I’m pregnant, can I get health insurance now?

If you are already pregnant, unfortunately the options for insurance are slim to non-existent. It is a good idea to plan ahead and get health insurance in place before you become pregnant, but if it's already too late and you are pregnant without insurance, you may have a few options available.

Medicaid is an option for you if you are within the low-income guidelines set out by Medicaid. If you are a college student, the student health center at your college may be able to offer you some advice and leads for health insurance.

Another option for you is to attempt to get into a group health plan that will cover your pregnancy. You could do this by getting a job that offers an employer sponsored health insurance plan that provides for maternity coverage or by getting a group policy that covers maternity and pregnancy through a professional organization or chamber of commerce.

There are some states in the US that offer Children's Health Insurance Program that covers pregnant women. The CHIP program is a federal-state program that provides health benefits to children whose parents can't afford insurance but still make too much to take advantage of any of the existing welfare programs. Subsequently, after your baby is born, they may be eligible for health insurance under the Children's Health Insurance Program and in some states; the mother may also qualify for health insurance through the program with her child or children.

The federal law bars group health insurance plans that do cover maternity from considering pregnancy to be a pre-existing condition. What this means for you is that if you change health plans while you are pregnant, the new health insurance provider can not deny any of your claims related to your pregnancy, as long as they have maternity coverage. It's important to recognize the loopholes though that many women fall into while they are pregnant that could mean a lack of prenatal care coverage.

The downfall to this law is that it applies mainly to group health insurance plans and does not extend to individual health insurance plans. This could mean that if you are pregnant and on an individual health insurance plan and you change to another individual health insurance plan, you may not have pregnancy coverage at all, or you may have to wait for a period of time. However, in some cases you will be offered insurance to cover your pregnancy but it will likely be very expensive.

It is very important that you take responsibility for health coverage into your own hands. No one is responsible to ensure your coverage for health insurance—even your employer is not required to offer health insurance. Before you get pregnant, or if you think you may end up getting pregnant, get onto a health insurance plan with maternity coverage. Keep in mind that many insurance companies have a waiting period of eligibility, from one to three months, so it’s best to get onto the plan in advance of getting pregnant.