Experience with obtaining Husky Insurance for pregnancy...

[newCTmama]

Hi everyone -

   My DH and I are thinking about ttc our second child. I am, for the most part, a SAHM and he is self-employed - we have very few health insurance options for maternity coverage (we have basic care for ourselves and son). I've looked into Husky Insurance for myself - we do indeed come in under the appropriate income guidelines, so in theory, I should be able to contact them once/if (!) I become pregnant and then enroll. However - I'm a cautious, repsonsible person by nature, and am a bit scared of just waiting until after conception to have maternity... our current health care provider would charge an additional $500+ for maternity coverage (!!!) - rather prohibitive. Anyhow, has anyone had experience with this? How did it all work out? Looking forward to hearing all about it!!

[rdposcar]

I am on Husky...technically I'm on Charter Oak (dd is on Husky).  I'm surprised your insurance would even keep you if you got pregnant. I was told in no uncertain terms that I would not get private health insurance coverage due to pregnancy.  So I had no choice but to go with the state program since we are in a similar situation as your family (SAHM, hubby is contracted).  Anyhow, it's been okay.  A bit frustrating to navigate, but I'm figuring it out.  Because I'm on Charter Oak, I can't go to the midwives in Danbury as I did with my first.  Norwalk midwives don't accept husky at all (beware, the websites say lots of providers that I have found do not actually accept the insurance anymore).  So I have to go with an OB (one that is highly recommended as naturally minded, but still not my preference) but his hospital is not on my plan! And the hospital that is on my plan has no OB's on my plan! So I have to go out-of-network for the hospital..another $1900.  Anyhow, a few words of advice:

* I chose Aetna, and now I'm finding that Community or United are easier to work with based on the info I'm getting from my OB and a homebirth midwife I contacted.  I'm in the process of switching.

* If you qualify for Husky A you will be able to use Danbury Midwifes and I believe several others, without issue.  Just check to see which plan (Aetna, United or Community) they participate with.  Best to just call, because as I've mentioned, the info found on all three websites for provider search has outdated info, or hard to understand.  For example, if on Husky A you can see the Danbury midwives for prenatal care, but unless you are on the Community plan you will not be able to go to their birth center and will need to go to the hospital with them.  There is no way of knowing this without calling their office and speaking with their billing department.

Good luck!

[newCTmama]

Thank you, rdposcar, and congrats on your upcoming birth!! Let's see - I think Charter Oak is for folks who do not currently have insurance, right? I do indeed have coverage now (via Healthnet's "Goldne Rule"), so would not be eligible for that particular program (I think). To add maternity coverage for my plan would be very expensive, and as far as I understand, has to be done prior to conception, which is why we're looking at other options... if we were so blessed as to conceive w/in a few months, it'd still be over an  additional $6,000 for one year!

I currently have a 3 year old, who was born at St.Mary's in Waterbury - we were at the birth center but needed to transfer and I ended up with a c-section. I'm really hoping for a vbac, and am looking at my options, but need to get the basic insurance stuff figured out first! Thanks to everyone who has read this, and please chime in - or pm me - with additional stories & advice : )

[newCTmama]

Just bumping... hoping for more replies!!

[rdposcar]

Just want to add that I believe Husky versus Charter Oak is all based on your families income level. I could be wrong, but I don't believe it has anything to do with if you currently have insurance or not.  They are essentially the same program, just different levels (Husky is free for low income families, and Charter Oak you have to pay monthly).  As I mentioned, Husky has more options for birthing.  I have been finding that there are a number of midwifes covered for Charter Oak, it's just that they are all based at hospitals (with the exception of Birth & Beyond, but they are too far away from me).  Good luck!