Affordable Health Insurance and Pregnancy

Young, healthier people tend not to think too much about affordable health insurance. But they should, because insurance professional agree that when you are young and healthy this is the best time to purchase affordable health insurance, since young healthy people usually can purchase lower cost healthcare policies. But that is not the only reason. While youthful couples and single women are unlikely to face a high cost medical treatment due to disease or illness, they are very likely to face one of the most rapidly increasing healthcare costs in the nation; pregnancy.

A few generations ago childbirth was not that expensive a process, women either gave birth on their own, or hired a midwife and prayed that all went well. Well, medical advances since then have certainly made childbirth far less risky for both the mother and new arrival, but all that safety comes at a price. The average cost of a delivery in a hospital today is well over $8,000.00.

There are differences statewide, with average costs being higher in the Northeast where the cost of living and the cost of overall healthcare tends to be higher. A recent study found that the national average for vaginal births is around $7,800.00, with the cost of Caesarian deliveries around $11,000.00.

It is very important that those evaluating their healthcare and their health insurance costs take the possibility of pregnancy either planned or unplanned into consideration, since pregnancy and childbirth account for nearly a quarter of all hospitalizations in the country with families, insurers, and government sharing the costs. Add to that costs of prenatal care and of course the child’s healthcare needs after the birth, and it is critically important that any persons who are thinking about children, carefully evaluate their health insurance needs.

The importance of providing access to affordable medical coverage and low-cost health insurance to people planning on having children cannot be understated. Dr. Jennifer Howse, president of the March of Dimes, has said, "Having a baby is the most costly health event families are likely to experience during their childbearing years. An uninsured healthy pregnancy can be a financial strain on young families, and a catastrophe in the case of a high-risk birth." Premature births are also on the rise and the expenses can sky-rocket when a baby is born prematurely. A recent study found that a year's worth of healthcare for a premature baby averages $41,610, as compared with $2,830 for a healthy, full-term infant.

So even if you have affordable health coverage it is important that you read the fine print as always, and be aware of exactly what your coverages are for maternity and prenatal care. For young people who are in a position to benefit from consumer driven health insurance policies this is one area they may not want to skimp if children are in the future. A recent study put out by the Kaiser Foundation found that women with these low-cost consumer-driven health plans could face much higher out-of-pocket costs than women with more traditional forms of affordable health insurance.