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Who is UtahMaternity.com? |
We are an informational service to inform
you on the very best maternity benefits available to you in your
area. We are not an insurance company, nor do we offer insurance
ourselves. We simply get you in contact with the best agents in
your area based on your needs. Below is information we have gathered from family members who
have purchased these policies, as well as questions asked to the many agents we
have contacted regarding these plans. The following is for
informational purposes only and is not an official offer for
insurance. An agent will contact you to go over the details,
exclusions and limitations.
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Are these plans HSA Compatible? |
Some are,
some aren't. But most of them are compliant.
Make sure you let the agent you speak to know if
you have an HSA so you can get the full
disclosure of compatibility.
Ummm... what is an HSA you might ask? An
HSA is a Health Savings Account that is
associated with certain QHDHP's or Qualified
High Deductible Health Plans. If you have an HSA
through your employer, it most likely covers
maternity like any other illness. If you got it
privately (not part of a group employment) then
it most likely does NOT cover maternity. In fact
you won't even get to take advantage of in
network discounting with can be 40-60% the bill!
So having a plan that covers maternity is a very
good thing even if you have a high maternity
deductible. See
Health Insurance comparisons here
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What if ObamaCare
happens? Will it affect these plans? |
Yes! Our research shows that when our Socialistic
tendencies in the Left Wing radical Liberal government (oops...
my politics are showing) finally implement the socialist take
over of america's health care system, there will still be
supplemental plans a plenty. The same reason there are Medicare
Supplemental plans available to seniors now. This is our
opinion, but Obamacare charges us taxes for his plan until 2014.
Finally in 2014 we start getting the so called
"benefits" we have been paying for since 2010...
that is if the Chinese don't completely own us
by then. HA HA! OK... enough of the
political stuff....
Our understanding that that ObamaCare will not
affect Supplemental plans. You should be able to
keep the plan even when we get "socialized." Now
keeping your health insurance? Even though Obama
promised "if you like the plan you have now,
then keep it." But all indications from the bill
passed show that is not the case. HSA's for
example will not be allowed after 2014 because
of the mandates of deductibles and coverage that
will be forced on insurance providers. If you
make any changes on your plan (deductible,
dependent additions, etc) then you will
lose it. So sorry, Mr. Obama - but you
apparently "mis-spoke" on that one because we
are certain you didn't lie just to get the bill
passed :-o (dang it.. my politics are showing
again :)
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What
Medical Questions are required for these plans? |
You will get
this information when the agent contacts you,
but in general you need to answer the "dread
disease" type questions: Aids, Heart
problems, Cancer type questions. It is much
easier to get a supplemental plan then to
qualify for major medical health plans. The
plans usually do not cover any pre-existing
conditions. Even if you have had a complicated
C-Sec in the past, most plans will still cover
you.
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What if my employer has a great maternity coverage plan
that covers most everything. Can I still take advantage of these
plans? |
Yes. Many people have
virtually complete coverage through their employer's health
insurance plan and still take advantage of supplemental plans. They
often purchase the maximum benefit possible and
pocket the difference. They use the money for various
things. Some use the money to take longer maternity leaves from
work. Others save it for future expenses. Even others have
used it to got to Maui, etc. Really, it is your choice.
No questions asked. Some of the agents we refer to also
represent companies that can get you additional benefits through
your workplace. Ask them when they contact you!
There are also some benefits that are ONLY
available through an employer group. Your agent
will go over your situation and see it your
employer qualifies for such a plan.
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Aren't there
any health plans that include maternity? |
Yes, there are a few. By the way, we can refer you to the very
best health insurance agents that know the health plans with the
best maternity options in your area. Some companies offer a separate maternity rider. It allows you to
choose a
separate $500 - $10,000 maernity deductible and then cover 100%. The Problem? They can be a little "pricey" and most people find a better option
through our supplemental plans. Although it sounds
like a good option, there may be other options using
SelectHealth and
BCBS.
These two health plans cover 100% after you pay the first $5,000. For
this reason we recommend one of these two plans and add a
supplemental
maternity policy.
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What if I
have no health insurance, or a plan that excludes maternity. Can
I still get these plans? |
There are
a few things to consider. For example the new Health Savings
Account Plans (HSA) are becoming very popular. However most
individual/family plans do
not cover maternity. This means you have to pay for all maternity
expenses yourself and pay for them out of your HSA account. But
this causes some problems when it comes to In-Network
discounting. When you go to a hospital with a
health insurance plan you get "in network" discounts. When you
go for a non-covered event (such as maternity), or you have no insurance and are
paying with cash you don't get the discount. This can be a very
big deal. For example, a typical hospital bill for a two
day maternity stay is apx $8,000 - 11,000 plus. Because
most people have insurance the hospitals agree to apply the in
network discount. This drops the bill to around $5,000 to $6,000 or less.
You could owe a whole lot if you have a plan that doesn't cover
maternity or if you are paying cash and don't get the in network
discount. Some have successfully negotiated a "cash discount"
with some providers. This is supposed to be illegal for the
medical profession to charge you one price if you have insurance
and another price if you are paying cash (ie should be $11,000
either way before the in network discount). Just know these facts before you try to pay for a delivery
yourself or pick a health insurance plan that doesn't cover
maternity. That is why we recommend Blue Cross
Blue Shield plans. they have a $5,000 maternity deductible and
then cover 100% of the balance. (BCBS, SelectHealth & Altius
have a $7,500 Maternity deductible). If you need a better health
insurance plan? We can help. Let us have an agent contact
you that knows the maternity issues inside and out.
Click
Here
or call (801) 999-8504.
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Do I have to
use certain doctors or hospitals? |
No. You can go to any doctor any hospital.
Just use the facilities that your health
insurance plan uses (must be in the USA).
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How do I get
my money from the plans? |
There are two ways.
1) Give all of your supplemental insurance plan
details to the hospital when you deliver and sign the papers for
them to claim on your behalf and let them send you any left over
money (do you see any problem with that? I do!). Of
course, we don't recommend this first option. The next option is
better:
2)
Only give the hospital your medical health insurance information
when admitted. Then use the supplemental plan claim form and a copy of the hospital bills and send
them into the companies yourself (or you can fax them). That way you get the money
paid in a check mad out to YOU. Doesn't that make a little more
sense? It is a little more hassle, but it ends up with you holding
the money. People tell us they get paid 7-10 business days after
submitting a claim. The check arrives in the mail. How cool is
that!
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What
if I move out of Utah? Can I still use the plans? |
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Yes.
However, be VERY careful when you leave the
state and make sure that you don't let the bank
accounts lapse your policies by you closing the
bank accounts and forgetting to transfer the
payments to your new bank. (that was a
mouthful!). Also you need to plan
ahead with your health insurance. Many plans
will drop you if you leave the state. The stat
you move to may not cover you if you are already
pregnant when you apply for coverage. They look
at it as a pre-existing condition. Some
plans are portable from state to state. However
most of them don't cover maternity which result
in you not getting the in network discount.
Call (801) 999-8504 so we can make sure your
health insurance plan fits your needs if moving
out of the state is a possibility while
pregnant. We can help.
Click
Here. |
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There is no such thing as Maternity Insurance
in Utah |
So why are you here again? Don't panic. Supplemental
Health Plans can cover many different types
of medical hospital stays. Although they cover all kinds of
hospitalizations, some just so happen to also cover maternity. The companies that
offer supplemental plans change now and then. Some stopped
offering the plans to new clients after a certain date (ie Aflac
in Utah). We will help you contact the
agents we work with offer the most current options available. See the insurance policy
contract for limitations, exclusions and details.
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What is "Supplemental
Maternity" Insurance, anyway? |
This is not the
real name for this insurance.
There is no such thing as Maternity
Insurance. It is a supplemental
"hospital indemnity" insurance plan policy. Most individual major
medical plans (SelectHealth, BCBS and Altius) only cover maternity after
you pay the first $5,000 or $7,500 depending on the plan you
pick. Most of the plans then cover 100%.
The supplemental plans are used to cover that maternity
deductible. The money left over is yours to use as you see
fit. You must be admitted
into a hospital for at least 24 hours to get the benefit. Although
they are often used for maternity, remember that it will cover
other eligible hospitalizations after being in force for 30
days. For this reason many couples purchase the benefit
for both spouses. This is especially attractive if the
male is self employed and has no other disability or hospitalization
benefits. Supplemental insurance
pays you a flat amount for being admitted into hospital. Some
also pay a flat daily amount for each day you are hospitalized.
Regardless of the actual cost of your medical bills, supplemental
plans only pay that flat amount (ie $1,000 for being admitted
and $1,000/day, etc). So your health plan might pay everything over
$7,500 at 100%. The supplemental plans pay money directly to
YOU. You can use that money to cover the
$7,500 and yes, that means that in some cases you might have 100% of your maternity
covered or even more than 100%. Any money left over is
yours to keep.
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What company
in their right mind would take my $210/month and then pay
me $5,400 or more when I Deliver a baby? |
The answer is
"fewer and fewer." No they aren't excited
to lose money. In fact, many of the companies have
stopped offering their plans that worked for maternity in Utah (ie
Time, Conseco, Assurity, Aflac and more). Go figure. And the
premium you pay is not just for one company. But remember that there are
thousands of people paying for hospital supplemental plans that
will never use them for maternity. That is the same concept
that applies here. They don't want to cover your maternity.
They don't want to cover any hospital stay for any reason. But
they cannot discriminate against you for using it for a maternity
hospitalization. They then have to treat
maternity as any other hospital stay.
The agents we refer to remind us that supplemental health policies should be purchased to be
included into your LONG TERM insurance portfolio.
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Why can't
I just purchase the supplemental plan and drop my major medical
insurance? |
Major medical insurance will cover medical expenses after a
deductible is paid and a co-insurance is shared (ie the 80/20
split with the insurance company.) After meeting the deductible
and co-insurance, an out of pocket maximum is met (usually $2,000
- $3,000 maximum). Some health insurance plans have a $7,500
maternity deductible but then cover 100% after that deductible
is met (Altius, SelectHealth & BCBS). Many do not cover maternity at all
(Humana, etc). In any case, after the out-of-pocket maximum is
reached, the insurance company might cover 100% of the cost up
to a maximum benefit (usually $1Million, etc). If you had a $500,000 hospital bill, Major
medical would cover you very well. If you only had supplemental
insurance you would be left paying about 98% of the bill all
by yourself! Supplemental insurance should only be used
when you have a major medical plan in force. Supplemental
plans are used to pay for your deductibles and Co-Insurance
that your major medical plans do not cover. Unlike Major
medical plans, money you receive from supplemental plan can be
used for any expenses you choose (like rent, mortgage, car
payments, diapers, Maui... whatever!)
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Who is eligible
for supplemental insurance? |
Most plans allow anyone to purchase them
regardless of employment situation. You can get
some plans through your employment. We can get
you with a representative that knows how to find
the very best options available without the
"fluff."
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Why do some of the plans require me to cover dependents
also?
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Our
understanding is that the insurance companies
have set up guidelines for their products in
each state. In Utah some have established
this requirement in order for you to apply for
the plans. The good news is that family members
also get a benefit if they happen to be
hospitalized.
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OK, there must
be a catch to the supplemental plans. How could I mess up?
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You caught us. There are ways to mess up. Many people have
told us about the following
6 ways you can mess up. These are things you could do to NOT get the benefit even though
you pay each month:
1)
Deliver outside of a Hospital. If you deliver at
a birthing center or at home no benefit is paid.
2)
Deliver at a hospital, but check yourself out before 24 hours.
24 hours to trigger the benefit.
3)
Stop paying your premium before your hospitalization. Policy
must be in force when you deliver.
4)
Deliver outside the United
States. You must
deliver in the US to get the benefits.
5)
Enroll in a Government welfare program like Medicaid. All
benefits are then paid to Medicaid, not you. These
are all ways to not get paid when you have a baby. Make
sure you don't fall in these traps and you will receive a benefit.
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What if my hospital bill
is less than this benefit? |
This is a trick question. The supplemental plans don't
care if you have insurance or not. They don't care if you
go to the most expensive hospital or not (as long as it is in
the USA!). It doesn't matter how much the hospital bill
is, the supplemental plan pays you a flat amount for being
hospitalized for at least 24 hours, and for each day after that.
If you had a $30,000 bill, you don't get more money from the
supplemental plans. If your bill is less than your
supplemental benefit you keep what is left over.
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I am pregnant already. What are my options? |
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Although options
are somewhat limited if you are already
pregnant, there is a program through SelectHealth that
may help you. It is called the "Stork Saver" program and helps
you if you are pregnant with no insurance. Call your local
SelectHealth
hospital for details. The
other maternity supplement plans described on this website won't
be available to you. The individual health plans like
SelectHealth, BCBS or Altius or Assurant won't take you if you are already pregnant.
We have been told that SelectHealth will offer coverage for a husband and children
of a mother who is pregnant. There are restrictions though.
You must already have at least one child. Each of the husband
and children will have to apply for an individual plan of their
own. The husband will have to waive his "dependant
addition" clause in his policy. This means that
he cannot add the unborn child or his wife under any circumstance.
After the child is born, the family can apply together for a family
plan. |
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