Well hell..what do I do now?

[alexandme]

I was going to suggest homebirth. Most midwives who do homebirth's offer very flexible payment options and are much cheaper than a birth center and all the prenatal care is included. Also, our insurance told me on the phone that they absolutely would not cover any birth outside a hospital but come to find out, if you submit the bills from a homebirth after the fact you will likely get denied the first time but if you write letters and submit them again they will pay a decent portion. Usually the birth center or homebirth midwife will know if your insurance is one of those that will pay a portion if you fight with them.
If that isn't an option then I would look into seeing a family practice doctor that delivers babies instead of an OB. You would still have to deliver in a hospital but it is much easier to find a natural birth friendly family practice doctor than it is an OB.

[3rockstars]

Originally Posted by Mommy2LivandNoah Have a home birth..haha...get the OB care, but skip the hospital birth.. Outside of that..I'm not sure mama... Hopefully you will figure something out.

I was thinking that too but you'd totally have to be cool with a uc(unassisted childbirth). I am running into the same issue mama and I'm not sure what we are going to do. My husband is all for the hospital so he'd NEVER consent to a UC.

[3rockstars]

Originally Posted by Lisa-Rachelle Well, the only potential problem with dropping our regular insurance to try and get on Medicaid is that they will request that DH's boss fill out paperwork stating whether insurance is offered to the employee and their family, and the cost. So, really...they could turn around and say "sorry, you cant get on Medicaid, because you already have the capability of being on regular insurance." I know that at the moment, they wont put anyone on Medicare except small children or pregnant women, and even then...it's tough. My only other thought was to (since I still have my maiden name legally) go in and apply for just myself and Gemma. And since Im not employed, I'd probably get it. But, they'd want some type of proof of how my bills were being paid (family member, disability benefits etc...) which might get sticky. Oh I just dont know!

My god, your situation is basically ours! I have no idea how to help other than suggesting uc like I just did but it's eerie how similar our situations are!

[stayinhomewithmy6]

With some research you might just be able to find an OB that you actually like. I love my OB. She's always been very open about letting me have my babies however I want to. She doesn't require U/S or anything like that. I have my choice on lots of things and I love her for that. Plus she never worries about things unless they really need to be worried about, kwim? OR, go for the home birth if you feel comfortable with that. GL mama!

[mom24girls]

One more suggestion for a homebirth!!!! We had ours last Oct and I wouldn't do it any other way. If you're in TN, are you close to "The Farm" where Ina Mae Gaskin is (well known midwife)? (I only know it's in TN, but not where). I know they have people come there for births all the time. They may be a bit more flexible with payments, etc. here's a link:
http://www.thefarmmidwives.org/

Don't know if that helps or not, but it was a thought.....

[MamaToBe84]

im so sorry about that hun... maybe you could shop around for an OB that better fits your style? Not all OBs are so cut and dry... mine is very laid back and respects my wishes, so maybe you can find one that is the same for you.

[mommabug42006]

Do you qualify for state insurance?? I know here in FL you can have private and state insurance. The state insurance will only pick up what private will not. I had this when I was pregnant with DD1. SO in your situation it would cover your birth center birth and prenatal care. Worth looking into.

[Monzie]

The birth center where I'm having my babe is accustomed to fighting with insurance providers and they have a whole pile of stock letters they keep on hand for families to send to their insurance companies to demand that they pay for midwife care/birth centers/homebirths. Believe it or not, they've had some success in convincing the insurance naysayers to pay.

So, if you feel like fighting the good fight, start writing letters to your insurance company. And talk the birth center into helping you (because its in their best interest as a business to be able to serve as many clients as they can). The worse thing that could happen is they still say "No way!" and you'll have to work with a regular OB. But you won't know for sure unless you try.

Good luck to you, momma!

[Kelly loves Rich]

So let me get this right...you want a birth in a birthing center which is most likely cheaper than any hospital stay....But your insurance company isn't going to pay for it?!!! Insurance sucks....Who are they to tell you where and how to have YOUR child....ahahah it makes me soooo mad.

[divapoppins]

Here is a program that i knew nothing about because no one seems to like to say anything about it !! cover tennessee, its for those who don't qualify for medicaid ( which was my case) they have a higher income bracket for pregnant women , and its a pretty good insurance as well , its done through blue cross blue shield . if my older kids hadn't brought home the paper work from school i would never have heard about it. im waiting to hear if we are approved or not now. they said it takes 7 to 10 days and unlike medicaid you don't have all the hassles, you just send in your application and they let you know by mail whether or not you qualify. i'd give it a try , look at their website and see if what you want its covered.