With the complex healthcare system in the United States, having a health insurance is as important as having a job. Without medical insurance coverage, an average American will not have access to good medical care if we are to base this on soaring medical costs and expenses.
While the country boasts of state-of-the-art medical facilities not matched anywhere in the world, the sad fact remains that not all Americans have access to these facilities which the government invested heavily. To address this problem, the US government has created state-funded or federal-sponsored health insurance programs which are made available to state residents provided they satisfy eligibility requirements and criteria.
Health Insurance in Texas
When a Texas resident finds out that she is expecting, there is a mixture of emotions that surface upon learning about the condition. A natural first reaction is that of excitement, anticipation and joy. The world is about to change and expectant mothers could never be happier.
But pregnancy is not all happiness. The exciting journey is interlaced with its own share of difficulties. The excitement is however, obscured by unnecessary worrying when there’s no insurance to cover for the medical expenses associated with the pregnancy. And most of the time, pregnant women have to deal with this alongside the many emotional downs prompted by many different factors.
So how does a pregnant woman overcome this hurdle. Will there be any insurance provider in Texas who could help her manage the costly medical expenses through some sort of maternity coverage?
There are many health insurance plans available in Texas. However, there is no mandatory ordinance by the state for the inclusion of maternity benefits within an individual health insurance plan, Hence, most if not all insurance providers in Texas do not offer coverage for pregnant women.
What options are available? United Healthcare Texas, a local insurance provider offers a rather unique maternity coverage. Sometimes called ‘a defined amount benefit’, United Healthcare Texas provides two years of coverage for a fixed amount, increasing the fixed amount after maintaining the policy for at least 5 years.
Another insurance company, Assurant Health provides for a full coverage of a routine pregnancy after a $5 – $10,000 maternity deductible. This doesn’t look appealing at all!
Other Options for Expectant Mothers
Since Texas health insurance policies do not include maternity benefits, pregnant women are on the lookout for other alternative healthcare or medical care plans which could alleviate the financial burden of pregnancy. A possible alternative would be getting qualified and eligible to avail of Medicaid maternity benefits. Medicaid should eliminate the unnecessary worries of insurance premium payments as this plan is funded by the government.
Another option for pregnant woman who has no insurance at the time of pregnancy is to consider a job which offers good health insurance benefits. This is only possible if one is at the early stages of pregnancy because insurance providers would normally reject insurance coverage for already pregnant women.
Two other options to be checked are :
- If qualified and eligible to avail COBRA benefits (Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act)
- Get assistance from local Department of Health