Trouble getting Insurance, advice needed!

dreamrunnr7

I will try to keep this as short as possible. All advice appreciated.  We are at our wit's end.

I lost my coverage on 6/7/12, the day after we found out we are pregnant, due to turning 26 (was on my parents' plan previously).  I am a grad student and DH is self-employed.  We applied to get health insurance independently and were both denied due to being expectant parents. We have looked into Tenncare (state medicaid) and our income is too high.  I am eligible for COBRA but the price is exorbitant. 

Anyone have any luck getting insurance while pregnant?  Any advice where to look or what our options might be? I know there's no chance of it covering maternity, but we will take anything, really!

 Thank you!!  

javagrl

Ask if they have it at wherever you have car insurance.  I did that for awhile while I was going back to school when I was already married and it was a little expensive and did not cover a lot but definitely better than no insurance (this was through American Family Insurance).  I was also able to get a maternity rider added on to cover a lot of that expense had I become pregnant, but I never did while on that insurance, and since I wasn't pregnant when I got it that was a bit of a different situation than you are in.  Worth a phone call though.

emjo03

Check with your school.

 

If you are a grad student you should be able to buy insurance through your school.

buggirl72

LauraT25:

Does your grad school not offer an option that you can purchase?  I would look into it, it might not be great coverage but it would be cheaper than COBRA.   

This.  A lot of schools have plans that students can purchase.  You may also check with planned parenthood which do offfer prenatal services - but I am not sure if they are income based.  They may be able to help you find a plan/service that you qualify for.

purplepeanut6

did ur husband look into writing coverage through his self employment? 

magel050485

Around here private insurance won't cover pregnancy until you pay for a maternity waiver for one year prior to actually paying for any of a pregnancy.  We have BCBS private insurance and I believe I could have gotten it pregnant, they just wouldn't cover any maternity related expenses.

Speak to the dr you plan to deliver with and the hospital, they may give you a deal for paying cash.  With insurance I ended up paying $800 for the delivery of my first child, without insurance (I got pregnant before the year) I am paying $1000 for the second child.

mama&baby

I had this same issue.... my state has the option of a "high risk" insurance. If you have been denied insurance because of pregnancy, you are eligible. Only issue is that you can't be eligible for ANY other insurance (a last option thing) and so if you are eligible for COBRA you may not be able to get it (check with your state though). Do what the PPs have suggested.... worse come to worse just pay for the COBRA. I know it's crazy high (mine was $450/month just for me) but it's better than paying $15,000+ out of pocket by the end of the pregnancy

Orange and Green

This is also income-qualifying, but it's 250% of the tenncare income.  Look under the HealthyTNBabies section.

https://www.bcbst.com/health-plans/cover-tennessee/coverkids/ 

 

penguingrrl

If you're a grad student it should be available through your school. I've never heard of a grad student not having access to health insurance through their program.

RunningGal900

Like others said, look through your school. Private insurance won't cover you or DH bc your were expectant parents. When DH needed insurance when I was pregnant the first time due to a waiting period between jobs, I looked at a state program, but you couldn't be eligible for anything including COBRA. I had to pay $900 just for me to continue my COBRA coverage. It's expensive, but better than being out 10's of thousands if God forbid you have a NICU stay.

Lariah14

penguingrrl:

If you're a grad student it should be available through your school. I've never heard of a grad student not having access to health insurance through their program.

this.

momtojad

I know you are able to go onto the health care act website and get the pre existing condition insurance, I was just in this boat.  That insurance for someone who is jsut pregnant and has nothing else wrong in our state is about $200.

dreamrunnr7

So many helpful ideas here!  Thanks to all of you.  This is why I love the bump boards

dande2129

You could get on student health insurance, but that doesn't automatically mean that they're going to cover maternity. If you aren't on the insurance right now, they may consider the pregnancy a pre-existing condition and you and DH may be covered for primary care, but not maternity/delivery. 

Also, the advice to look into student health insurance is a good one, obviously, but it's not cheap. For myself and DS, I pay $1800 every 13 weeks, and the coverage isn't the absolute best. I still pay a lot OOP.

It's still worth looking into, but don't be discouraged when you get a high quote for a premium every quarter/semester. Depending on the amount quoted, I'd talk to financial aid and see if there's something they could do to help with the cost.

Good luck! I know how frustrating it can be. 

pixiepea

I'm in the same boat, and our grad program only offers emergency medical insurance- nothing primary care or maternity. :-/ I talked to my boss about going full time at work, but her supervisor won't let me. We're trying to find my DH a new job that offers benefits and hoping that since I'm covered under my parents' insurance until October that the pregnancy won't count as a pre-existing. Good luck!