Keep It In Your Pants Until You Double-Check Your Insurance

Maybe someday you’ll sit your future child on your knee and reassure him he was created with budgetary responsibility in mind. Those who check out the quirks of their health insurance policies beforehand and babymake accordingly will be able to do just that.

As Girls Just Wanna Have Funds points out, health plans are all over the map when it comes to what they will and won’t insure during pregnancy and birth.

Chief among considerations prospective parents should make is whether or not their insurer will hit you up twice to make them max out their deductible before full coverage kicks in. Example: A currently expecting mom may have had to pay out of pocket to reach the deductible on prenatal appointments throughout the year, only to have to do the same in 2012 when her baby arrives, bringing along a host of new expenses. Timing a pregnancy to take place entirely in one calendar year will save you the worries of being double-billed.

Other things to check are to what extent epidurals and pain prescriptions are covered.

Most importantly, don’t forget to negotiate medical bills after the fact. A phone call can save you 25 percent of your costs, leading to hundreds of dollars or more in savings.

Planning For Baby? Check Your Health Insurance First! [Girls Just Wanna Have Funds]

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