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1st Trimester
First Doc APPT . . . WHAT HAPPENS????
What should I expect at my first appointment when I find out that I am pregnant? Will I be prescribed stronger prenatal vitamins?
What do they check for during the first 3 months? I am worried because I won't have insurance until January.
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Re: First Doc APPT . . . WHAT HAPPENS????
It depends.
My mw did not do a Pap, because I'm current on my pap. I filled out a million and one pieces of paper and was given another million pieces in return to take home and read. She checked my blood pressure, had me pee in a cup and took 4 vials of blood.
She said there was no reason to take prescription prenatals, that Target brand were no different than what she would prescribe.
Some docs only do paperwork at first, many do a blood draw. Some palpate the uterus to check for growth, some do ultrasounds.
Best way to find out what happens at YOUR practice is to call your doc's office and inquire.
Gabriel Ross - August 24, 2009 * Vivienne Rose - May 1, 2012
My Blog
you need to have this appt ... don't skip it b/c of no insurance. Tell your OB about your problem- they will often work out a payment plan for you- they do NOT want a pg woman to skip appts!!!
also- depending on your age/risk factors- you should have a 12w scan done - which will be before january probably? So make sure you get checked out.
Pregnancy is NOT considered pre-existing with my insurance, so that too can depend on who your insurance is with. I had this issue because my company switched insurance providers.
Every OB is different for the 1st visit. I just saw a nurse, answered a bunch of questions, was given all kinds of information, blood drawn. They didn't do an u/s until I was 10 weeks along (many will be like this). I agree that you need to call your doctor's office and ask them specifically what they do. My doctor gave me a print out of what would happen at each appointment and when it would be.
In certain states its illegal to consider pregnancy a pre-existing condition, so I would look it up for your state. GL
-m/c at 11w2d due to partial molar 2008 -m/c #2 2009
Beautiful daughter born February 2011
**Ultimate TTCALer 2009**
sounds like you never had a lapse in insurance. my understanding is that pg can never be considered pre-existing as long as your insurance hasn't lapsed by X number of days. if she's gone without insurance and plans to be without insurance until january, it is likely to be considered preexisting but its always worth looking in to and calling your new insurer.
DD - February 2011
That may be true, but even in the book from Administaff, it clearly states that pregnancy is not considered pre-existing, and it's the same book you get even if you are a new employee.
Perhaps you live in one of the states where it can't be considered one or maybe your company is just nice and allows it even though they could consider it to be a PEC.
HIPAA laws state: "Moreover, under HIPAA, preexisting condition exclusions cannot be applied to pregnancy, regardless of whether the woman had previous health coverage."
from: https://www.dol.gov/ebsa/faqs/faq_consumer_hipaa.html
However if you are not insured they may have an option to NOT cover you...
you can Google it...or read this website
https://www.insure.com/articles/healthinsurance/pregnancy.html
HTH
From an article on ivillage (https://parenting.ivillage.com/pregnancy/phealthcare/0,,midwife_46wb,00.html):
Pregnancy complicates health insurance options. Federal law bars pregnancy from being considered a preexisting condition, which means if you change health plans while you're pregnant, your new insurer can't deny claims related to your pregnancy. But a variety of loopholes means pregnant women could still lack insurance coverage for their prenatal care if they don't do some careful planning.
Under a law known as HIPAA, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996, health insurers cannot consider pregnancy a preexisting condition. So, unlike illnesses such as diabetes, they can't deny you coverage when you go from one job to another and switch health plans.
"It was not good public policy to have a pregnant woman with no access to health insurance," says Kansas Insurance Commissioner Kathleen Sebelius. "We want to encourage prenatal care and regular checkups during the course of a pregnancy and having pregnancy as a preexisting condition would block access to health care." There are exceptions to the rules, however.
Unfortunately, there are a lot of "buts" to HIPAA. For one thing, HIPAA doesn't apply to someone who previously had no health coverage at all and then gets into a group health plan through a new job. So if you had no insurance, got pregnant, then landed a new job with insurance, your new health plan would not have to immediately cover your pregnancy. You might have to sit out a preexisting condition waiting period, a period that could be longer than your pregnancy and in the meantime pay for your visits yourself.
Second, HIPAA applies only to group health plans. So if you have individual insurance and are pregnant, then buy group health insurance, you again could be subject to a preexisting condition waiting period. Likewise, if you move from one individual health plan to another individual health plan, you might not get pregnancy coverage at all. You might have to sit out a waiting period, or if you are offered insurance that covers your pregnancy, you might find it's very expensive.
"HIPAA is really the only protection against pregnancy being treated as a preexisting condition, and there are lots of people to whom HIPAA rules don't apply," Sebelius notes. Eligibility waiting periods are possible.
Here's another scenario. Say you have group health coverage and then switch jobs. Your new health plan has a one month eligibility period before it begins and you're pregnant. What can you do? "Probably nothing," Sebelius warns. The health plan isn't required to cover your pregnancy until the plan takes effect. While that might not be a problem if you're early in your pregnancy and you don't mind paying for a prenatal visit or two out of your own pocket, it could be trouble if you're in your eighth or ninth month and have no coverage.
If you find yourself without insurance, organizations such as Catholic Charities and Lutheran Social Service often have reduced cost prenatal services available.
So you're going from group coverage to another group coverage?
If you lost insurance a week ago, you should be able to go to your current employer and get insurance because that is considered a "life changing event" (i.e...getting married, having children, spouse changing jobs)
It doesn't have anything to do with you being pregnant. Loss of benefits just counts as a life changing event that allows you to enroll at any time provided that you're eligible for the benefits.