Get Yourself on Some Kind of Health Insurance for Pregnant Women

If you find yourself pregnant and are covered under a group health insurance policy (either yours or your partner's), federal law dictates that you cannot be denied maternity coverage on the basis of it being a "pre-existing condition". This means if you are on a group plan and your company switches provider, you change jobs and go to a new provider, or you wind up on your spouse's group plan you will have coverage.

However, as mentioned, this only applies to group plans. If you aren't on a group plan, you can be denied under that pre-existing condition clause. You can find yourself in the same boat as an uninsured person when it comes to becoming pregnant in this case. If you're pregnant, or thinking of becoming pregnant, you really should cast aside any hesitations and get yourself on some kind of health insurance for pregnant women.

Prenatal care is designed to maximize health for both mother and baby to ensure proper developmental progress. If you're unable to get health insurance for pregnant women and in a low income bracket you'll probably be eligible for Medicaid benefits to help cover costs. If you're above the low income bracket, though, you're going to find it difficult to get coverage after the fact. If you have any intent, at all, of ever becoming pregnant - plan ahead!

You will likely run into a waiting period if you change plans after becoming pregnant and the health insurance for pregnant women won't help you anyway since the waiting period is often 12 - 18 months. A waiting period won't be very significant at the beginning of becoming pregnant, but the later the pregnancy goes on, the more likely you are to need medical care. You might want to have a look at COBRA if you become unemployed or need to be put on your spouse's plan after becoming pregnant.

If the company you work for has more than 20 employees, they are required to carry your healthcare for a period of time after you leave the company. The standard period is 90 days, but it can be as low as 30 days and up to 6 months. COBRA fills the gap and helps you carry coverage longer, but the premiums can be very expensive due to the fact you'll have to pay for the subsidized portion the employer used to pay for you.

If you can't get COBRA because the employer has fewer than 20 employees, you may be able to get a "guarantee issue" individual policy. The availability of these depends on your state and whether they're available or not and you need to have been insured for the previous 18 months.

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