The news of a pregnancy should be a joyous and momentous occasion. For some that are without health insurance, it may also bring some additional stress. If you are already pregnant and don’t have health coverage, unfortunately, there is NO insurance that is available for you that will pay for the costs of delivery. Remember, that insurance companies take a risk with many people (each paying a premium) only a few will actually need to dip into the money they put up front for their insurance. If insurance companies paid for people already pregnant, or dental insurance for those with a toothache, they would seriously lose money! The only possibility available will cover complications within the first 26 weeks of gestation.
So, the best thing is if you are THINKING about getting pregnant while traveling from home overseas or this is a remote POSSIBILITY, then get insurance NOW!! Some of the best plans are for international students. The shortest waiting time for pregnancy coverage (and it’s minimal) is 3 months (pre-conception). The standard time for good major medical coverage is 12 months (10 months for partial coverage). Please visit us at American visitor insurance or call us to review what options might be best for you. We have a complete article available at: Maternity insurance options
If you are already pregnant and covering the birth is not an option, you should still consider getting some kind of insurance that can cover sudden illness or accident that may befall you – remember, you should never put off taking care of your health and that is especially true now that you are expecting.
How can you cover your pregnancy? Well, you can negotiate with your doctors and hospital. Tell them you do not have insurance and they may well cut their bills in half for you (after all, they do that for medicare and insurance companies, so why not you too?). You can shop around for economical care. Also, you can check out local churches and charities to see if you can get any help with those bills and even pre-natal care. Once the little one is born, be sure you have coverage for him or her at the very least in case of accident or illness. You’ll have lots of post-natal visits with your pediatrician, so you should find a doctor and negotiate the cost of those visits. Don’t forget that local county or city government may have immunization clinics at low or no cost to you! Congratulations and good luck!