No Insurance for Prenatal Visits-need Help

I did this and my total birth costs were under 5000 dollars (all visits and the birth itself.) I prepaid though to get it cheaper. I also had a midwife chich cost about 1/3 of a doctor.

http://www.healthystartflorida.com/

she is eligible for prenatal medicaid. have her fill out the paperwork - she can get to it online

http://www.myflorida.com/accessflorida/

money doesn't matter. what matters to the state is the best possible chance of survival for the mother and child.

FYI Medicaid qualifications are different for pregnant women. Pregnant women seem to be a top priority for help if uninsured. Have your SIL check it out. Also if she has to pay herself, she might want to check out Health Savings Account options. That's a great way to save in the long run on taxes and still get the insurance company's negotiated discounts with physicians and hospitals.
A.

I had no insurance for my birth and it was c-section (ugh!). I received a HUGE discount for PRE-PAYING for ALL hospital services. The hospitals usually make it a little hard to do but it is possible with ALL of them. She can also pre-pay for all anastesia sp?. I saved over 15k by doing this. I had to put it all on credit cards but it was worth getting it over and done with. Also, when she receives her bill AFTER the birth have her go over it with a fine tooth comb as they make SOOO many mistakes! They tried to charge me the insurance cost even after I pre-paid but after going back and forth with them I got all charges removed and was back to what I originally pre-paid for. It's a pain but well worth all of the savings. She can also do this with her Dr. and ask for a discount for pre-payment of services as well as being a self pay. Good luck!

S.
Mom2Austin 2 1/2 & still paying him off, but would never trade him for the world!!!!!!!

Hi D.,

Have her try Medicaid, they will pay for everything and the baby will have insurance for one year after birth.
But if she doesn't want to do that then the hospital bill will need to be paid when she is pregnant and it should be paid off by the time the birth comes. If she go to the hospital and provide ppwk stating that she is pregnant and let them know she is a self pay. they will give her the discounted price and let her know her payment options.
Now if there is a complication then after everything has settled she can make other payment arrangements for that.
Good Luck!

first, make sure she applies for medicaid. even it you think she makes too much money, it is worth a shot. you can apply online at myflorida.com. if she is denied, she will be a self- pay. the hospitals have their price sheets listed on their websites. i have heard of mothers beginning a payment plan for the delivery during the pregnancy, so as to finish it sooner. they are happy to work with you. just have her call the hospital she plans to deliver at, and they will be able to assist her.

If your sister in law calls hospital admissions or billing & payment (sorry, I can't remember which) she can make financial pre-arrangements with whatever hospital she delivers at to pre-pay for the delivery and her stay there. They usually give you a date that you have to be paid in full by in order to be eligible for a discount. MAKE SURE she pre-pays for her epidural or any other anesthesia she might need long before she goes into labor! Even if she plans not to use it from this end of the game, it's much better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it. If she manages to get through childbirth without an epidural, she gets a gold star and her money back. (I'm just kidding about the gold star LOL.) Have her ask her OB for a recommendation on an anesthesiologist.

Also, if she's uninsured, she may be eligible for medicaid. Even if her OB's practice doesn't accept it, the hospital will.

In FL anyone without insurance who becomes pregnant is elligible for Medicare. Regardless of income!! Private insurance will not pick up a person who is pregnant or becomes pregnant within a 8-12mo period after approval. Thus, most states have this covered for moms without insurance.

Have her contact her local Dept. of Children and Families for the forms and help to apply. I've had 2 children under this clause due to my husbands employer not providing insurance and us not earning quite enought to shell out 600+ for our family of 5 now.

I used a midwife both times and medicare covered everything and it covers the baby for 1yr after birth, and then you must prove from that point that you are financially needy enough to quallify for additional assistance.

Congratulations to your SIL!!
Many happy days for you all!

All hospitals have a "prepaid" rate they charge their uninsured or cash patients (v** birth is less than c section). All you have to do is go into the main office and ask for the information. My doctor also had a prepaid cash price that included prenatal care and delivery (same price for v** or c section). Also, I just found out recently that almost anyone can qualify for Medicaid while they are pregnant. I guess Medicaid's cutoff is 5x higher for pregnant women than for non pregnant persons, so even if your income is average to above average, you can still qualify and get free care. The newborn would also be covered once born.

Good luck.

Have her apply for medicaid they have insurance pregnant moms.

Breath of Life birth center in Largo (off East Bay and Starkey) has a flat rate of around $5500. That includes all prenatals, fees, labs,the birth and postpartum check up. They're a super clean, very nice, new facility. I'm not sure how they work payment. Chris Hildebrandt is the CNM that owns it and everyone there is very warm and knowledgeable. Just as an example, my unmedicated v**inal, no complications birth and 2 day stay at a hospital was $10,000.00 three years ago... my epidural induction birth with 1 1/2 day stay was $17,000 in 2006. Luckily I was covered under insurance both times and it ended up costing $700 for my first birth (dr. that was on call wasn't under my insurance network), but I still got a notice of how much each cost if I didn't have coverage.

If she's not for midwife care (which she really should consider- not only is it less expensive, she'd get more personal care and attention than prepaying at a hospital), Community Health Centers of Pinellas have both CNMs and Dr.s for all specialities (Pediatrics, Family practitioners, etc) and do payments and income-based sliding scale... we too don't qualify for Medicaid (even pregnancy coverage), but we qualified for $65.00 visit fee, and blood tests were like $25.00 a pop... But you'd still have to pay the hospital their rate...

Good luck. I'm also a birth doula if she should have any questions or would like me to research something for her. I'm a member of Pinellas Healthy Start Coalition and would love to help her find the resources she needs!

I can only speak on my experience.I had my baby 18mths ago at SpringHill Regional.No insurance,cash.
1.Take a check or credit card and they charge $2500,if not paid that day it goes to the original cost of about $15,000.
They do not take payments and want it paid before you leave.
2.So in that case also tell her if able go home ASAP,don't stay longer than physically needed,it racks up the bill.
3.The epidural costs $150 per 15 min,so in that case if she can hold out,do so.Matter of fact they give what's called a "walking epi" Not sure why the name ,your not going anywhere.BUT you do feel ALOT more than reg eps.Seriously I could have done it w/o after feeling the difference.It is also another seperate charge.Smell the flowers,blowout the candle worked great.
I would also like to add that not everyone qualifies by being pregnant.It's based on income.I know I tried and we make too much,self employed and no insurance.Can't get covered from previous car accidents.So please don't think everyone gets Medicaid because they are pregnant,it's not always the case.The cash payment worked out great.And the peds also take cash,get a good one that will work with you.And there's also Florida Kidcare for insurance affordably.
Best of luck on all the babies..

the hospitals also have a discounted fee for cash payers....but it still cost quite a bit, and you never know what might happen...I would suggest that she apply for medicaid. Women without insurance qualify while pregnant.

Apply for Medicaid. I had health insurance when I was on medicaid, and my hubby and I were both working and we still qualified for it. I got to see the dr that I wanted to, not just the health department doctor.

To apply go to: myflorida.com/accessflorida

I had 2 kids on "cash" , you get the best discount if you pre pay at the hospital, they have plans, one will be a 1 night stay, or a 2 night plan. And a c-section plan.They will let you go with the basic first, and then bill you rest if a c-section is needed(but it is at the regular rate, so if she knows she is having one ahead, negotiate). I had 2 hospitals to choose from, so I negotiated my c-section price(I started at over 12k, and then it was like 5K when i finished wheeling and dealing.BUT you have to pre pay to get a discount.Then everything is included except the anesthesiologist, but they will bill you if you need an epidural.You can pay 1/2 of cash rate first, then the other 1/2 right before delivery.BUT you also have to make sure that there is a refund policy should she end up at another hospital. 2 years ago the cash rate was around 2k at manatee and Sarasota area hospitals for a normal birth. Call the hospital and they will give you their price list!Hope this was helpful!

From what I understand if you go to the health department they will give you prenatal care for free, no matter what your income. I live in Lakeland and our hospital, Lakeland Regional, is great. They will do payment plans, not sure where she lives. But if she goes, when she gets admitted they will take her info and she will get a payment plan guide that shows how much her monthly payments would be for every thousand that she is charged. Hope it helps. And they wont do an epidural unless you have insurance or pre pay for it.

Most ob/gyn's will have a flat fee for the prenatal and birth cost that she can pay upfront, usually they let you make payments. Tell her to make sure she asks about labs and ultrasound though cause that can get pricey on top of the basic care, some docs include it and some don't. As far as the actual birth goes she should contact the hospital she is delivering at. A lot of them have a reduced rate as long as you have it paid in full by the 8th month of pregnancy. I just went through a no insurance pregnancy, and it was pricey but most places are willing to work with you. From what I understand there are also a lot of agencies that will help out with costs, I don't have any info on those because my husband makes to much for us to qualify but I know there are some out there. One last thing, I looked into those get insurance now pregnancy plans they advertise and they were not good. All the research I did turned up very unhappy customers. Good luck to her, and FYI my pregnancy ended up being about $7000 out of pocket.