I’m Pregnant, How Can I Get Health Insurance?
When you are pregnant, you may go to your healthcare provider more often than usual to make sure you and your baby are healthy. Health insurance (also referred to as a health plan or health coverage) can help pay for this care so that you do not need to pay the entire cost out of your own pocket.
All health insurance plans must cover the following for pregnant women:
- Prenatal care visits (visits to your healthcare provider before your baby is born) with no copays
- A copay (which is short for copayments) is the fee you pay when you see a healthcare provider
- When you are pregnant and visiting your prenatal care provider, you do not need to have a referral from your primary care provider
- Labor and Delivery
- Breastfeeding help
- This includes help from a lactation consultant and breastfeeding equipment
- Regular checkups and checkups when you are sick
- Hospital Care
- Emergency Services
Your health insurance plan cannot take away your coverage when you get pregnant. You can sign up for a new health insurance once you are pregnant, if you didn’t have it before.
Some people might have health insurance through their job. If not, there are other options for getting health insurance when you are pregnant.
Medicaid in Michigan
If you make below a certain amount of money, you can get health insurance through Medicaid. Medicaid is provided by the state you live in. To qualify, you must meet certain requirements – these are usually related to how much money you make, the number of people that live in your home, and where you live. In Michigan, there are three different Medicaid programs for pregnant women:
1) Group 1 Pregnant Women
- Available to all women who make below a certain amount of money (this is called an income limit)
- This limit depends on how many people live in your home
- This limit changes over time
- Covers many different types of healthcare services
- Covers a woman while she is pregnant until 2 months after the end of pregnancy
- End of pregnancy can be after a birth, miscarriage, or another reason
2) Group 2 Pregnant Women
- Available to women who make more money than the limit for Group 1
- Women in this group have to pay for a set amount of the healthcare on their own before the insurance starts covering the costs (this is called a deductible)
3) Maternal Outpatient Medical Services (MOMS)
- Covers women who qualify for Emergency Services Only (ESO) Medicaid
- Covers outpatient care (care you get without being admitted to a hospital), and postpartum (after pregnancy ends) care for two months
- ESO Medicaid can also cover labor and delivery costs
More information on all these programs can be found here.
To sign up for any of these programs, you can go to the MI Bridges website
Maternal Infant Health Program (MIHP)
Pregnant women who have Medicaid can also use a Maternal Infant Health Program (MIHP). An MIHP is a way to get extra support while you are pregnant. MIHP connects pregnant women with local healthcare providers and connects you with a nurse or social worker that will answer your questions and can visit your home while you are pregnant and after your child is born.
To learn more, check out the website
Other Options:
- If your parent or legal guardian has a health insurance plan and you are under the age of 26, they can add you to their plan
- You can be added even if you no longer live with them
- Some health plans might not cover your maternity services, so check the details of their plan
- COBRA Coverage
- If you used to have insurance through your job but were recently laid off or had hours reduced, you might be able to keep the insurance for a short time through COBRA
- However, the cost for these plans can be high, so make sure to check the details of this plan to see if it works for you and your family
- More information available on COBRA Coverage here