A friend of mine is not pregnant yet but they are trying. She does not work but her husband is self employed. They would like to find private maternity insurance. She is struggling to find something.
Any suggestions?
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Depends on the state. In Texas, where I live, this is not available.
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http://www.ehealthinsurance.com/maternity-insurance-coverage
This site was recommended to me by an insurance agent and is legit.
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I was going to recommend the same link as @digapony. It spells it all out quite clearly, which is that maternity insurance as a stand-alone item doesn't exist. You'd need a medical insurance policy that includes maternity coverage. And the coverage will typically have an exclusionary period of 6-12 months.
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We were in the same position as your friend, and were looking at maternity coverage. Basically, it would've cost us just as much or MORE (like $300/month on top of the regular insurance premium) to have the maternity coverage added to our insurance as it would to pay out-of-pocket for everything.
We just made sure that our insurance covered emergency complications like a c-section, and planned to pay the rest out-of-pocket.
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We get our health insurance privately as well. I could only find a few insurance companies that offered maternity coverage and they are specific to my state/area. The one thing I will say is that I had to take a pregnancy test when I applied so they knew I wasn't currently pregnant. Most if not all companies won't take you if you are already pregnant when you apply.
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Where is your friend located? If they are in the Pacific Northwest, they should check out Pacific Source. I'm self-employed, and pay just $215 a month for awesome coverage which includes maternity. When I was looking, Blue Cross & Blue Shield had good private plans too.
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@junebugmama: @VEGMAMA: You know, now that I think about it, when we lived in CO a couple years ago, we ended up getting maternity coverage because of ObamaCare. I don't think our premium even went up! We had Rocky Mountain Health Plans. So it definitely depends on your state.
Man. I need to move back there for #2.
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Unfortunately most private maternity insurance has a loooong waiting period. Like 9-12 months of having the plan BEFORE you get pregnant for them to cover anything. It might vary state-to-state, but that's been my experience as someone who is self-employed with independent health coverage in Ohio.
HOWEVER... there are two local hospitals that offer special pricing for those with no insurance or insurance with no maternity coverage. If I go through their clinic, it's a flat fee of about $3,000 for prenatal visits and l&d (that's the c-section price); you just have to pay it all before you deliver. I'd recommend your friend look into those sorts of options as well!
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