There's not much information available online regarding strategies for planning to pay for maternity, including delivery and prenatal care in North Carolina, so I've decided to write this article to provide a little insight on the issue.
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If you are currently pregnant, your options, in order of desirability, are Medicaid, group insurance, and prepayment plans. After you become pregnant, it is not possible to issue an individual policy. Your application will automatically be declined. If you are in the process of planning your pregnancy, the best options for minimizing your maternity costs are Medicaid, group insurance, individual insurance with Blue Cross Blue Shield, prepayment plans, in order of descending desirability.
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The average total maternity charges submitted to Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina in 2007 was $20,015 per pregnancy 1. A patient may be required to pay this full amount, however many families negotiate with hospitals and providers to pay a discounted rate when the only option is to pay out of pocket.
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When planning to cover the costs of maternity the four primary options in North Carolina are as follows:
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1. Medicaid maternity coverage. Visit the state website for application instructions and income eligibility requirements.
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2. Group maternity insurance coverage. This is often the most advantageous way to pay for maternity costs because many group policies cover maternity for all females on the policy without an additional rider. Also, if you are already pregnant and don't meet the income requirements for Medicaid, this is your best shot at getting your pregnancy covered by an insurance company. Additionally, some group policies do not consider pregnancy a preexisting condition, so this is a good option to consider if you are already pregnant.
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After the charges have been submitted to the insurance company, it is worthwhile to ask the hospital if you can get a discount by paying the deductible in full as opposed to making payments over time. I am aware of instances where the deductible has been discounted for a prompt payment in full.
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3. Individual maternity insurance coverage with Blue Cross Blue Shield. At the date of this writing, I am only aware of one individual health insurance company in North Carolina that offers coverage for maternity. The company is Blue Cross Blue Shield and the policies are Blue Advantage and Blue Options HSAsm. I am not aware of any individual health insurance policy that will cover you after you are already pregnant. HumanaOne previously offered an individual maternity policy, but has since discontinued it. I am generally skeptical of small health insurance companies, if you are even able to find one that offers maternity, because they are often on tight budgets and as a result their policies often contain ungainly loopholes.
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