According to Money.com, the cost of giving birth can range from $5,000 to more than $10,000 depending on the state you live in. Costs can be higher for a cesarean section, a high-risk pregnancy, or a delivery with complications.
If you are pregnant and have limited health insurance, don’t have health insurance, or can’t afford hospital costs, there are some options available including health departments, government agencies such as the Center for Medicaid and CHIP Services (CMCS) and organizations including Planned Parenthood.
Resources
WHN TIP – Birth and Baby Resources: Check our post for a list of organizations and websites to provide you with useful information and resources.
- Health Departments by state
- Click on your state, then look for health care coverage or for a phone number to call for information.
- Health Resources & Services Administration: Maternal and Child Health Bureau
- MCHB-funded programs, research, outreach and other efforts seek to ensure the health and well-being of women and children across their lives: when a woman is of childbearing age, when a woman is pregnant, when a child is born, if the child has special health care needs, and as a child grows.
- Primarily, MCHB supports states and jurisdictions through the Title V Maternal and Child Health Block Grant, which is complemented by the Bureau’s portfolio of discretionary and appropriated grant programs.
- Office of Women’s Health (OWH)
- Click on Get Health Insurance to access HealthCare.gov.
- The Office on Women’s Health (OWH) was established in 1991 within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).
- OWH coordinates women’s health efforts across HHS and addresses critical women’s health issues by informing and advancing policies, educating health care professionals and consumers, and supporting innovative programs.
- Insure Kids Now!
- Links to health insurance information for infants and children by state. The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is the principal agency in the United States government for protecting the health and safety of all Americans and for providing essential human services.
- Benefits.gov
- A searchable site to find information on available benefits. Benefits.gov provides an innovative, technology-based solution to benefit information delivery, giving citizens easy, online access to information from across multiple Federal agencies on Benefits.gov. The beneficiaries include U.S. citizens, businesses, and Federal and state government entities.
- Center for Medicaid and CHIP Services (CMCS)
- CMCS serves as the focal point for all the national program policies and operations for three important, state-based health coverage programs:
- Medicaid provides health coverage to low-income people and is one of the largest payers for health care in the United States.
- The Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) provides federal matching funds to states to provide health coverage to children in families with incomes too high to qualify for Medicaid, but who can’t afford private coverage.
- The Basic Health Program (BHP) allows states an option to provide affordable coverage and better continuity of care for people whose income fluctuates above and below Medicaid and CHIP eligibility levels.
- American Pregnancy Association: Maternity Insurance
- Provides background information on insurance for pregnant mothers. The American Pregnancy Association is a national health organization that advocates, researches and educates on reproductive and pregnancy wellness.
- March of Dimes: Planning Your Pregnancy
- Covers all aspect of planning your pregnancy, from financial considerations to physical and psychological aspects. The March of Dimes’ mission is to improve the health of babies by preventing birth defects, premature birth, and infant mortality and carry out this mission through research, community services, education and advocacy to save babies’ lives.
- Planned Parenthood
- Planned Parenthood offers pregnancy testing, counseling, prenatal care and referrals for specialized care. Each health center establishes its own fee structure and many centers offer services on a sliding scale. Planned Parenthood affiliates operate nearly 860 health centers across the country. Planned Parenthood-affiliated health centers nationwide provide high quality, affordable reproductive health care and sexual health information to millions of men, women and teens.
Remember…
The information provided here is not meant to be a substitute for professional medical advice. These tips are from doctors, nurses and people who have shared their real-life advice; always check with a doctor or other appropriate medical professional you trust before making any health care changes.
Photo Credit: Unsplash