problems getting a midwife. - Page 3

[LightForest]

If I remember correctly, a woman does not have to be a legal US resident to get Medicaid through the PCAP program in New York. You do have to provide some form of identification and proof of current residence... I think I remember submitting a copy of my driver's license, recent bank statement and utility bill? They never asked me about additional income, savings or investments (beyond my last 2 month's pay stubs and my checking account).

I'm not trying to defend (or denounce) the way SSN's are used by the NY Medicaid system, and I'm not trying to convince the original poster to sign up for insurance if she doesn't want it -- I just want to make sure accurate information about the PCAP program is shared here. (The program was very valuable to me. It covered 100% of my homebirth. My daughter was also automatically enrolled in Medicaid upon birth, which was fortunate when she ended up spending her first week of life in the NICU.)

[Super~Single~Mama]

Originally Posted by LightForest 

If I remember correctly, a woman does not have to be a legal US resident to get Medicaid through the PCAP program in New York. You do have to provide some form of identification and proof of current residence... I think I remember submitting a copy of my driver's license, recent bank statement and utility bill? They never asked me about additional income, savings or investments (beyond my last 2 month's pay stubs and my checking account).

Not even just through PCAP - you don't have to be a legal resident to be on medicaid if you are pregnant AT ALL.  Thats why no ssn is required of pregnant women.  But PCAP does not require proof of citizenship, or proof that you are a legal resident either.  I think the policy is that way b/c the state has an interest in providing prenatal care so that more babies are born healthy - since the baby WILL be a US citizen if born in the US.

I didn't even have to submit a utility bill, and I had a Washington license - but they still had to give me insurance since I was preggo.  And then they couldn't kick me off!

[Eyelet]

PunkElmo - I can respect your stance on not sharing your SSN, but I'm genuinely curious on how one can avoid it? Even if it's illegal to ask for SSN's, it seems it's just as easy to illegally deny services for refusing to provide it and often is. 

Every apartment I've ever been in asks for a SSN - no number, no apartment. Every utility company I've ever dealt with expects it for service. Bank accounts, insurance, loans, etc. expect you to provide one. Admittedly, I've never outright refused to provide it, but my guess is they will in turn flat out refuse to service me.

Privacy from big brother is a concern, but I don't see how it's possible to get around it these days.

As for medicaid, many if not most women do not have a choice in the matter. Faced with either sharing their information to the government or go into severe debt from medical bills, or even worse, not seek medical help from lack of money - most would choose sharing their info for the assistance.

Is this right? I have no idea. But it seems unavoidable. 

[PunkElmo]

yup, it's definitely not the path of least resistance...

It's not always an easy road if you refuse to provide your SSN, and it often involves citing federal laws in support of that position (or being willing to walk away from a service/transaction), but I've also found that a surprising number of people just roll with the fact that I don't want to provide it.

I am fortunate enough to be able to choose to spend the (somewhat minimal, in my case) extra money to keep myself out of the system as much as possible (and it's not ALWAYS possible to fly under the radar) - I totally understand that it's not as easy for everyone - I happen to be in good health and ready/willing/able to work 2 or 3 jobs if that's what I have to do to make my chosen lifestyle work.
 

Originally Posted by IxIa 

PunkElmo - I can respect your stance on not sharing your SSN, but I'm genuinely curious on how one can avoid it? Even if it's illegal to ask for SSN's, it seems it's just as easy to illegally deny services for refusing to provide it and often is. 

.....

Is this right? I have no idea. But it seems unavoidable. 

[jesshrehor]

This is slightly off topic for the thread, but your offer of help made me curious.  How common is it for midwives to travel a long distance?  How would that work for prenatal care and postnatal care? Would that be taken on by someone else?  The reason I ask is that I'm starting to research midwives, and I have a friend who is training to be a midwife who lives rather far away.  Since it'll be awhile before I actually get pregnant and have the baby, she may well be finished with her training, or at least far enough along to attend my birth as an assistant to another midwife.  I'm just curious how often midwives travel, I guess, and how that works in practice.  Thanks!

[IdentityCrisisMama]

Originally Posted by jesshrehor 

How common is it for midwives to travel a long distance?  How would that work for prenatal care and postnatal care? 

I would think that this varies WILDLY from region to region and from MW to MW.  I'm sure MWs in remote areas travel a great distance for clients.  I think the standard in my medium sized city is about an hour.  This would be a good topic for either FYT (finding your tribe) or a post of its own here in the homebirth forum.