insurance

[Leo]

Hi,

Just found out 2 weeks ago that my wife is pregnant.

Tried perusing the insurance literature we have and found out that we
have an annual deductible of $5000 on top of a $200 a month premium
which I find a bit steep. This is one of those high deductible
insurances coupled with an HSA.

We're new in the US and would like to know if insurance does cost this
much in the US?

Thank you very much for your help!

Leo

[Nan]

On 2 Apr 2007 09:16:11 -0700, "Leo" > wrote:

>Hi,
>
>Just found out 2 weeks ago that my wife is pregnant.
>
>Tried perusing the insurance literature we have and found out that we
>have an annual deductible of $5000 on top of a $200 a month premium
>which I find a bit steep. This is one of those high deductible
>insurances coupled with an HSA.
>
>We're new in the US and would like to know if insurance does cost this
>much in the US?
>
>Thank you very much for your help!

Depending on the employer's plan, yes, it can cost that much... or
more.

Nan

[Ericka Kammerer]

Leo wrote:
> Hi,
>
> Just found out 2 weeks ago that my wife is pregnant.
>
> Tried perusing the insurance literature we have and found out that we
> have an annual deductible of $5000 on top of a $200 a month premium
> which I find a bit steep. This is one of those high deductible
> insurances coupled with an HSA.
>
> We're new in the US and would like to know if insurance does cost this
> much in the US?

It can. It depends on what options you have
available to you. One way to limit costs is to go with
a midwife and an independent birth center or home birth.
Those often run about $3000-4000 for the whole package
(prenatal, birth, postnatal care). With your current
insurance you'd still have coverage if there were
complications and you ran up large medical bills. You
can pay for the midwifery care with your HSA, which
effectively knocks about a third off the cost since
you'd be paying with pre-tax dollars.

Best wishes,
Ericka

[Anne Rogers]

> Tried perusing the insurance literature we have and found out that we
> have an annual deductible of $5000 on top of a $200 a month premium
> which I find a bit steep. This is one of those high deductible
> insurances coupled with an HSA.
>
> We're new in the US and would like to know if insurance does cost this
> much in the US?

I'm also new to the US, but that amount for insurance sounds very good to
me! Though it comes at the penalty of a high deductible :-(.

I recommend Ericka's suggestion of going with a midwife, and paying for it
tax efficiently.

Anne