affordable prenatal care
I have insurance, it is obviously not great. We owe the Dr office $1700 and we got this bill last month that has to be paid in full by December. I don't understand......we work and pay our part into our insurance but I had no idea how expensive it is to have a baby. We will be able to care for a baby once it comes but right now, we don't have an extra 500 dollars lying around each month to pay for all of this. I feel like an idiot because I thought that having insurance meant things would be taken care of.
Does anyone know of somewhere that offers very affordable prenatal care? We applied for CHIPS but were denied, the letter said we were denied because we may qualify for Medicaid for pregnant women so we sent in that application this morning. I am starting to feel pretty worried and stressed out about paying for this baby and we haven't even got a bill from the hospital yet.
"i carry your heart with me (i carry it in
my heart) i am never without it (anywhere
i go you go, my dear; and whatever is done
by only me is your doing, my darling)
i fear"
-E.E. Cummings
(In Memory of Baby Beluga 3-21-10)
Re: affordable prenatal care
Give medicaid a week and then call them daily until they look at your case. Since you are 16 weeks they should make a decision quickly.
I had medicaid with DD1. They are usually pretty quick about getting you approved for it. I had no issues being on it and was also on WIC which really came in handy. I had no medical bills for my pregnancy and birth when it was all said and done.
GL!
If you work I am assuming you will need to have your child in some sort of child care once they are born. You do know that daycare is usually at least $500/month right? Sounds like this is something you should have thought about before.
If you're working and already have health insurance, I highly doubt that you will qualify for Medicaid. For Medicaid you need to meet or fall below these income guidelines:
So if it's just you and your husband and your combined income is greater than $2,247 a month, then you will not qualify for Medicaid for Pregnant Women.
Unfortunately, having babies is expensive. We're still paying on my 9 month old's medical bills...and his extend beyond just being born.
With your OB/GYN, at least you have until December to pay the $1700. If you cannot pay it completely by then, see if you can extend making your payments to a couple months later. Keep paying them monthly though, just smaller payments. Switching Drs mid-pregnancy to find a "cheaper" way to have your baby isn't necessarily a good idea.
Every person's insurance is different. It's your responsibility to investigate to see what is covered and how much. The $1700 that you owe your Dr is just the beginning. That's to pay your Dr for your prenatal care and for the delivery. That does not include the use of the hospital, any drugs/medications that you will need while in the hospital, etc. It'd be wise for you to contact your insurance company and speak with them about what they cover for pregnancy and childbirth. Ask for a case manager to help you better understand your benefits.
This is a very valid point. Our daycare is $1000 a month for our 3 month old. That is the midrange, we checked out a lot of places and a lot of them were more than that. I am not trying to be rude by saying this, I am just trying to let you know, so you can start preparing for the expense if you are planning to work after your LO gets here.
If they told her she doesn't qualify for CHIPs (which I'm guessing is because the child isn't born yet) and she may qualify for medicaid instead, then it's a possibility she will be approved for medicaid. Also, the unborn child counts as a person living in the household when calculating income for benefits.
We don't know her situation so maybe she doesn't work or maybe she will have family taking care of LO once he/she is born. Things happen, we just don't know the entire story.