Help! I Just Found Out I'm Pregnant Again and I Have No Insurance

I believe you cannot be denied ACCHCS if you are pregnant. Call them and they will let you know. Best of luck.

You never know until you go down to the DES office and apply. If you do make to much money, you may be able to join their premium share program (I think they call it something else now). It's AHCCCS coverage only you pay a monthly fee, like $10 or $20. If you're not married and you're already pregnant, you'll probably get AHCCCS anyway. Good luck and congratulations.

I'M SORRY BUT I JUST READ WHAT THIS PERSON WROTE TO YOU(COPIED BELOW) AND I AM OUTRAGED!!!! WOMEN LIKE YOU(AMANDA) ARE THE REASON WHY HEALTH CARE IN AMERICA IS THIS WAY!!! LIE AND SAY YOU DON'T KNOW WHO THE FATHER IS TO GET COVERED. YOU SHOULD BE ASHAMED OF YOURSELF!!! ONE DAY(AMANDA) YOU WILL BE FACED WITH A CRISIS LIKE THIS AND RELIZE HOW HORRIBLE YOUR THINKING IS....ABSOLUTELY RIDICULOUS!!!

From: Amanda B Date: Thu. Jun. 28, 2007
Like everyone said, try to apply anyways. The worst DES can do is tell you that you don't qualify (which you thought anyways). Maybe they can qualify you with a copay, and still that's better than everything out of pocket. When you apply, though, don't use your fiancee's info. Just use yours. If they ask how you can pay that extremely high mortgage, tell them "I have a roomate who pays 1/2" Then if they ask about the father of the baby (because they will try to put you on child support) just tell them that you don't know who the father is. I know that it's embarrassing to say, but they hear it all the time. You can still put your fiancee on the birth certificate, and take him to your appointments and everything, just if they ask (which legally they shouldn't) tell them that you started dating after you got pregnant. If that doesn't work and they still deny you, then go to www.maternitycard.com and they have super discounted insurance specifically for pregnant women. Good luck! and feel free to e-mail me with any questions.

Hi S.~
First of all god has giving you a wonderful blessing, Congrads...
wow this sounds just like what happened to me yrs ago, I was in the same boat. My Fiance & I have been together for 8 Yrs now. We have three children together. My Fiance & the Kids are on what's called Kids Care Of Arizona Health Insurance. We pay $77.00 a month for them all & since we are not married, I am on Medicade Health Insurance through AHCCCS. I got to pick my own Insurance carrier Which Is; (Care 1st of AZ)~ This insurance company use to be CIGNA OF AZ. It is a wonderful Insurance group and there are great benefits you can recieve from this insurance Group.
All you have to do is go to the webcite for AHCCCS www. azdws.gov/faa/contact/asp or just go to the AHCCCS webcite www.azdes.gov/faa, Go to the main web page & go to the link (Get an Applacation).. Click on that link & them print it off, Feel out the paper work & don't leave any blanks & the follow the steps to mail it off w/ your personal info. The state has to help you, Don't worry or get upset I did the same thing but, It will all work out. Trust me.
I am on it & I don't pay any monthly or co-pays for any Doctor's or specilists. The only thing is they don't pay for any dental at all unless you have to have teeth pulled. we use Blue Cross Blue sheild for our Dental insurance, There great too. I had two of my children through this program & didn't pay one cent or any Dr or hospital bills. also here is AHCCCS main Number ###-###-#### they can also mail you out an appl. I have helped many ofpeople w/ this health insurance & they were in the same boat you are now.. Smile & don't worry it's going to work out....
I know I have most likelty lost you, Please feel free to contact @ my cell ###-###-#### & I will tell you better. It is really hard to write it down & try to tell someone step by step.
I sure hope this helps.
Let me know what happens please, Please feel free to call me I will help you out on getting the paper work & what steps you will need to take.. I( am a Fulltime Medical student @ night & ____@____.com husbands make way to much money & so thats way we are on the different Insurance polices plus we are currently not maaried. Hopefully that will change.
Have A Great day!
M.

You are not married right? You should still be able to get ACCHCS because they will only use your income. It is worth a try. The worst thing they will tell you is "No".

I went through the same thing except I am married so lying on an application wasn't an option. If you have your baby at the birthing center it is about 3000 dollars, if you have it at a hospital you can negotiate a rate just like the insurance company does. I called all kinds of ins groups but because I was already pregnant they wouldn't cover me, it was extremely frustrating. I got lucky because my husbands work set up ins for the company so that I would have coverage. But otherwise I was going to go to the birthing center. Good Luck.

S.,

I don't know if you have found anything yet. But if you have not, I have come to your rescue. I have a business I do on the side that will help you out and it is very low cost and can cover everyone in your household even though you aren't blood related. It is Ameriplan is what it is called. It is only discounted benefits, but discounted is better than paying the whole bill. Please message me back and let me know if you already have something or if you want to hear what I have to offer. But message me back either way, so I know you are taken care of. Also, if you are interested in doing what I do for extra money on the side I can talk to you about that also. Anyway, hope to hear from you soon.

L.

I would still contact ACCHCS. I believe there are different qualifications when you are pregnant. I am sure that they would be able to help you. If not, I have heard of Midwives that will do payment plans and it is a lot cheaper than having your baby in a hospital. Hospitals also have a 'cash' plan for women that don't have insurance. Call your local hospital and see if that is available.

I also don't have health insurance due to the high cost and am petrified of getting pregnant. Best of luck to you and Congratulations!

S.

i work for an obgyn and we do your ahcccs applications in our office.....no waiting at des. its called Baby Arizona. You come in to your appointment with your doctor and when you are done seeing him you will fill out your application. and if worse comes to worse and you do not qualify our private pay quote is 1600. which includes all of your visits, 1 ultrasound and the delivery by our doctor. we also do your bloodwork and ultrasounds in the office. let me know if you would like more info.
Angel

Firstly, congratulations on your pregnancy! I found some great links that I hope will help you:

http://www.babyarizona.gov/About.aspx

http://www.americanpregnancy.org/planningandpreparing/aff...
http://www.maternityadvantage.com/form1/index.asp
http://www.maternitysavings.com/

Best of luck!

Hi S.,

Sorry to hear about your stress. There is a program through AHCCCS for women who are pregnant and do not qualify for the regular AHCCCS plans. I believe it is called SOBRA. Go to the website http://www.de.state.az.us/faa/medical.asp. You may find your answers there. You have to be persistant with DES otherwise, they will ignore you. Another option is to contact a doctor that may help you set up the insurance through AHCCCS. Some offices help and some don't so ask the office before your first appt. Hope this helps

Like everyone said, try to apply anyways. The worst DES can do is tell you that you don't qualify (which you thought anyways). Maybe they can qualify you with a copay, and still that's better than everything out of pocket. When you apply, though, don't use your fiancee's info. Just use yours. If they ask how you can pay that extremely high mortgage, tell them "I have a roomate who pays 1/2" Then if they ask about the father of the baby (because they will try to put you on child support) just tell them that you don't know who the father is. I know that it's embarrassing to say, but they hear it all the time. You can still put your fiancee on the birth certificate, and take him to your appointments and everything, just if they ask (which legally they shouldn't) tell them that you started dating after you got pregnant. If that doesn't work and they still deny you, then go to www.maternitycard.com and they have super discounted insurance specifically for pregnant women. Good luck! and feel free to e-mail me with any questions.

Hello,
We are in the same boat with no insurance. Try Kids Care. You pay a premium, but they cover everything. I think the highest you'll pay is $25 a month per person, depending on income.

Hi S.,

Why can't you just get married at the court house and get on his insurance? You can do the big wedding thing later.

If you have to end up paying for it, you can always make payments. My friend is having a baby in the next few months and all together for pregnancy visits and birth it will cost around $4000. You might be paying for some time, but don't worry too much about it, money is money and it comes and goes,just pay what you can, even if it is only a few dollars a month...just try to enjoy the beautiful new life coming into the world. Are you working? If you're a stay at home mom there are options out there for working at home...Try searching mamasource for stay at home job ideas to make extra cash.

Everything will work out fine S.. Best to you and your family...

M.

Hello,
Like most of the women who have already responded.Try medicade because there are different requirements for family planning and pregnancy care issues.Also there are state insurances that varies form state to state and vary in price depending on coverage.I am in a different state but I know here the cheapest if like 50-70 bucks a month.But I would try medicade.Good luck and congratulations on your pregnancy!

Congradulations on your pregnancy.
Definatley try appling for AHCCCS, they have a program called Baby Arizona that provides insurance for pregnancy. If you don't qualify for that try the Out Patient Clinic at Good Samaritan Hospital. They have a sliding fee scale for women with no insurance. You have to have tried AHCCCS first, though.
You can take OTC prenatal vitamins untill you can get into see a doctor.

My biggest advice would be to cut your expenses as much as possible so you are no longer living paycheck to paycheck and so you can save up money to pay for the baby. When my husband and I were in college the first year we were married we made only $13,000 taxable income combined, and so we were well within the poverty level. We just cut our expenses as much as possible so we could live within our means. We were not on welfare of any kind and did not go into any debt--we just learned to do without. It was extremely difficult, but definitely possible with discipline.

One way to cut a large expense would be to try to sell your house if possible to get out from under such a high mortgage that you can barely afford. Also, the little things do add up. Track your spending and expenses for a couple months and you'll most likely be surprised how much money is wasted (I was!) and you will see where you can cut back to save more. Making a budget and sticking with it was the only way my husband and I were able to make our money stretch to go where it needed to. Pay the crucial things first.

One more idea is to get catastrophic insurance. It's much cheaper than normal insurance, but at least if something major ever happened you wouldn't be trying to pay off medical bills for the rest of your life.

Well, I wish you luck! I know you can do it!

i know that mountain park health center offers a prenatal care package for those without insurance. if your denied by des, i'd look into this because if i remember right, it's not too expensive considering what you'd pay without any type of insurance

Friday, 6/29/07

Well S., if you were Mexican and illegal in this country, you could have your baby for free. I am in a similar situation, as many more Americans are.

I am (49) years old and have not had health insurance for about (12) years. My husband and I have owned our own business for (18) years. He has VA health insurance. We no not have any children. Luckily, I am in very good health and, for the most part, have not seen a doctor since I was born. When I did have health insurance, they didn't want to cover anything anyway, so I dropped it, after about (10) years of paying premiums without any claims. It was called Mega Health Insurance and is supposed to be for small business owners. They're crooks. Worst company ever. Never did anything their advertising touted. My husband is (61) years old now, but had a heart attack when he was (49) and we thought, in good health. That is my age now and I want to be ready for something with my health that could go awry, as my husband's did.

I have been keeping my ears perked for several years for a new health insurance product. I read advertisments that I get in the mail and I look online. I have a file of health insurance options for when I am ready to buy, but there is nothing that I have run across that has impressed me, otherwise, I would have already purchased it. There are a couple of consumer advocate websites that you may want to check out.

1). www.moneyanswers.com. Jordan E. Goodman website. Scroll down on home page and look on the left. You will find 'health insurance alternatives'. Try clicking on that, or you can even write to him. I'm pretty sure he will answer you.

2.) www.clarkhoward.com. Clark Howard has a radio show. I like him a lot. His whole gig is knowing how to get the biggest bang for your buck, in almost any arena, including health insurance.

S., you have asked a really great question that affects millions of Americans, including me. You are not alone. The difference between you and me is that I am not in an emergency or crisis situation, and you are. I totally understand! One of these days, I could very well be too.

Please feel welcome to e-mail me as to your comments or what your research has unearthed.

Best to you, my friend.

____@____.com
Phoenix, AZ

I would attempt to get on AHCCCS. If you are not able to, then I would go to your OB/GYN and discuss possible options. You only go to the OB once per month until the last month of your pregnancy. If you are healthy, eat right and gain appropriate weight during your pregnancy, don't smoke or do anything harmful to the baby, then it should not be that bad. The ultrasound is at 20 weeks; the glucose tolerance test is not necessary if you are healthy, eating right, gaining weight properly and do not have a history of diabetes.

There are also clinics throughout Maricopa County that will see patients without insurance on a sliding fee schedule - go through the Department of Health.

L. Kandell, MS, RD, IBCLC
Registered Dietitian/Maternal & Child Health Specialist
Affiliated Nutrition Consultants, LLC
###-###-####

PS Congratulations!

We just had our third baby with no insuance (first two with insurance). We had our baby at Chandler Regional and the package only cost $2300.00. We paid for the prenantal as well which was about $1600 at the doctors office. All thing considered this is not to bad, because they bill insurance companies 4 times this amount. Any hospital in the Cathloic Healthcare Systems will give this discount. Do not go to a Banner Hospital. Good luck. Even if you had to have a C-section at Chandler the price was still under 3100.00. We had some complications at birth and extra ultrasounds and our total cost was 5400.00.

I have been in your situation because we are not married and when I got pregnant with my daughter I was also denied and had to reapply and left out the fact that me and my BF were together because if you are barely over the limit they will deny you. I don't normally bleieve lying is ok but they are very difficult and I go without insurance just not to deal with them but when you are pregnant you have to have it! Also they WILL use his income because you are together I have been through this alot with AHCCCS. Good Luck

A.

apply for ahcccs anyway, you never know! yeah you might not get it with no co-pays, etc. you might have to pay 25 a month, but its alot cheaper than some insurance companies. and the fact that youre pregnant will help them push it. when i found out i was pregnant again by accident we'd just gotten off the state insurance a few months prior. i had no clue what to do or anything. so i waited... and waited... i didnt have my first OB check up until i was almost halfway through my pregnany (19wks). and it wasnt until then that i found out they sometimes make exceptions for pregnant women or they have a special insurance for them. im tired so my brains not functioning right, but i know its something like one of those. like i said, it wouldnt hurt to look into it.

contact wic or medicade and go off your income only, since y'all aren't 'married' his doesn't count.

Hi S.,
Congratulations! I'm so glad you posted this because the answers generated have given me some resources I can look into as well. I am married and we have a (as of Sat.) one-year-old son. We can only afford for our son to be on my husband's policy so I've been going without insurance. It's really scary, but we cut back on everything we could and it's just so expensive to have health insurance. I hope a new president will change things!! Like so many others, my husband makes just a little too much to qualify for assistance. He is a SCHOOL TEACHER FOR CRYING OUT LOUD!! It's not fair that they penalize you if you're married but still don't make enough on one salary. There should be financial incentives in the way of health coverage for us SAHMs!!

One thing I'm wondering now is that I wonder if maybe we should put ME on my husband's policy and take our son OFF and see if we could get some kind of assistance just for coverage for him only. Would that be something that might work in your favor too?

Don't sell your house if you can try to get by and keep it because once you build up enough equity, you might be able to use it to your benefit and get a loan to help you out. But do try to cut back on any extra spending. It's not easy, but you can be creative.

Thanks to all the other advice so far, I'm hoping it will help me too!

Best of luck to you and your new baby!
Lucian's Mommy

I am currently 36 wks pregnant. When I first got pregnant every one told my acchs does not decline pregnant women. That is a huge misconception. I spent months going around & around with them. Acchs was to send my application to kids care which they didn't finally it came time to register for my husbands insurance last month at work & according to the agent in Arizona pregnancy can not be a pre existing condition so we added me & they are covering all my doctors fees except the lab work I have already had done & the ultra sound & thet are covering all the hospital fees. Try acchs most insurance plans say if you were declined for insurance by one company your spouse/fiancee ins. may allow you to be added even if it is not open enrollment. Also try the crisis pregnancy center they have prenatal care for women without ins. at a discount.

i hope youre not takng diet pills or supplements! but congratualtions! i hate it that people from mexico can come here and have their kids and not pay a dime and here you are in this mess. i would go apply for acchs even though you dont qyualify because thjey use all household ncome at leas they can tell you about any other programs. there is one for emergency deliveries that they use for illegals. ask about that it doesnt cover prenatal only the dleivery but you can go to the health dept and some of them do prenatal care or they can refer you to one. whe i had my son i was also in you situation and i went to the hospital and aked how much their prenatal package was, what they dont tell you is that all hospitals negotiate with insurance companies to pay a discounted price . for example blue cross blue shield i only paying 35% of the regular price at hospitals right now. but if you are a cash paying customer they dont tellyou unless you ask. by law they ahve to give you the price that they use for insurances. i paid $450.00 for all the hospital and nursery costs. i also went to a midwife she as going to charge me 300 for the whole thing but since i had gestational diabetes, i couldnt have it at home. shedid agree to do all my prenatal care for 150 and then i went back to the hospital lab and asked to pay the discounted insurance price for labs. its a lot of running around and very frustatrrating but you do what you have to do. contac the arizzona hospital association for more questions and complaints www.azhha.org.

You only have to work at Starbucks 20 hours a week, and you can qualify for benefits!! They have no pre-existing conditions limitations, so after 90 days you would be covered.

Also, my OB works with patients like you who are paying cash, his name is Dr. Kells. ###-###-####.

And finally, I am a realtor, I hear about this every single day. PLEASE be careful when you re-finance. DO NOT go through an online broker, call a local human being with experience. I have some excellent referrals if you would like them.

Most of all, good luck!!

B.

S.,

I use AmeriPlan. It costs $50 per month and covers the entire family and all whom live there. They don't have to be related to you. It is a discount insurance. The doctors are awesome. I have saved so much money through them. It also covers dentists, prescriptions, chiro, and eye drs. I hope that this helps.

S.

Hi, I also don't have any insurance and my daughter is on my fiance's insurance. I don't quailfy for Medicaid because of the same reason making too much money, but if I were to get pregnant again I would qualify for Family Planning Medicaid, it's weird how the system works... So I would give that a try, Good Luck...