Feds - maternity coverage BCBS Basic and other plans

rels09 · December 2010

Sorry, I know questions like this get asked here a lot.

We are TTC in 2011, and I am switching our health plan to get coverage for the provider I want to use once we do get PG.

I know most Feds have BCBS - did anyone use BCBS Basic for their coverage, and how did you find it to be?

I am pretty much deciding between BCBS Basic and GEHA, so thoughts on either are welcome. Also, are there any key differences you know of between BCBS Standard and Basic when it comes to maternity care?

t1nkfan · December 2010

Although I don't completely know the specifics, i did research the plans and we decided to go with the standard plan - because it generally covered more and you are able to go to any provider without referrals. It costs a bit more, but worth it in the long run.

On another note tho and don't know if his is an option - but DH is private and his benefits are actually cheaper than the fed rates AND way more is covered even tho his plan is still BCBS PPO. We are moving me onto his health care next year... plus in addition to the threats of furlow happening and who the heck is going to pay for benefits if we don't get a paycheck... Just a thought? Good luck!

rels09 · December 2010

Thanks for the info. MH works for the District, so his benefits are worse than mine (with the exception of their free-to-employees vision plan). They are HMO-only and just have 2 options, I think. Good point about the furlough stuff. Hopefully that won't happen, but I guess we should build a little extra into our savings just in case.

tomandcourt · December 2010

We have BCBS basic. It covered everything - prenatal appointments, sonograms, etc. All we had to pay was a $200 admission fee to the hospital and $100 for the circumcision. You just have to use one of their in-network doctors (pretty easy to do, the network is extensive).

WinesNotWhines · December 2010

tomandcourt:
We have BCBS basic. It covered everything - prenatal appointments, sonograms, etc. All we had to pay was a $200 admission fee to the hospital and $100 for the circumcision. You just have to use one of their in-network doctors (pretty easy to do, the network is extensive).

Ditto. And all of my doctors were part of the network, so I saw no reason to pay more for the Standard plan.

rels09 · December 2010

gtown_bride:
tomandcourt:
We have BCBS basic. It covered everything - prenatal appointments, sonograms, etc. All we had to pay was a $200 admission fee to the hospital and $100 for the circumcision. You just have to use one of their in-network doctors (pretty easy to do, the network is extensive).

Ditto. And all of my doctors were part of the network, so I saw no reason to pay more for the Standard plan.

Yeah, the network shouldn't be a problem - as I alluded to, my whole reason for switching from my current plan (NALC, which is really just Cigna), is that the providers I want to use are not in-network, whereas they are with BCBS and with GEHA. Plus, our current PCP office is in-network for all of them, so that's a bonus.

That's great to hear that everything was covered under Basic. The brochure makes it seem that way, but you never know how things are in practice until you talk to someone.

belizeitornot · December 2010

On OPM's website, they have the plan brochures for all these plans. I printed off a couple myself as we switched DH off my coverage (Carefirst HMO through a private employer) and on to his own coverage for the coming year. I found the Carefirst (BCBS) basic plan to be pretty similar to the Carefirst plan I have now with just slightly less coverage or a higher copay here and there, which is pretty impressive. I specifically looked at maternity and infertility coverage in case I happen to be on his plan if/when we decide to TTC #2. We're going to keep him with BCBS basic and he'll be able to keep all his same doctors.

PharmJen · December 2010

We are also TTC in 2011 also and currently we have the CareFirst Blue Choice HMO plan. I've been happy with my coverage and the network doctors but I'm just curious if anyone compared this to the BCBS basic and if they had any thoughts on it...since I'm paying about $37 more a paycheck over BCBS basic, which really adds up over 26 pay periods.

For the HMO, I will only pay a $25 or $35 copay for all prenatal care, delivery and postnatal care, which I think is an improvement from the 2010 plan. I thought I remember seeing a delivery copay of $100 before. And all well-child care/routine care/immunizations are covered for children through age 22.

BabyHatch · December 2010

We had the standard and did not pay a dime from start to finish of the pregnancy (not counting the monthly premium for the actual insurance!). And I ended up with a high-risk, monitored pregnancy at the end and an intense delivery...still, not a dime was paid out of pocket. I can't complain, the coverage is great.

cookieinva · December 2010

Since I saw all your replies were more to BCBS, I thought I'd reply. We have GEHA and had a baby in July. We had GEHA just because the coverage is very similar/comparable to BCBS but it is a little cheaper and it is NOT an HMO (it is a PPO).

It seems to us in comparing BCBS to GEHA - the difference in premium is more than made for in coverage. That comes from my husband who had his first child (my stepson) under BCBS coverage and our son under GEHA. He prefers GEHA. I have to say there is some added advantage to the PPO versus HMO too. Not specific to maternity/etc. just saying.

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