So, I thought 2014 was going to be the year everything would change for the better for me. My event would finally consistently kick ass because of the move to Labor Day weekend, and Obamacare would kick in saving me thousands in health care costs.
Oh my God, no. Couldn't be further from the truth. I got a big package from Kaiser yesterday explaining all the changes to my plan starting next year. I breathed a sigh of relief when I saw my monthly premium is only going up $7 - but the rest of the costs-! My yearly out of pocket maximum jumped from $3500 to $6250. All of my co-pays for doctor visits, prescriptions, emergency room visits, etc, about doubled. And the scariest, most nebulous one that affects me directly is instead of a blanket $500/day hospital stay, it's now 30% of total costs. And those total costs could be in the hundreds of thousands if this birth gets really complicated. What I don't understand is, is my out of pocket maximum REALLY all I would have to pay in any given year, or is it that PLUS 30% of costs for a hospital delivery? Which could be $10,000, $30,000, more? Anyone know the answer to this?
Since I got stuck paying what was then my out of pocket maximum for both B & I when he was born, his birth ran me $7000, which was shockingly high when I expected to pay my deductible of $1500 and no more. However it looks like any baby born in 2014, with a similar birth scenario, will cost me $13,000. Now I ask you - how the hell am I going to be able to afford this when I have no money to live on as it is???
I nearly burst into tears this morning just thinking about it. How could I have been so horribly wrong about everything - what my health care costs would be for this baby, how much money I'd make off of my event. I thought I'd try to call Healthy Families, the low-cost health care B has (and thank God for that!!) to see about enrolling the new baby, and mainly, if the coverage would take care of any nicu charges, since technically the baby is supposed to be covered once enrolled. At first the guy on the phone said yes, but when I pointed out that their website said the baby isn't covered until two weeks after birth, he said no, I was right, no birth charges are covered. Great. Once again confirmation that people on phone lines are a wealth of misinformation. Well, at least a) Healthy Families still exists enough to allow new members, and b) hopefully this time I'll have the new baby enrolled early enough that I won't be stuck paying almost $2000 in full price premiums while my paperwork is shuffled around for six months.
I'm really glad I went and got knocked up before I knew how destitute I'd be or how bad this health insurance stuff was going to get. Honestly if I'd had any idea I might have just passed and decided to stick with one. One of my Facebook commenters said today she and her husband were delaying having a child because under the new rules they can't afford it. I think it's a sad day in America when people don't have children because they can't afford the cost of bringing the child into the world or covering their health care. What the hell is going on???
Can you get on the exchange and quote some other options? Remember they can't exclude you for pre-ex anymore.
ReplyDeleteAlso, I'm quite sure that your max out-of-pocket is your max, no exceptions. And it should be a household out-of-pocket, meaning the new baby would be covered beyond that amount.
Also, have you looked into a birth center instead of a hospital?
ReplyDeleteOh, what a pain in the ass. First of all, I'd suggest calling your insurance carrier directly to ask about what the ***ACTUAL*** maximum out of pocket expense could be per year, whole family included. That way, at least you'll know, even if you don't like it.
ReplyDeleteI'm kind of glad that you got knocked up and then found out about the insurance changes. Hear me out... It IS going to work itself out, some way or another. It just is. So, this way, you'll have your second baby, which you know you want since you already have him/her on the way, and the financial stuff will work itself out in the end, and all will be well.