Introduction and Insurance Vent
I recently found out I'm pregnant with my first baby. We are both so excited to embark on this journey. I am looking forward to getting to know everyone here and be inspired. I have always known I want the most natural birth experience that is possible. I had the pleasure of watching my mom deliver my younger brother and sister at home as well as my aunt deliver her last baby at home.
In talking with my husband, we decided a birth center would be a good option for our first baby. So a few days ago, I called my insurance company to get a list of birth centers that would be covered in the area so I could set up my prenatal care. Ironically the first thing the customer service representative said is, "we don't cover home births." Go figure they through that out there before I even ask! She then went on to tell me, the closest approved birth center was 3 hours away. I live in a large city and there are plenty of birth centers here in the city.
So my options now are hospital birth covered 90% after deductible or birth center birth which would be covered at 60% after deductible (since it would be an 'out of network' provider).
Does anyone have any advice for me? Do insurance companies ever make exceptions in these types of circumstances? Thanks in advance for any advice or words of support :-)
Re: Introduction and Insurance Vent
This is what is so frustrating about our current insurance system. A birthing center generally costs less than a hospital birth but they cover the hospital birth at a higher percentage than the birthing center or all birthing centers end up being out of network. It's the same with a doula, my insurance won't cover my doula, which is much cheaper than an epidural but the epidural would be covered. Ugh.
That said I think you have to look at your situatiion and decide what the best is for you. I'd call around and see what the cost for a birthing center is and figure out how much you'd have to pay and then decide if you're willing to pay that amount. For us it wasn't worth it but I really like my OB and had a pretty good experience with our hospital last time. If you do decide to go the hospital route you could look into using a midwife practice associated with a hospital. Good luck.