Natural Birth

Birth Center and Insurance Coverage?

Hi ladies,

I'm a December 2012 mama. I'm really look to have a natural, intervention free birth. I'm looking into our local birth center as an option, since I'm not comfortable with a home birth.

Have any of you given birth in a birth center? Did you pay out of pocket, or did your insurance cover it? I know everyone is different, but I'm just looking for general info of people's experiences.

I have Blue Cross Blue Shield, and they stated on the phone that if I had a referral to the birth center from my doctor that it could potentially be fully covered. Has anyone asked for something like that? Did you have any luck?

 

Thanks for the input!

image
G born 11.30.12
Expecting #2 6.28.14

Re: Birth Center and Insurance Coverage?

  • *LrCg**LrCg* member
    My insurance covers a homebirth with a CNM but not a birth center.  It was really odd because our CNM owns her own birth center so you have the option of the center or your home (she has the same equipment for wherever you go).  We had wanted a homebirth so for us it worked out.  However she was out of our network so we had to file for an out of network exclusion and we had no problems with her being 100% covered for all our births.
  • I have untied health care and found a in-network birth center. I will only have to pay my deductible % which is 20% of their normal uninsured cost. It is hard to find but not impossible to find a midwife birth center that is in network.

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  • Our birth center is in network. However, with my old insurance the coverage for in-patient vs. out-patient care was very different. Birth center is typically out-patient care (if you're there for under 18 hours) and therefore was very poorly covered. I actually lost that insurance mid-pregnancy because the school I was working at closed, so we didn't end up having to deal with it, but a co-worker did and she found it to be cheaper out of pocket because they offered a cash discount as well as a pre-payment discount. The total cost at our birth center (all appointments, the birth, newborn stuff etc) is $6000 so with some insurance plans you end up paying most of that anyway. 
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  • I'm delivering at a birth center and my insurance is covering it. Well, they're covering 80% at least, our co-insurance is 20%. I didn't have to get a referral from my doctor. The birth center that I'm going to accepts most major insurance plans. I have First Choice.
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  • I have United Heathcare. I paid less than $700 for my last birth at Heart 2 Heart Birth Center.

    Insurance covered the rest. The birth center is run by two CPMs.  The center has an OB as a medical director. Perhaps you can call the birth center(s) you are interested in to find out who are the doctor that they work well with.

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  • If you insurance covers birth centers, it likely comes down to CNM versus CMP and if you have out-of-network benefits. A CNM may be covered in-network, a CMP is likely not. But, a center run by CNM and thus an OB may not be what you are looking for since CPM vs. CNM styles can be very, very different. Also, if you don't have insurance coverage involved, a CPM center may offer you a cash discount which would make it on-par with what some insurance policies would pass on to you (like if you have a 70/30 plan for out-of-network). In other words, there are so many possibilities that contacting the birth center you are interested in and asking about your specific policy is probably your best bet.

  • Thanks everyone! Your stories are encouraging. We are meeting the the birth center next week. There are no other options in my area, so hopefully we will be able to get this covered in network somehow!
    image
    G born 11.30.12
    Expecting #2 6.28.14

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