No Insurance

L.,

I have a friend who is in the same situation as you. Can you please message or e-mail me (____@____.com) some of the responses that you received? I would grately appreciate it.

Thanks,
S.

L.,
My children are 12 & 10, but I seem to remember hearing about obgyn's offering payment programs for these types of situations. It costs $_____ and you pay it off monthly, so that it's paid by the time the baby is born. I think hospitals will work with you too.

Best of luck to you. It will work out.

S.

If you are a Dallas county resident you can get free prenatal care through Parkland hospital's prenatal clinics. Good luck with your pregnancy!

Yes, there are MANY expectant mommies in the same boat, and the answer to that is actually easy.
I am (was) in exactly the same boat as you are.
I am now four months along.
I used to do bookkeeping/taxes, customer service, you name it -for my husbands business. Well the stress of working with my husband for the last four years took way too much a toll on pregnant me, and on our marriage, so in a hormonal tiff, I up and left.
Heh, not that you needed to know all that, but being pregnant, jobless and insuranceless, was looking pretty bleak. (hubby and I doing much better)
I had the choice of paying out about $4-$6000 over the course of the next nine months in order to be paid in full by the time the baby was due, or go to my local human resources office here in Irving where I live, and apply for Medicaid.
It was not near as bad of a nightmare as you might think.
Depending on your situation, like is the father present?, does he make- not enough, barely enough, decent, or good money?
There is all kinds of help available to you.
Me? I�m not that bad off. I just applied for Medicaid for my pregnancy. They are going to cover the doctor visits, lab work, perscrips, and delivery. AND my baby will be covered for a year, in case any of the many things that can go wrong, go wrong, like bad reflux, tubes in the ears, jaundice, funky bellybutton infections�.or (God forbid) things that are not so minor, big problems.

Now, I�m 35 yrs old, and I have pretty much held steady jobs since I was able to work at 15 yrs old. I have paid my taxes, paid my dues, given to charity, paid off my student loans, you name it.(But I'm no angel either)
but my point is, I don�t have any hang-ups about getting some help back from the state in my time of need. Some people do, and if you�re one of them, DON�T even go there or be hard on yourself (or, with respect-too proud). I just had to put that into this already too long reply.

I�m sure you will get lots of replies and more specific help, but if you don�t, you just let me know. I�ll get out my file and we�ll figure out who to call, what to file for, what info you need to have about yourself when you go in�.whatever.
____@____.com
Anytime.

D. in Irving

Check out www.maternitycard-facts.com.

They work with the doctors and get you a reduced rate on all maternity... stuff.

I have not done it myself, yet but I have been researching it, because I don't have maternity insurance either. The maternity card is the only thing I've found as an alternative. Good Luck!!

Hi L.,
I would suggest you check into Cobra. There may be a time period with applying for cobra insurance, but if all works out it would retro back to your last coverage date (you would need to pay all premiums) My second suggestion would look into any state disability. Some states have programs which you may qualify for. Hope this helps. Good luck.

Respectfully,
Doreen

L....what happened? I might be in a similar situation soon and I was just curious as to what you did.

Thanks!
N.

When I was pregnant with my son, I did not have maternity insurance. I delivered at Presbyterian of Dallas and found out they have a program called cash policy. Basically, we had to pay the bill before we left the hospital and they cut the bill over half. I got the run around when I tried to negotiate several months before delivery. Finally I spoke with someone who let us sign a contract so that our price would not change. I would be happy to talk to you if you have any questions. Also, you might be able to negotiate a price with your OBgyn as well. Take care and best of wishes.

I believe there is a TX state program that gives moms and children insurance or prescription access. Try calling the state or looking it up online.

-H. G
Richardson

L.,
I am not sure of your total situation but if you are inbetween jobs and not working it would be worth looking into getting state aid. THe guidelines are different for pregnant women because they want people to get prenatal care. So it depends on if you have a significant other and what their income is also. They also expedite pregnancy cases.

I had a friend a few years ago whose husband didnt make much and she did not work, therefore they qualified for Medicaid. We were pregnant at the same time and even though i had insurance, my stuff was more expensive than hers. Apparently Medicaid covers alot I think.

Definitely go apply for medicaid. The standards for getting medicaid are lowered considerably for pregnant women. My friend was a SAHM and got preg. unexpectedly. They had insurance, but no maternity. SHe was accepted by medicaid.

L.,

I was in the same boat a few years ago. Luckily, my obstetrician had discounts and payment plans for self-pay patients. I believe I made four payments of $700, spread out among different stages of my pregnancy. This included my pre-natal care, one sonogram and the delivery. The hospital was billed seperately and I just made payments whenever I could until they were paid off - It really was not that bad. I have actually heard that doing it this way is less expensive than maternity insurance coverage over the course of a year, if it is not paid through your employer. If you have further questions, please do not hesitate to ask. Good luck to you!

L.,
Sign up for medicaid. You even have the option to deliver at a birthing center with a midwife. You must ask specicially though. If her name just ask.

Hi, L..

It may be that, since you are in between jobs, that you will qualify for Medicaid. Go to the website at www.hhsc.state.tx.us/medicaid. There are a lot of OB/Gyns that take Medicaid.

Good Luck!

http://www.hhsc.state.tx.us/chip/

Texcare and Chip might help in some ways

I became pregnant with our third child while my husband was between jobs. I'm a stay at home mom. I was very worried about health care. I urged him to get a job quickly which he did but it only paid $9.00/hour and the health insurance didn't kick in for 3 months! We ended up applying for Medicaid and it covered everything. If you qualify, it will cover your doctor or midwife fees, hospital fees, and postpartum check up. It will also cover your baby for a year. You can apply at the Texas Dept of Human Services.

I have gone throught the same thing and the best thing to do is to go to your local department of human services and apply for medicaid or go online, fill out and mail an application to the office near you. You can type in "medicaid application" for a search and a printable application can be downloaded and printed. If you cant find the application online I will send you the link. Please do not hesitate to email and ask me.

I was on medicaid when my husband didn't have insurance for me their are income guide lines just a thought

Hello L.,

I don't know whether other Mamas already answered your request or not, but I believe that I can advise you in details because I've been there too.

I will give you the different choices available but you will have to tell me more about your situation for me to really be thorough.

1) Your best solution: Medicaid. You go to your local Health and Human Services office and apply for Medicaid. But you have to prove that your income is very low. I could tell you how much if I knew how many people are in your household.
If successful, you will be covered for the length of your pregnancy plus 2 months after you give birth. Your baby will be covered until the age of 6 months.

2) If you can't get Medicaid, you will have to contact the local hospitals and ask them about their maternity plans. They will arrange for you to pay for all your expenses in a certain period of time. Be aware that the costs are outrageous: I would say about $8,000 to $15,000 if not more depending on many factors.

3) The most desperate solution: pay out of your pocket as many check ups as you can at your OBGYN ( a visit costs between $200 and $300) and once you are ready for the delivery, rush to the ER, they can't refuse you. The bill will be for you to pay later on.

I'm afraid they are the only solutions in this country so far. Being from another country, I am apalled at the way pregnancy and health matters are handled in the United States.

I hope that you will find my information useful and that you will find a solution. I wish you all the best and don't hesitate to contact me if you need more details.

F.

YES, I HAVE BEEN IN THAT SITUATION WHEN I WAS NINETEEN YEARS OLDS.
I WAS FROM OUT OF STATE, UNMARRIED AND LIVING WITH A RELATIVE WHEN I BECAME PREGNANT. PARKLAND HOSPITAL WAS WHERE I HAD MY BABY. YOU MIGHT CHECK WITH THEIR SERVICES. ALSO I THINK METHODIST HOSPITALS HAVE A PROGRAM ALSO. IF I FIND ADDIDIONAL INFO, I WILL PASS IT ON TO YOU.
A WORD OF ENCOURAGEMENT IS, THIS TOO SHALL PASS. I KNOW YOU CAN'T SEE IT NOW, BUT EVERYTHING IS GOING TO BE OKAY. MY BEAUTIFUL DAUGHTER IS NOW 33 YEARS OLD AND SHE IS THE APPLE OF MY EYES.
GOOD LUCK, AND MAY GOD BLESS YOU.
FRAN

I would just get on the internet and look around. Not too many physicians will let a pregnant woman go without prenatal care. I pulled this article for you from ivillage.com. It is an online resource for women. Good luck to you. I know there are resources out there, just look.
http://parenting.ivillage.com/pregnancy/phealthcare/0,,mi...

im pregnant right now but i have insurance but if i could have had medicaid then i would have enjoyed it. a lot of good doctors except it and there is no money coming from you. i have blue cross blue shield and ive had to put a lot of money into the doctor visits. i wouldnt be ashamed to try for medicaid..

I work for Methodist Health System, which is just south of Downtown Dallas. We have a clinic called, The Golden Cross Clinic. It is a brand new facility and very clean and nice with the latest equipment. They offer care for people who have no insurance. I think visits are $15, and payment is on some kind of sliding scale. If you go to www.methodisthealthsystem.org, click on Locations, there is a link for the clinic and all the info. Like I said, it is nice and does not feel like Parkland or anything like that at all. That is what I would do if I were in your situation. Remember to get your prenatal check-ups. It is important for your baby. There's lots of assistance out there for pregnant women. Lots of resources I think most people who typically use insurance are not aware of. It's the best condition to be in w/out insurance, because the gov. has lots of provisions. You just need to get connected. The Golden Cross Clinic will have social workers etc... that you can talk to as well.

I think there is a grace period where you can still get insurance. A friend of mine is an insurance broker; he should have some answers for you.

Good luck!

A.

Tim Cleveland
Insurance Broker
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Hi L.!
I have had 3 of my 4 kids without insurance. My hubby is self-employed so they don't offer individual maternity coverage.
There are some great options out there, depending on what you want and are comforatable with.
There is the nurse midwife way, where the cost is very low far all of your care and delivery.
Tenet Systems has a cash program for delivery which is very reasonable (last year it was $1800 for delivery plus 2 dat stay).
Presby Dallas has a medicaid clinic that you can call and see if you meet the income standards for maternity coverage.
The Preganancy rescource center will meet with you and do a free sono plus give you many places to look for help. They are at: Dallas Pregnancy Resource Ctr
7015 Greenville Ave, Ste 100
Dallas, Texas 75231
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(They are a Christian organiztion- just so you know. You don't have to be Christian to use them).
Please feel free to ask me any specific questions that you may have.
Like I said, I am the queen of cas babies!

D.