Insurance NIGHTMARE!
Dorcasmolorcas
member
Hi There,
I am currently 9 weeks pregnant and in a very interesting situation. There are a few steps to this process.
1. Three weeks I quit the job I hated and had for 4 years to pursue a great opportunity.
2. I love my new job, but I don't qualify to be covered with their insurance.
3. When trying to get insurance on my own, I was denied 12 times because I'm currently pregnant.
4. I don't qualify for the Oregon Health Plan because I make too much money.
5. I do qualify for the Oregon Medical Insurance Pool, but there is a 6 MONTH waiting period after I'm accepted.
6. I might be able to get portabilty from my previous insurance, but the portabilty plans offer only minimal coverage and are a little spendy.
I don't know what I should do in this situation. If I had known this would be an issue, I would have just stuck it out at the job through the pregnancy. Is there a resource I'm missing? Should I just try to work with options and hope nothing goes wrong in the 6 month waiting period?
Re: Insurance NIGHTMARE!
I almost forgot to mention that because, I have been dealing with the insurance for several weeks, I haven't officially seen a doctor yet. I met with a volunteer at the Pregnancy Resource Center in Vancouver, but she could only tell me what I already know-I'm pregnant. Any good free/cheap clinics in Portland?
I could be wrong, but I believe if you have certain circumstances (and pregnancy may very likely be one of them) that you can have the 6 month waiting period. Oregon is very pregnant- friendly in general, but the rules change pretty consistently, so my recommendation would be to head over to your local DHS office to speak to them directly about the options available to you. My guess is that, while the Vancouver pregnancy resource gal was well- intentioned, she may not be up-to-date on the specific rules and regs that are currently in place in Oregon.
Best of Luck!!
??.Oregon is very pregnant- friendly in general??
??my recommendation would be to head over to your local DHS office to speak to them directly about the options available to you.?
What my husband and I learned from talking several insurance agencies is that in the state of Oregon pregnancy is defined as a ?pre-existing? condition which give insurance companies the right to decline insuring someone. We did talk with DHS on the phone and they recommended the OMIP-which has the 6 month waiting period. The only trouble with that is I talked to some doctor?s offices to see how much it would cost for me to pay for the next 6 months of prenatal care and they said they can?t allow self-pay patients anymore because so many people have unpaid bills. I?ll keep calling around though.
?What about insurance through your significant other, or COBRA? ?
My husband also started a new job a few weeks before I did. He will qualify for health insurance there eventually, but he won't be able to enroll until 2012. Sadly, I don't qualify for COBRA since my previous job employed less than 20 people.
Thank you ladies for your input!
"Why can't he enroll until 2012?"
He teaches at a local college and he started during this summer term which means that there are only a few classes he can teach, so he is considered part-time now. In the fall, he will have a full schedule, but he has to be full-time for at least 3 months to qualify for health insurance there. I am told that they do that because they hire a lot of temporary faculty for special seminars and such.
Anyway, thank you ladies for all your input. After countless phone calls my husband I have decided to just go with the portability plan. It's not great but it's something and I can use it now so I can see a doctor ASAP.
We are in the EXACT same boat right now!!!! My husband is self employed and we hadn't bought insurance previously, and I just quit my job of 4 years to pursue college again to climb the career ladder. I had insurance through work, but lost it in March. We applied for OHP becuase we keep getting denied for health insurance due to pre-existing pregnancy (8weeks), and I have gone to planned parenthood, marion county health department (salem oregon) for "prenantal" care, but only to be back at square one, no one does low cost or free prenatal care, only a pregnancy assesment which tells me the same thing (I'm pregnant). So we are waiting to hear the final answer on OHP, but it doesn't look promising. We considered OMIP but also come across the same 6 month waiting period, and we've talked to 2 insurance reps with opposite opinions on OMIP, one saying that OMIP doesn't cover a pregnancy at all.....so for those looking just really look into it.
At this point we are paying for everything out of pocket (worst case scenario). My gyno will do prenatal up to 24 weeks, and will only see us if we pay up front if you don't have insurance. So, eventually I will need to be referred to a doctor and worried they won't except patients without insurance. I'm more worried about the cost of the birth, bc I really want to deliver in the hospital. I've had two high risk pregnancies (twins twice) and don't know if a midwife would be an option unless we are only carrying one this time (we are praying for one).
Let me know how things work out for you. I knew we weren't the only ones out there with the same issue. I will update you as we find out more info.
Good luck and I wish you the best! Also, the lady at the county health department did say there are more options if OHP denies us due to income, but she will need a denial letter from OHP before giving out more options for uninsured health care. This part of waiting is the hardest part, it really makes the pregnancy stressfull. My husband and I actually discussed adoption or abortion only becuase of the insurance problem, which we both couldn't even think about for more than a minute before wanting to cry. It just makes us wonder if more couples have felt the need to choose an option they really don't want to do like abortion becuase of this type of situation. Such a hard thing unless you have insurance, or are low income to get approved for OHP.