Maternity Health Insurance
Individual Health Insurance That Covers Maternity
Maternity Plans
Fewer and fewer individual health plans offer maternity coverage. Most individual
PPOs completely exclude maternity. If you're considering starting a family, get
maternity coverage before you get pregnant.
Some HMOs still provide maternity, but it can become a network game of "find your
doctor on our list". For example, Blue Cross offers individual HMO plans with maternity
coverage, but there are three different networks of providers. If your OB/GYN is
on that network, you can save several hundred dollars on monthly premiums. If she
isn't, you'll pay more for the same care.
You must determine if your priorities include keeping your original OB/GYN. Keep
in mind the high likelihood that even if you stay with your original OB/GYN's practice,
you will be cared for by a different doctor – the one on call when you go into labor.
Even if your doctor is on call when you go into labor, if you have a long labor,
the doctor may go off duty, and another will take her place.
If you are already pregnant, you face some challenges. The health regulations of
California allow individual health plans to treat pregnancy as a pre-existing condition,
which gives them the right to decline your coverage. There are still options, including
the low income program Access for Infants and Mothers (AIM). We may even be able
to offer you guaranteed-issue health coverage. Don't hesitate to
contact us to discuss your options. There is no cost or obligation, and
we are happy to identify your options and point you in the right direction.
Read more about Health Insurance and Maternity Coverage