Health Insurance Advice

[TicklishSinner]

Ok as many of you know I am pregnant I am in my 6th month and covered by my dad's health insurance, they said they will cover the entire pregnancy and the labor, but once the baby is born they will not cover my daughter, only me. They said in order for my daughter to be covered she needs to be a dependant of my dad, which they said they need court papers with me signing over total custody of her, which i do not want to do, for a while my daughter and I will be living with my parents so isnt she still considered a dependant as well as me?? I am so confused on this issue. Any help would be great, plus if i get other insurance i dunno what is the best for infant care if she were to get sick and it is soooo expensive with all these charges i dont understand..HELP PLEASE!!!

P.S Jester works full time but they will not give him the benefits untill he is a supervisor so untill that happens i am in a bind

 

[steph]

It's not a problem little Mama. Your local Department of Health & Human Services offers a Healthy Families program thru MediCaid. (We're the only state that calls it Medi-Cal 🙄)

You are a minor (anyone under 21) who is unemployed and pregnant. The state has to cover you. (And yes, baby can still get med care thru them after she's born.) All you have do to get the coverage is sign the paperwork and provide the documentation they request.

The only problem is the "you still living at home" issue. It's not a huge problem but...Because you're a minor means your folks have to apply for you, and their income, cars, property etc. will be considered. What's it mean? A bigger share of cost (it's sort of like a co-pay.)

If you have trouble or this is confusing let me know, honey--from state to state, the laws differ a bit, but you should be fine.

XOXO

 

[TicklishSinner]

well the problem is my parents make to much for me to qualify for any type of government or state assistance, im trying to find a job so i can get some benefits but they problem is no one wants to hire a 6th month pregnant lady, MediCaid,are they going to decline me for my parents income?? if they charge higher co-pays i will be in trouble because Jester and I dont make enough to pay high co-pays and i hate to ask my parents for that kind of help

 

[steph]

Excellent questions my little honey--comes up all the time! Here's the truth, what you've heard is a myth, seriously. I keep running into patients who tell me some dumbass EW (eligibilty worker--the people who actualy get to grant approval) told them they made "too much money" to qualify for the program.

My official title is "Medi-Cal Eligibilty Analyst." The people I work for are (and please don't laugh at the oxymoron) are NON-PROFIT ATTORNEYS who fight for the patient, free of charge (we get paid a per diem rate by the hospital on the back end once the case is approved) to reverse a "denied decision." My job requires me to appear before the judge to give convincing argument to overturn the denial. 90% of my cases are disabled patients but I do represent a small amount of afdc cases (non-disabled, under-insured patients with children.)

Here's the facts:
(and keep in mind, your state's numbers may very, I'm only an expert in California)

You can own A home, can have A bank acct (but amount in it must be under $2000)--again, this is one you can get around. You may own A car (could be a Lotus, but you can only have one) and make $10,000 a month and still qualify for the program--the issue is the share of cost.

Possible ideas for you--you can move in with Jester, or say you do, (which technically constitutes fraud so you didn't hear it from me)but at least baby will be cared for and I know you're planning to move in together soon so...

Hope I've helped a little!

XOXO

 

[TicklishSinner]

those ideas do help actually, is there a web site i can get an application or something from them or something??

 

[steph]

You bet Lil Mama!
http://www.ahcccs.state.az.us/site/

Also, if you do an engine search for MediCaid Arizona, you'll find several similar sites. And I assume you've got your birthing hospital chosen? Every hospital has a financial counseling dept. They will be familiar with all kinds of programs available to a young lady in your position. Keep me posted?

XOXO

 

[TicklishSinner]

Thank you Steph!! of course i will keep you posted now off to go figure this thing out...lol

 

[steph]

You're welcome! Here's a little known fact about hospitals (everyone thinks they're out to rape you & your insurance co.) but the fact is they actually WANT to get your stay funded. It's a win-win situation, ya know? (The hospital gets paid and the patient gets their necessary medical care and a clear credit report...)Everyone's happy! (I'm the hospital's last line of defense before a patient bill gets sent to collection, BTW--in addition to my work with the disabled and afdc linkage, I'm paid to find a gentle way to help them resolve the bill...)It's the collectors job to harass them and treat them like crap. 😀

XOXO