Naturally, the ideal time to plan for maternity expenses is before you become pregnant. The whole concept of health insurance is to plan ahead, to have medical coverage for potential future events. Not that it is impossible to obtain health insurance for maternity expenses after you become pregnant, but it is much more difficult to get maternity health coverage once baby is on the way. Health insurance companies look at pregnancy as a "pre-existing condition." If a woman applies for health insurance that covers maternity after she becomes pregnant she will be using healthcare dollars, without having paid her share of premiums to cover the expense. That of course defeats the reason insurance works.

So, what do you do? There are several ways to obtain affordable health issuance coverage for delivery and maternity expenses:

First, check to see if you can obtain health insurance through your employer. Keep in mind that if you are working, not all companies provide health insurance, and even if they do, not all employee based group health insurance covers maternity expenses. The first step is to check with your benefits advisor at work if applicable, and see what your health insurance covers. If your plan doesn’t cover maternity or you don’t work for an employer with health insurance available, see what may be offered under your spouse's health insurance plan if available. Even if the specific pregnancy is not covered under your plan, illness or other complications resulting from the pregnancy or childbirth will normally be covered under your regular health insurance.

Second, if you are low income you may qualify for the Pregnancy Related Medical program in Washington State through Medicaid. This is a great program that covers the mother’s prenatal care, labor and delivery expenses, as well as the new baby’s expenses for a period after the birth. There is currently no waiting list for Pregnancy Related Medical as there is for the Washington State Basic Health program.

Finally, if insurance through your employer or your spouse is not an option and you do not qualify for Pregnancy Related Medical through Medicaid, your remaining option is to purchase a private health insurance policy through My Health Insurance of Washington. Of course, if you are buying a policy after you are already pregnant, that pregnancy may still not be covered (there are many ways to get around the preexisting condition however) but at least complications resulting from your pregnancy may be. Since average delivery expenses for a routine birth are around $10,000 (without complications!) it does make sense to pay for individual health insurance, even if the premiums may be several hundred dollars a month. While shopping for a private health insurance policy, keep in mind that most low-cost health insurance plans do not include maternity coverage so be very careful about what you buy. Sometimes buying a "cheap" policy to save a few dollars each month will cost you thousands if the pregnancy is not covered.

How do you figure all this out? Call me, I'd love to help! www.myhealthinsurancewa.com 1-877-877-9545