It may take time and persistence to obtain health insurance coverage for your midwife-attended birth! If you are planning to move or change health insurance soon (as I am), then it is a good time to investigate the type of plan that offers you the flexibility to choose the type of birth attendant that you want. Having a natural birth with a midwife is a priority for me, so I have many questions about health coverage.
Questions to consider:
- What midwifes and birth centers are in your area, and are they able to bill health insurance?
- Are you able to find a midwife in your insurance company’s network? If not, are you able to change your insurance provider?
- Will your insurance cover hospital and/or physician care if there are any complications during the pregnancy or labor?
By searching the internet, I found several articles written by midwives and parents who have appealed to their insurance companies for coverage of home births and birth center births. Insurance companies typically do not cover midwives because they are not in their list of approved providers. It is very difficult for midwives to become an approved provider, because they must have adequate malpractice insurance and a physician who agrees to supervise their practice. However, it is possible (with persistence) to appeal your health insurance to cover at least some of your midwifery care.
What you can do:
- Call your insurance provider and request that your homebirth be covered
- Follow through by writing formal letters
- If your insurance has no “in-network” midwives, ask for a transfer of care to another midwife
- Utilize your health insurance provided physician for early pregnancy exams and lab work, then obtain further care with your midwife
- Consider switching your insurance company, or possibly obtaining a Health Savings Account (HSA) where you can save pre-tax money to spend on health expenses
Online articles about health insurance and midwifery:
Midwifery Resources
Great links I have found
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My name is Bethany, and I am the author of this site.
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