Author Topic: Pregnancy, Obamacare, Under 26...Questions  (Read 17433 times)

parkskier

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Pregnancy, Obamacare, Under 26...Questions
« on: August 06, 2013, 12:04:52 PM »
Hi Everyone,

I feel like I've got a somewhat interesting and unique situation.  Right now my wife and I are both under 26 years old so we are both still covered under our individual parent's family health insurance plans.  All of our parents have maintained family coverage because we have younger, dependent siblings.  This is certainly a nice blessing but also raises plenty of questions.

My main concern right now is that my wife is currently just over 3 months pregnant, she is due in February 2014.  Right now she is 22 and I am 24, our birthdays are both in October (so we are soon to be 23 and 25).  This has me wondering a couple of things:

1) Is a baby of an under 26 year old still covered under the family insurance?  (I.E. will our baby be covered under one of our parents' insurance plans)

2) What happens when I turn 26 in October 2014?  Will the baby be covered under my in-laws health insurance, or will I need to pick up individual+child coverage through work/exchange?

I'm sure we are not the only ones to be experiencing this situation with the upcoming implementation of Obamacare, but it is a bit of a niche question that I can't find good answered online when I search for it.

Thanks for any help!

matchewed

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Re: Pregnancy, Obamacare, Under 26...Questions
« Reply #1 on: August 06, 2013, 12:09:47 PM »
http://articles.washingtonpost.com/2012-08-06/national/35493702_1_maternity-coverage-maternity-benefits-prenatal-care

Seems to depend on the insurance itself not on the laws. Unless your parents have coverage for maternity benefits then no it won't be covered.

minimalist

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Re: Pregnancy, Obamacare, Under 26...Questions
« Reply #2 on: August 06, 2013, 12:18:58 PM »
Insurance coverage for adult children does not extend to grandchildren. You will need to find separate coverage for your child. If you are low income, the baby may qualify for Medicaid.

StarryC

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Re: Pregnancy, Obamacare, Under 26...Questions
« Reply #3 on: August 06, 2013, 12:21:09 PM »
Agreed.  Call your health insurance providers and ask.  At 3 months, your wife must already be having pre-natal care, right?  Up until the delivery, that should remain the same.   Her pregnancy is a pre-existing condition, and at this time would likely still be excluded under a new policy you obtain.  I think once the baby is born though, he/she starts incurring their own bills.  Some insurance companies will cover the baby without an additional premium for some amount of time, but I don't think they all do, especially for a dependent. 

Here is a page that discusses this: https://www.healthcompare.com/articles/can-i-insure-my-grandchildren-under-my-plan-most-people-get-this-answer-wrong/

This seems to say that no, the baby is not covered if you are planning to raise him or her.  Call the insurance companies. Record the calls (with permission) to get their statement on the record.  Get it in writing if possible.   

parkskier

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Re: Pregnancy, Obamacare, Under 26...Questions
« Reply #4 on: August 06, 2013, 12:29:34 PM »
Thanks for the help so far.  Yes, my wife's pre-natal visits have been covered under her parent's insurance plan so far, so that has been a relief.  It looks like the general consensus is that the grandbaby would not, which is totally understandable.

Yeah Maigahane, I was fully ready to purchase my own insurance prior to finding out that even married couples under 26 can remain on their parent's health insurance.  Pretty crazy.
« Last Edit: August 06, 2013, 01:04:18 PM by parkskier »

rockstache

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Re: Pregnancy, Obamacare, Under 26...Questions
« Reply #5 on: August 06, 2013, 01:16:33 PM »
That is crazy, though nice for you. DH and I went uninsured for 4 years between getting married and him getting his current job. Luckily there were a total of 2 doctor visits other than my annual to keep on birth control (which thanks to PP was cheap) but we were playing with fire during that time

Good thing you weren't in Massachusetts. You could have had the pleasure of paying >$500 each in fines for not being insured.

randymarsh

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Re: Pregnancy, Obamacare, Under 26...Questions
« Reply #6 on: August 06, 2013, 05:58:14 PM »
Yeah the law should work out nicely for me too. I graduate in a year and plan to just stay on my parent's plan for a while or maybe even until I have to get my own at 26. Can't beat $50 a month for great coverage.

1. The baby itself will need it's own plan. If you're low income, look into CHIP.

2. You'll need to get your own coverage after turning 26 either through an employer or the new exchanges. Or pay the fine for not having a plan.
« Last Edit: August 07, 2013, 06:31:28 AM by thefinancialstudent »

prosaic

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Re: Pregnancy, Obamacare, Under 26...Questions
« Reply #7 on: August 06, 2013, 07:36:54 PM »
That is crazy, though nice for you. DH and I went uninsured for 4 years between getting married and him getting his current job. Luckily there were a total of 2 doctor visits other than my annual to keep on birth control (which thanks to PP was cheap) but we were playing with fire during that time

Good thing you weren't in Massachusetts. You could have had the pleasure of paying >$500 each in fines for not being insured.

And would have been two of the .066 percent of people in MA (44,000 out of 6,646,000) who do forego health insurance.

More likely they'd have qualified for one of the neighborhood exchanges here and gotten subsidized coverage.

 

Wow, a phone plan for fifteen bucks!