don't think that other guaranteed issue options will make the coverage retroactive.
This can make all the difference in the world to your family if your child needs significant medical intervention at birth.
A health insurance policy that does not cover maternity may cover the complications. Maternity is not considered a sickness. The complications may be.
If you are considering going without insurance at all bear in mind that most policies will cover your child with no medical questions asked so long as you submit an application within the first 30 days of his or her life.
This coverage will be retroactive to the first minute of your baby's life. I don't think that other guaranteed issue options will make the coverage retroactive.
This can make all the difference in the world to your family if your child needs significant medical intervention at birth.
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Be thankful most states have limited or no maternity benefits. If you are planning on more children I wouldn't cancel that plan. You won't beat it on the individual market. Impossible.
Keep it.
Keep it.
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Maternity Health Insurance Texas
If you are pregnant and do not have Health Insurance there is a Insurance plan that will cover you. The new Texas Pre Existing Condition Health Insurance plan is your answer. If you qualify for this insurance this is your answer. This is not a discount plan but full fledged Health Insurance. So if you need coverage send me a message from this site or call 512-260-0856 and lets talk.Here are the Texas rates.
If you are pregnant and do not have Health Insurance there is a Insurance plan that will cover you. The new Texas Pre Existing Condition Health Insurance plan is your answer. If you qualify for this insurance this is your answer. This is not a discount plan but full fledged Health Insurance. So if you need coverage send me a message from this site or call 512-260-0856 and lets talk.Here are the Texas rates.
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Well let's get out the trusty calculator here...
$350/month x 12 months during waiting period = $4,200
$350/month x 9 months of pregnancy = $3,150
So if you get pregnant the minute your waiting period expired, you would have paid a minimum of about $7,300 just for the maternity rider. Now you have your expenses for the policy deductible and whatever co-payments or facility charges there are. If this isn't an HMO plan, let's call it $10k flat. If you don't get pregnant for a year after the waiting period expires, you've now spent about $14k out of pocket, and so on and so forth.
If you chose a policy with a health savings account instead, you could begin taking that $350-400/month and contributing to the HSA. Now you have a tax deduction for the contribution and kept the money in your pocket instead of the insurance company's. If you get pregnant, you can try negotiating your own cash price. Like Alston said, the complications may still be covered even if the delivery and office visits aren't. If you never get pregnant, you saved yourself a lot of $$$.
I would set that $10k aside and put it into an HSA myself, but I'm not a woman and I've never been pregnant...
$350/month x 12 months during waiting period = $4,200
$350/month x 9 months of pregnancy = $3,150
So if you get pregnant the minute your waiting period expired, you would have paid a minimum of about $7,300 just for the maternity rider. Now you have your expenses for the policy deductible and whatever co-payments or facility charges there are. If this isn't an HMO plan, let's call it $10k flat. If you don't get pregnant for a year after the waiting period expires, you've now spent about $14k out of pocket, and so on and so forth.
If you chose a policy with a health savings account instead, you could begin taking that $350-400/month and contributing to the HSA. Now you have a tax deduction for the contribution and kept the money in your pocket instead of the insurance company's. If you get pregnant, you can try negotiating your own cash price. Like Alston said, the complications may still be covered even if the delivery and office visits aren't. If you never get pregnant, you saved yourself a lot of $$$.
I would set that $10k aside and put it into an HSA myself, but I'm not a woman and I've never been pregnant...
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Keep in mind that insurers selling policies on the individual market with maternity riders will structure the riders in a way where most policy holders will pay more in premium than is paid in benefits - as they do with any other policy. Maternity riders have an extremely high incidence of self selection along with very high utilization. The only people buying the riders plan to use the benefit.
Most policy holders with normal vaginal deliveries will come out behind, and those with c-section deliveries will come out a little ahead. The average cost for a vaginal birth is about $8,000, and as pointed out above you may be paying at least that much in premium if you times things perfectly. There is not much value in the riders, and most basic policies will cover complications where the real exposure lies.
HSA's and Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA) can be used to offset the un-reimbursed medical expenses for normal delivery. You can change your FSA election mid year if needed. Birth of a child is a qualifying life event.
Supplemental insurance can fill other holes. Short term disability insurance replaces mom's income during maternity leave and in case of complications. Hospital Indemnity covers mom's normal labor and delivery, and may pay an additional benefit if your child is born premature or with other medical issues. Both cover normal delivery, and complications provided coverage begins before conception.
You would have to get the policies through your employer. They are only sold as voluntary benefits through groups. Ask your employer to make a voluntary option available.
Most policy holders with normal vaginal deliveries will come out behind, and those with c-section deliveries will come out a little ahead. The average cost for a vaginal birth is about $8,000, and as pointed out above you may be paying at least that much in premium if you times things perfectly. There is not much value in the riders, and most basic policies will cover complications where the real exposure lies.
HSA's and Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA) can be used to offset the un-reimbursed medical expenses for normal delivery. You can change your FSA election mid year if needed. Birth of a child is a qualifying life event.
Supplemental insurance can fill other holes. Short term disability insurance replaces mom's income during maternity leave and in case of complications. Hospital Indemnity covers mom's normal labor and delivery, and may pay an additional benefit if your child is born premature or with other medical issues. Both cover normal delivery, and complications provided coverage begins before conception.
You would have to get the policies through your employer. They are only sold as voluntary benefits through groups. Ask your employer to make a voluntary option available.
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I had my fourth child while I was living in Indiana, so I am sure its not too different in IL.
The total cost was around $24k - including everything.
We had group insurance at the time....
3 years earlier we did not have group insurance (only insurance that did not cover maternity) and we negotiated with the Dr/Hospitals etc for $6500 cash.
I don't recall us paying any less even though we had the group insurance. Just seemed like the Dr's/hospitals used it like a credit card billing anything and everything.
If you are already paying for it and have met your time deductible with your plan AND you are trying to get pregnant then keep it.
The total cost was around $24k - including everything.
We had group insurance at the time....
3 years earlier we did not have group insurance (only insurance that did not cover maternity) and we negotiated with the Dr/Hospitals etc for $6500 cash.
I don't recall us paying any less even though we had the group insurance. Just seemed like the Dr's/hospitals used it like a credit card billing anything and everything.
If you are already paying for it and have met your time deductible with your plan AND you are trying to get pregnant then keep it.
Even for gross billed charges, that is high. Anything out of the ordinary?
Vaginal birth in Atlanta is in the $6000 range at carrier rates. Add another $1000 - $1500 for scheduled c-section.
Gross billed charges about 2x those prices.
Complications for mom or child will inflate the bill.
Admission for Vaginal Delivery Pricing by Healthcare Blue Book
