Pregnant, No Insurance, Options?

[newATLpeach]

What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? New York, Georgia

What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)New York, Georgia

First, let me say, I am a naturally born American Citizen.
And secondly, that the health care system as it stands, does not work for all Americans--or even all the hardworking ones.

My partner and I were pregnant earlier this spring, and I was unemployed from late December 2008 to the end of March. I began getting my unemployment benefits in February, and had only survived on my income tax return from 2008. I finally started a full time job in New York in April, but our staff was laid off! I had only been working for 2 weeks. Within that time I found out that I was pregnant, so I filed for Medicaid. (I didn't get my job's insurance because I wasn't yet eligible) Because of those two weeks of income, I was deemed as having an income that was too high and was denied for pregnancy medicaid. Because I visited the hospital for medical care, I got a fat bill for $5,000 that would not be covered. I tried to appeal but Medicaid still said that even with my unemployment, I still earn too much. So I am paying that out of pocket. I finally left New York and came to Georgia.

Fast forward 5 months. I am now pregnant again with my partner. I just found a job, but it is only part time. One week I work 18 hours, another week I work 8. He just got laid off. I desperately need to get medical care, but I am afraid to go get prenatal care while waiting for my Medicaid application to go through because of what happened to us in New York. And the premiums from my job are so high that we would barely have any cash left after our premiums are deducted. So what options do I have? I need to get on some sort of plan, but don't want to apply and wait for Medicaid, get a bunch of medical services done, get denied Medicaid, and then be left with a whopper of a bill like last time. I'd rather have some kind of coverage. Any ideas?

Please don't lecture me-I am not a teenager; I am a professional adult American worker who has just had a series of unfortunate events this year. Adoption or abortion are not options for us. I need some solid no-nonsense advice, so please take the snark somewhere else.

[Zigner]

The system doesn't work because people who can't afford to have babies are having babies. (Well, this particular portion)

[IsabellaSoriano]

well, there is another option. you and your partner can get married and he can put you on his medical insurance. takes a 24 hours to a week to get married at the courthouse and 30 days for insurance to kick in.

[Proserpina]

Originally Posted by IsabellaSoriano

well, there is another option. you and your partner can get married and he can put you on his medical insurance. takes a 24 hours to a week to get married at the courthouse and 30 days for insurance to kick in.

Yup.

I'd also like to add that the system works just about the same way for some of us non-Americans too. IOW, if you can't afford it, don't birth it.

That said maybe one of these can help you:

[url=http://www.gfcn.org/]Welcome to the Georgia Free Clinic Network[/url]

[url]http://health.state.ga.us/programs/perinatal/[/url]

and try Powerline too:

The Powerline is a fast way to find the care you need including medical and dental referrals, Medicaid providers, low-cost prenatal health services, and other healthcare referrals and public health programs. The Powerline has English and Spanish-speaking staff available from 8:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Monday through Friday. In Atlanta call 770-451-5501, or within Georgia call toll free at 1-800-822-2539.

[commentator]

Well, it's not really helpful to say, "Well, you shouldn't have gotten pregnant in the first place!" when someone is, is it?

But important question. Have you filed for Medicaid in Georgia yet? Do so promptly. You may want to contact a free clinic until you can get Medicaid approval. Your local county health department may provide prenatal care or be able to tell you where you can get some. No, there is no other program, nothing else you can do. You either pay for the whole pregnancy and delivery yourself, or Medicaid pays for it. What happened in New York was because you did not qualify for Medicaid there at that time based on your and your partner's income.

If you are not working full time, are you getting the rest of your unemployment in partial benefits on those weeks when you only work 8 hours? Now that your partner has been laid off, even if you've already filed for Medicaid, you need to check and see about how much that will affect your Medicaid eligibility, since this has changed your family income significantly again. If he gets another job, you really might want to consider getting married and getting on his insurance program if he finds a job that has one.

If there is hany insurance offered through your work, you may need to see about how much it costs and such details, because Medicaid sometimes doesn't work if there is a possibility you can get insurance from any other source. (Even though it's unreasonable) So you need to know when you're filing your Medicaid application. If you're only working these few hours, you probably do not qualify for any employee health insurance there anyhow.

The current health care system is severely broken. However, there are last ditch programs such as WIC and Medicaid that can help. If you didn't qualify in New York it must have been because you weren't below the poverty levels. BUt what you have to do is keep filing, each time you become able to re-file because your income has gone down it appears. Any unpaid medical bills are included in your income statement that you file, of course.

[JKBee]

In WA DSHS covers people who are low income and have no other medical insurance. (Department of Social and Health Services.) They also do not criticize you for getting pregnant without the resources to provide for the pregnancy or the child.

Hopefully you want and will love this child. That is what is really important.

Check your equivalent of DSHS and you should not have any problems with medical care during your pregnancy.

[Proserpina]

Originally Posted by JKBee

In WA DSHS covers people who are low income and have no other medical insurance. (Department of Social and Health Services.) They also do not criticize you for getting pregnant without the resources to provide for the pregnancy or the child.

Hopefully you want and will love this child. That is what is really important.

Check your equivalent of DSHS and you should not have any problems with medical care during your pregnancy.

JK, I know you're trying to help, and that's actually really great. But what is relevant and appropriate in one state is by no means the same in a different state - all too often we find that a regulation specific to WA, for example, is not only different but perhaps the exact opposite in GA even when the same government body or agency is involved.

In this case OP has already been given GA-specific information (take a look at the links provided if you wish). Again, I know you mean well but it's more helpful if we don't muddy the waters.

[ecmst12]

Did you lose the first baby?

At any rate, since you're already pregnant, your choices are to get Medicaid if you qualify, or pay for your work insurance. Any private individual insurance won't cover a pregnancy already in progress, and most have a 2 year waiting period if they cover maternity at all. Only group insurance policies are required to cover maternity and forbidden from considering it a pre-existing condition. Or, get married and get on your husband's insurance, as mentioned. If you do that, it doesn't take 30 days for it to kick in, the insurance would be effective on the day you get married, but he has 30 days to ADD you to the coverage (otherwise he'd have to wait for the next open enrollment). That is of course assuming he has insurance through his job. If he does, even though he's laid off, he'll still qualify for Cobra (and Obama's subsidy since it wasn't his fault he was fired) and he will still be able to add you to the Cobra policy as long as it's within 30 days of the wedding.

[Adalaide78]

I know it's "not an option" for you... I'm saying it anyway. I do not and never would support abortion in a case where a woman got pregnant on purpose and her health is not at risk. (If you had sex consensually, you're pregnant on purpose.) Being a loving parent is about doing what is best for your child, if you can't afford to provide your child with medical insurance or the things she or he will need then the most loving thing you can do is to give your child to someone who can. Many adoption agencies will gladly provide all medical care needed to ensure the birth of a healthy baby.

As someone else stated another option would be to get married. If you are committed enough to live together for a year and make a baby together you need to be committed enough to that baby to do right by it. Insurance coverage kicks in after a month and you're set.

[ecmst12]

I don't believe anyone asked your moral opinion, and you're also wrong about the insurance - if OP were to get married, the insurance (if her spouse has it) will become effective on the day of the wedding, NOT after 30 days. Please stick to posting legally correct answers to questions that were actually asked and leave your soap box elsewhere.