Let me first start by saying this is actually incredibly hard for me to talk about. I am now 14 weeks pregnant and do not have insurance. My husband was laid off from his job so we have no benefits. He has now started a new job but my pregnancy is a "pre-existing condition" I am sooo upset and feel so irresponsible as well as helpless. I just want to know that my child is OK, since I have not been to an OB-GYN I don't know that. I can not express to you all how terrible this feels. This situation has totally brought me to the dumps. I was know everyone has bad times and this seems to be my families time...everything that could break did and Murphy's law was in full affect for about the last month.... BUT things are looking way up... it doesn't help the insurance issue any. I am not seeking sympathy just any ideas or encouraging words! Thank you!
-Karen ↓
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| Name: EthansMom0213 | Date: Jul 28th, 2006 5:30 AM |
Check with your local Health Department they should be able to direct you where you need to go. Most state will provide insurance that will cover your prenatel care as well as the birth of your child. Also if you have a Planned Parenthood in your area (http://www.plannedparenthood.org/pp2/portal/) they offer great payment plans where needed and also have programs that you might be eligible for to help pay for some of the expense if not all.
My sister actually had state insurance as well as insurance at work. Which help her out alot because there would have been know way she would have been able to afford the birth of her child. ↑ |
| Name: tylersmom06 | Date: Jul 28th, 2006 5:39 AM |
| I did go to the health department the lady there was not at all helpful, she pretty much made me feel like a piece of crap... I left feeling terrible. At that time my husband had not started his new job and she was like... how are you paying your bills then..and treated me like degrading... ↑ |
| Name: nicole jones | Date: Jul 28th, 2006 6:00 AM |
| You should call and make an appointment with a regular OB - they do not charge like other doctors do. Most charge a flat fee for your entire pregnancy, and they cannot refuse to treat you. After you've received your treatment you can make payments, or if you absolutly can't then just let it go to collections and pay it over time. You really should go to a doctor though, even if you feel bad about knowing you can't pay. ↑ |
| Name: nicole jones | Date: Jul 28th, 2006 6:01 AM |
| Same applies to labor and delivery also - they cannot refuse to treat you even if you can't pay them, it's against the law. ↑ |
| Name: EthansMom0213 | Date: Jul 28th, 2006 6:01 AM |
| What the heck crawled up her butt and died. I would have requested to talk to her supervisor and let him/her know you do not appreciate being made to feel like crap. The purpose of the health department is to help when help is needed. You went there to see if there was any help out there so that you can give your unborn child a good start in life. I would call back and ask to speak directly to a supervisor. Or call your local Social Service they maybe able to help you in finding other programs out there that you may also qualify for. ↑ |
| Name: tylersmom06 | Date: Jul 28th, 2006 6:10 AM |
| thank you all so much.. Ethansmom..I know that is exactly what I thought.. I thought they were there to help people..I guess by the way she looked at me she thought I didn't look like the typical person who may need help.. But sometimes bad times just happen. I did not know however that you could call and just make an appointment at an OB doctor.. and pay a flat rate..that also would be something to think about.. I have been so upset over ever thing going.. insane. ↑ |
| Name: Thismakes2 | Date: Jul 28th, 2006 7:56 AM |
| I don't have insurance either. I have went to the doctor a few times though and just paid a flat rate so that I know everything is okay. I've just been a little confused with what I need to do to get help for insurance as well so I know how you feel. ↑ |
| Name: granny2be | Date: Jul 28th, 2006 10:16 AM |
| Many states have a program where you can sign up at the Family Services office as a "Pregnant Woman" and get a medical card. With this program they usually only count the woman's income. You will need something from a doctor giving you a due date though. Good luck and God bless you. ↑ |
| Name: kykysmom | Date: Jul 28th, 2006 2:06 PM |
http://www.iagclient.net/mater
nity/versionb.cfm?source=net25
Try this link. I don't really know much about it but came across it a while back. I hope this helps! ↑ |
| Name: Sarah M | Date: Jul 28th, 2006 2:42 PM |
| What state do you live in maybe I can get you the info on Medicaid for you since atm getting medical is needed. It will pay up until 90days after your lil baby is born and if you need it for your child and you still qualify then it will cover his/hers well child check ups as well ↑ |
| Name: tylersmom06 | Date: Jul 28th, 2006 3:35 PM |
Thismakes2- if you don't mind me asking how much did your visit to the doctor cost and did you first ask the doctor for the flat rate?
Sarahsmom- I live in Alabama, I went to the medicaid office here and that was the visit I was refering to earlier in my post where the woman was so ugly and was like..well how are you paying your bills and pretty much looked at me like I was bothering her by being there.
kykysmom- thank you for the link I will definately check it out!
granny2be- thank you for the blessings.
you guys how much it means to me to have your feedback!! ↑ |
| Name: Sarah M | Date: Jul 28th, 2006 3:40 PM |
| Well I would go again to your medicaid office and talk to someone else. Here is the link for your state you might be able to just print off a application and send it in from there. http://www.medicaid.alabama.gov/index.aspx?tab=1 I had a few people I couldnt stand at my medical office but I found someone that would actually listen to me. Its helps so much when it covers labor and delievery cause everyone who has had a child knows how much it is. They may even have a program if you dont qualify for free health care to where you only pay a certian amount like Co payments anything will help ↑ |
| Name: Thismakes2 | Date: Jul 28th, 2006 3:44 PM |
| tylersmom, I just called my doctor and told them that I didn't have insurance and am pregnant. They told me that I could come in for $100. It made me feel so much better to have them check and make sure that things are okay, they even checked the heartrate etc. Now I just have to figure out what I am going to do for insurance.... I haven't tried the state route yet and need to do something. ↑ |
| Name: Sarah M | Date: Jul 28th, 2006 3:47 PM |
| Thismakes2 what state do you live in? ↑ |
| Name: jessie2 | Date: Jul 28th, 2006 3:47 PM |
| y dont u apply for charity care or medicade?? ↑ |
| Name: EthansMom0213 | Date: Jul 28th, 2006 9:44 PM |
I was just reading Baby Talk Magazine and in the classified section in the back they had an ad for pregnancy care.
PREGNANT?
No Maternity Insurance?
We provide maternity benefits that can help you pay for your Doctor or Hospital or both!
For more information call:
866-236-7790
or
w
ww.mcardbenefits.com
No
t
sure what this is but might be worth looking into. ↑ |
| Name: ladyblueblood | Date: Jul 28th, 2006 10:37 PM |
Since you're 14 weeks along already, you probably need to get in to see a doctor soon. If the Health Department where you live wasn't helpful, go to the Department of Human Services which are generally different places but I could be wrong. The health department will give you a temporary slip of paper saying that you are covered for prenatal care, called presumptive insurance, that will last I think about 30 days. You then should go to the Department of Human Services in your county and apply for state provided insurance. I live in Tennessee, so here we have the TennCare program. Be prepared when you go anywhere, even if they just send you away with a date and time to come back for an appointment. Bring proof of who you are, where you live, income for your household, bills... etc, You can also apply for WIC if you need to.
Insurance is a pain in the you-know-what, but prenatal care and delivery of a baby can be an even bigger pain to the wallet. If it's not possible for you to get on insurance provided by your state, then check around at OB offices to see what sort of payment plan you can get into, most even allow you to prepay for epidurals and such prior to delivery. Don't let them boss you around at these places that are supposed to be helpful, demand to speak to a supervisor or even the janitor to point you to someone that CAN and WILL help you. ↑ |
| Name: Thismakes2 | Date: Jul 29th, 2006 1:01 AM |
| Sarah M, I live in Missouri. I am going to do some investigating on line over the weekend and definitely do something about this next week. ↑ |
| Name: tylersmom06 | Date: Jul 30th, 2006 10:13 AM |
What I have decided to do is go ahead and make an appointment and pay for the visit myself until I can work something out with medicaid or whatever, If all else fails I will just have to make payments, I just have to know that my baby is OK! Thank you so much for everyone's responses and I hope to talk to you all again! :)
MSN- [email protected]
AIM- [email protected]
Yahoo- [email protected] ↑ |
| Name: granny2be | Date: Jul 30th, 2006 9:00 PM |
| We also live in Missouri, that said, be sure you go to your locsal DFS and apply. I have to take my daughter in on Monday to apply for it. We live in the Rolla area, how about you? ↑ |
| Name: granny2be | Date: Jul 30th, 2006 9:01 PM |
| SORRY, read that wrong...thought tylersmom was the one in Missouri. same question for you tho thismakes2 :) ↑ |
| Name: Kristy84 | Date: Jul 30th, 2006 10:36 PM |
I have insurance and still have a $2,000 deductable plus $1000 to the hospital. We just made a $400 payment 2 weeks ago. If it wasn't for my fiance's dad, I don't know what we'd do. The price of child birth really makes it much less enjoyable. Insurance companies are doing everything they can to cut costs, and maternity coverage is one way to do that. I mean I understand in a way b/c some women just keep on having them at the expense of others that are covered.
Your state will take care of you. I think you're doing the right thing by going to the Dr. That will give you some time to fill out all the paper work and such. I'm sure that you'll get everything worked out. Here in Tx, you can get state help even if you have insurance, they call you "underinsured", they'll help supplement the amount of money your insurance won't cover. This comes especially handy when a woman has a complicated birth. My fiance's coworker is having to pay off $50,000 to the hospital b/c he didn't apply for state help and didn't have ins. at the time. His baby was born with a heart condition at like 30 weeks. ↑ |
| Name: daisyusa | Date: Jul 31st, 2006 1:01 AM |
| tylersmom06, you and your baby are all that matters right now. Don't let the medicaid workers bring you down and make you feel bad. They're not giving you the help, the government is and we all still pay our taxes which is their wages. Medicaid sets very high income limits for pregnancy. I have to say I'm fortunate to have decenct health care as my primay and medicaid as my secondary. Have you tried to just go to a clinic, normally at the hospital? They should be able to help you with your medicaid paperwork, just take all the documents needed with you. I'm so sorry you had to be made to feel that way, that's the last thing you need right now. I had full medicaid with my first child as a single parent and they made me feel horible to the point I was nearly in tears and ready to run out of there. Now, pregnant with my third, I'm in a new state and I have to say my social worker is the sweetest, I with there were more like her. Please keep us posted and I wish you all the best. God Bless! ↑ |
| Name: tylersmom06 | Date: Jul 31st, 2006 2:17 AM |
| you guys are great thank you for being so supportive! It's also nice to know other people have went through some of the things I am going through! I will let you all know what I find out! ↑ |
| Name: tylersmom06 | Date: Jul 31st, 2006 2:53 PM |
| Ok I checked on just paying for my doctor visit and I was told that it would cost $350.00 per visit... Also the transmission went out in my car and its gonna cost 1569.00 and the clutch went out on my husbands care! You guys I am very close to the edge. I am really in over my head! Sorry for babbling just having a bad day..week...month! ↑ |
| Name: daisyusa | Date: Jul 31st, 2006 8:31 PM |
| Don't give up tylersmom06, we all have bad times, but they always get better. Just go to the clinic for your doctors until you have everything sorted out. My husband and I have had some really rough times where all we had were homestlye bakes for dinner (they taste good) and oodles of noodles for lunch, but we made it through. We still have those times especially now since I'm planning on leaving my part time job as soon as there is a replacement. All that matters is your health, you have a roof over your head, and any decent meal. Keep your chin up sweetie, it will work out. God Bless ↑ |
| Name: ladyblueblood | Date: Jul 31st, 2006 11:51 PM |
$350 a visit may seem pretty darn steep to see a doctor, but what all does it include?
If it's just the simplest payment plan possible, and happens to include ultrasounds, tests, and the physician fees during delivery, then it's not all too bad. If it doesnt' cover that stuff... I'd check around for a better price.
Also, here is some advice I got from my doctor. If you don't have insurance and you want to save some money on your bill from the hospital. Here's a list of things to bring WITH YOU to the hospital... (pack them in a separate bag). Make sure that you let the nurse know you will be taking your medications and using things you brought from home.
Ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin, etc.)
Tylenol
Senokot
Prenatal Vitamins
Sanitary Napkins - large, extra absorbency
Diapers - newborn size
Peri Bottle - These small spray bottles with a pull up top can be bought at any variety store and are useful for after-birth bathroom visits. Sort of a sports bottle. Get a small one.
Also take into consideration what the hospital considers to be a "full day", ours here is midnight to midnight. So, for instance if you get admitted at 11:30pm, you'd be charged for a full day even though you were only there for 30 minutes. If possible, you may want to try "planning" accordingly. ↑ |
| Name: christiansmommy | Date: Aug 1st, 2006 12:08 AM |
| YOU SHOULD GO TO ANOTHER WOMEN'S CLINIC. GO TO GOOGLE AND DO A SEARCH FOR "FREE PRENATAL CARE" AND YOUR ZIP CODE AND IT SHOULD PULL UP ALL THE FREE CLINICS IN YOUR AREA. IF YOU ARE NOT WORKING THAT IS EVEN BETTER. THIS MIGHT SOUND CRAZY, BUT IF YOU DON'T WANT TO TAKE THE RISK OF BEING REJECTED AGAIN BY EXPLAINING THE SITUATION AGAIN, THEN LET THEM KNOW YOU ARE SEPARATED FROM YOUR HUSBAND. YOU ARE PREGNANT WITH NO INSURANCE AND NO INCOME. THEY CANNOT DENY YOU. I HAVE DONE THIS WITH MY FIRST SON. I WAS ENGAGED TO MY HUSBAND AT THE TIME AND I COULD NOT BE ADDED TO HIS BENEFITS B/C WE WERE NOT MARRIED. WELL, I WASN'T WORKING AT THE TIME EITHER, JUST FINISHING COLLEGE AND STAYING HOME NURSING MY PREGNANCY. I WALKED RIGHT INTO THE UNIVERSITY OF MD. WOMEN'S CLINIC AND FILLED OUT ALL THE PAPERWORK FOR MEDICARE. I STATED I HAD ZERO INCOME AND NO BENEFITS. THEY DIDN'T ASK ANY QUESTIONS AND I GOT MY CARD IN THE MAIL AND EXCELLENT PRENATAL CARE! I ALSO HAD THE PRIVILEGE OF HAVING MY SON DELIVERED AT THE UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND. THAT IS A WONDEFUL HOSPITAL. YOU CAN ALSO APPLY FOR WIC. IF YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT IT IS, DO SOME RESEARCH ONLINE AND YOU'LL FIND EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW. YOUR LOCAL WIC OFFICE SHOULD BE BACK AT THE HEALTH DEPT. IN A DIFFERENT SECTION (SO YOU DON'T HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT SEEING THAT MEAN WOMAN AGAIN). ONCE YOU GET YOUR MEDICARE CARD, TAKE THAT AS PROOF OF INCOME. IF YOU WANT WIC, THEY WILL BE ABLE TO TELL YOU WHAT ELSE YOU NEED. I KNOW YOU DIDN'T ASK ABOUT WIC, BUT I AM JUST LETTING YOU KNOW OF ALL OF YOUR FREE OPTIONS YOU HAVE OUT THERE. I MEAN YOUR HUSBAND PAID TAXES FOR YEARS, RIGHT? LETS PUT THEM TO GOOD USE AND GET YOU SOME PRENATAL CARE AND WIC NUTRITION FOR YOU AND YOUR BABY! GOOD LUCK. ↑ |
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