- my iParenting
- quick clicks
- pregnancy today articles
- pregnancy today q&a
- message boards
- research baby names
- prepare a birth plan
- content channels
- ip channel rss feeds
- read birth stories
- read parenting stories
- recommended books
- e-newsletters
- safety recalls
- ip diaries
- ip store
- mom of the month
- dad of the month
- editor's letter
- letters to the editor
 |
- e-newsletters
- Sign up to receive our free weekly e-newsletters
- award-winning products
The iParenting Media Awards program helps parents find the best products for their families.
Insurance Coverage
During Pregnancy
Advice from Health Insurance Experts
By Teri Brown
When it comes to insurance and pregnancy, many people feel that anything can happen. Some things are covered, some things are not. What happens if you change jobs in the middle of a pregnancy? Do you lose your coverage? What if your baby has special needs and requires care from the neonatal intensive care unit?
Julie Kelsey from Germantown, Md., was very frustrated with her insurance after the birth of her son. "I received a bill after my son was 18 months old for something that the insurance company kicked back," Kelsey says. "The hospital blamed the insurance company – the insurance company blamed the hospital. Everyone was sure that it was my responsibility. It was horrible and very annoying."
Insurance doesn't have to be so confusing. The secret is knowing whom to go to when you have questions and knowing what your carrier covers as soon as you know that you are pregnant.
A major concern for women who are considering switching jobs while pregnant is wondering if their labor and delivery costs will be covered.
Rae Lee Olson, a spokesperson for Life and Health Insurance Foundation for Education (LIFE), a nonprofit organization that strives to educate Americans about the role personal insurance plays in proper financial planning, as well as a Principal for the Vita Benefits Group, says that pregnant women no longer have to be concerned that pregnancy will be considered a preexisting condition.
"A law called HIPAA (passed in the 1997) prohibits group insurance carriers from excluding pregnancy under a preexisting condition clause," Olson says. "Therefore, as long as a woman has continuous coverage (without a gap of more than 63 days), then a pregnancy could not be considered a preexisting condition under a new group insurance plan."
Want to see more?
Comments
There are no comments for this article yet.Be the first to 
|
Post As:
|
||
| Enter your comment below: | ||
| Title | ||
| Comment Text | ||
| CAPTCHA | ||
| Please note that any comments submitted become the property of Disney Family / iParenting and can be edited and posted at our discrection. | ||
