How to add maternity on the insurance I already have?

nicky: How to add maternity on the insurance I already have?
I know little about insurance and I have never been pregnant before. My husband and I may decide to start having children in about a year. I currently have individual blue cross blue shield and I don’t believe it covers maternity. Do I call them and select a plan that has it, are there other plans that may suit me better?
What other option are out there? Who qualifies for medicaid?

Answers and Views:

Answer by the tax lady
You cannot add maternity coverage *after* you are pregnant.

Even if you are not pregnant, the coverage is hideously expensive on individual plans because they assume you will be intending to use it.

Answer by Zarnev
Because of the health care bill maternity on individual policies are fast disappearing. In my state BCBS has one of the two available HMO’s that still has maternity and the premium is outrageous. The last quote I did for a family of three in their late 20’s was $ 1056 per month. The other company has a longer waiting period but the premium dropped to $ 875.

Answer by mbrcatz
Well, you can call them and ask if they will let you add maternity benefits, and how much it would cost. Keep in mind, it’s not uncommon to have a seperate maternity deductible of $ 5,000, and the insurance costing you maybe $ 100 to $ 300 a month extra, with a waiting period before conception, of 12 months or longer.

The PROBLEM is, due to this “health care reform”, many insurance companies have flat out stopped offering maternity benefits on private policies.

Regarding other options or plans – it will vary wildly depending what state you are in. You’re best off talking to an agent or broker in YOUR state, who knows what the options are for your state.

Regarding Medicaid, that, also, is run on a state by state basis. Some states give it to ALL “uninsured” pregnant women, some only pregnant women with household income at 200% of the federal poverty level. You’d want to check your state medicaid website, and the eligibility requirements should be there.