tldr: What questions should I be asking about health insurance plans as a pregnant woman returning to the US to deliver?
I’m an American citizen, I live in Ireland. I’m pregnant (yay!), about 9 weeks along and I want to return to the US. For various reasons, it will be very difficult to get a job before returning and I get six months paid maternity leave with my current company and another six months unpaid.
Today I called a couple insurance companies in the US and discovered that pregnacny counts as a life changing event, so there’s a special enrollment period and pregnant women can enroll at any time during the pregnancy.
Ideally, I’d return to the US (Arkansas or Washington State) in the last trimester, deliver in the US, stay for six months; then perhaps return to Ireland or perhaps stay longer term in the US. Who knows… I didn’t think this would be possible and braced for delivering alone around New Year’s and spending the first few months by myself, isolated, in the thick of winter.
Premiums are about $400 per month, depending on what coverage I’d opt for. The plan I’m looking at has a max out-of-pocket of $6,500 and would cover any doctor visits in-network while in the US. It would also cover the baby up to 30 days after delivery, at which point I’d need to insure the baby.
What questions should I be asking? Where can this go wrong? Where can I go to do more research?
Cost to deliver in my country of residence through private insurance (which I currently pay for) is €6,000 (same doctor throughout the pregnancy, private room for delivery); €1,000 for semi-private (different doctors, 4 people share a room before/after delivery; although delivering itself is private); €0 for public insurance (different doctors, long waits, up to 12 people share a room before/after delivery; although delivering itself is private).
$6,500 + a few months of premiums in exchange for being close to family and friends in the first few months seems like a gift. It seems too good to be true.
Other considerations: after 3 months in the US I’d become a tax resident of the US (not sure of the implications of this as I’d still have a salary in Ireland). This isn’t the right forum for that, but just capturing thoughts.
submitted by /u/MsTrotwood
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tldr: What questions should I be asking about health insurance plans as a pregnant woman returning to the US to deliver? I’m an American citizen, I live in Ireland. I’m pregnant (yay!), about 9 weeks along and I want to return to the US. For various reasons, it will be very difficult to get a job before returning and I get six months paid maternity leave with my current company and another six months unpaid. Today I called a couple insurance companies in the US and discovered that pregnacny counts as a life changing event, so there’s a special enrollment period and pregnant women can enroll at any time during the pregnancy. Ideally, I’d return to the US (Arkansas or Washington State) in the last trimester, deliver in the US, stay for six months; then perhaps return to Ireland or perhaps stay longer term in the US. Who knows… I didn’t think this would be possible and braced for delivering alone around New Year’s and spending the first few months by myself, isolated, in the thick of winter. Premiums are about $400 per month, depending on what coverage I’d opt for. The plan I’m looking at has a max out-of-pocket of $6,500 and would cover any doctor visits in-network while in the US. It would also cover the baby up to 30 days after delivery, at which point I’d need to insure the baby. What questions should I be asking? Where can this go wrong? Where can I go to do more research? Cost to deliver in my country of residence through private insurance (which I currently pay for) is €6,000 (same doctor throughout the pregnancy, private room for delivery); €1,000 for semi-private (different doctors, 4 people share a room before/after delivery; although delivering itself is private); €0 for public insurance (different doctors, long waits, up to 12 people share a room before/after delivery; although delivering itself is private). $6,500 + a few months of premiums in exchange for being close to family and friends in the first few months seems like a gift. It seems too good to be true. Other considerations: after 3 months in the US I’d become a tax resident of the US (not sure of the implications of this as I’d still have a salary in Ireland). This isn’t the right forum for that, but just capturing thoughts.
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