talk to me @ Aetna in PA

[mommy amber]

so right now I am on Medicaid, which absolutely will not cover ANY part of the homebirth.
we were planning on switching me to dh's insurance come January (the earliest I can be added) b/c my midwife team says they have good luck getting Aetna to cover a good portion...
however
I've been seeing info regarding them changing their policy specifically regarding homebirth recently...
I'm a little worried about going through w/ the switch if it won't get us anywhere/set us back further:
1. it's gonna be ALOT of $$$ when I am on it...in the neighborhood of 500/mo...
2. the switch will be so close...we cannot add me until 1/1 and I'm due 1/24...so, I'll only need it for a month or so
BUT
I'll have to drop Medicaid, which would've covered me until 60days post birth

so, has anyone had RECENT experience in PA getting Aetna to cover? I am just afraid it won't be worth the gamble and we'll be out the midwife fees, PLUS the insurance co-pays, plus I'll be dropped from ins. sooner than I would have been.
but if there's a chance we can get some $$ back, it would really help us...we're going to be funding a good portion of this hb with credit

[annanicole]

Aetna says they will not cover homebirth but cover CNM visits and birth centers. BUT some people have even gotten them to pay for homebirth. I had Aetna in PA. They Do fully cover mirena :-)

[nashvillemidwife]

Yes, they have often paid for home birth despite their policy. The question is, are they still paying since they re-published the policy a few months ago?

[annanicole]

I just reread your post. if you only have insurance for a handful of weeks they will not cover the entire birth package just the delivery and I would venture be a lot less lenient. If you can afford the $500 a month you could buy a couple different maternity insurance plans. My sister has Highmark and they DO cover homebirths. good luck!!!

[mommy amber]

so, is highmark in the greater Phila area...when I did a search it looked like they were only in western and central PA?
if I did decide to go in for maternity insurance...does anyone know which companies are best at covering homebirth...looking at online quotes, it would be significantly cheaper than being added to dh's insurance.
am I correct to assume an hmo is better than a ppo?
thanks for the advice everyone!

[mommy amber]

and looking more closely at some of the maternity insurance sites...it looks as though many will not consider you if you are eligible for medicare/medicaid...
what a headache!

[claras_mom]

Originally Posted by mommy amber

so, is highmark in the greater Phila area...when I did a search it looked like they were only in western and central PA?
if I did decide to go in for maternity insurance...does anyone know which companies are best at covering homebirth...looking at online quotes, it would be significantly cheaper than being added to dh's insurance.
am I correct to assume an hmo is better than a ppo?
thanks for the advice everyone!

HMO vs PPO. It all depends on how much choice you want. I think that usually with PPOs, you pay a little more out-of-pocket, but don't have to jump through hoops to see specialists. HMOs are inexpensive, but you really have to read the fine print--one of the reasons the costs (to the consumer) are so low is that the insurance company is really controlling what doctors can and can't do; who you can see, etc.

[nashvillemidwife]

United Health Care has a good track record.

If your home birth midwife is a member of the HMO then it doesn't matter, but I don't think one will be easy to find. HMOs will not allow you to go out-of-network, so if you're wanting insurance to pay for a home birth then PPO is the way to go.

[mommy amber]

thanks for all the information...
most places that have gotten back to me told me that they can't do maternity insurance if I'm already pg:
I'll have to keep checking around.

[pantufla]

Have you looked at this?
http://www.aetna.com/cpb/medical/data/300_399/0329.html

Last time I talked to them they said they would cover everything up to and after the actual birth, but not the birth itself if it was a homebirth. Looks like it depends on how its billed and whether or not they find out you were planning a home birth.