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What are my choices for pregnancy management?

ScoutandRiceScoutandRice member
in 1st Trimester

Hi girls, I hope this is the right forum to post this in.

My family and I are new to the US, having relocated from Australia.  We are considering TTC our second bub, but I'm unfamiliar with what my choices for pregnancy/birth management are here in the US.

My first baby was delivered in Australia 'privately' by an Obstetrician in a private hospital, which was covered by our health insurance.  The main other choices I had available were public hospital where a midwife delivered your baby, or a home birth with a midwife/doula.

Are the choices here pretty similar?  We have medical insurance with my husband's employer, so with that in mind, what might my out of pocket medical expenses be?

Please let me know if there's a more appropriate place to be asking this question.

Thanks in advance.  :) 

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Re: What are my choices for pregnancy management?

  • ASmallWonderASmallWonder member
    Those options are still available in the US with some small differences.  OBs practice at public and private hospitals, same for midwives and midwives can also do home births.  All that said, what's available to YOU is going to depend on your specific health insurance plan so I'd say reach out to them to fully understand your coverage.  
    Formerly known as elmoali :)

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  • garnet10garnet10

    I'm not sure what the difference between public and private hospitals in Australia is. I am guessing they have socialized medicine so the public hospitals are free to the general public, but you could chose a private hospital if you wanted a better standard of care. Here all hospitals are more like the private hospitals in that unless you have insurance the out of pocket cost is going to be very expensive. Like 10-30, 000. They aren't allowed to turn anyone away if they don't have insurance, but that person would get billed for the medical costs and people do end up in quite a bit of debt from needing medical treatment when they don't have insurance. There is also government sponsored health insurance for low income people, particularly pregnant women and children.

       So if your husband has medical insurance through his work your best bet is to call the insurance and ask them what your maternity coverage is. For example I have an HMO and I pay one 40$ co-pay to begin maternity coverage and then I think I have a $100 copay for the total hospital stay/birth. To find out what kind of providers are available to you should be able to get a list of OBs and midwives that take their insurance in your area. Any OB or midwife you see will have a certain hospital that they deliver at. So if you like a certain hospital you can also contact them to see who delivers there. You can also have home birth with a midwife in most states, but it is sometime trickier to get insurance coverage.There are also birth centers which are run by midwives, and have some more medical equipment than you would at home but you would still need to transfer to a hospital in the case of an emergency.

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  • MrsHarlowCMrsHarlowC

    imageelmoali:
    Those options are still available in the US with some small differences.  OBs practice at public and private hospitals, same for midwives and midwives can also do home births.  All that said, what's available to YOU is going to depend on your specific health insurance plan so I'd say reach out to them to fully understand your coverage.  

     

    This...and Welcome :) 

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  • ScoutandRiceScoutandRice member

    Thanks for the welcome, and the fast replies.  :)  Sounds like things here are much the same as back in Aus.  Our first step is to find out exactly what kind of coverage we have for pregnancy under husband's insurance, so that's where I'll start.


    Thanks again!  X. 

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  • RochellRochell

    home births vary from state to state (some places it's illegal) and it all depends on your insurance how much you will have to pay out of pocket.

     Midwives and OBs are very common, though. You may have the option (depending on your doctor/midwife) of giving birth in a birthing center.

    I suggest you call and ask your insurance company - they can give you options as far as what doctors you can use and what hospitals are OK (covered by insurance)

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  • Saltina11Saltina11 member
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  • RummRumm member

    Hi there.  

     

    When you select your OB/midwife through the list of your insurance's preferred doctors, make sure you follow up on what hospital that doctor practices out of.  This may help if you are hoping to deliver at a particular hospital.  

     Midwives can be a particular sticky situation since some hospitals do not allow mw to deliver babies at their facility.   As an example, the closest hospital for me that allows midwives is over 30 miles away and requires travel on a major traffic congested miserable freeway. 

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