Questions You Must Ask The Hospital & Insurance Company When Having A Baby
If you are planning on having a baby, be sure to do your research before you plunge ahead to find your doctor and insurance company. Give some thought to your birth preferences. If you have some very specific plans for your birth, such as epidural or single-room maternity care, keep in mind that most doctors limit their practice to one or two hospitals. If you find that your chosen doctor doesn't practice at the hospital which offers these options, you'll have to decide between your doctor and your preferences and what your insurance allows. The same tedious research goes for your insurance company as well.
Here are some questions you must ask when looking for your doctor and assessing your insurance plan:
Questions For Your Insurance Company
• Which hospitals in my area accept my insurance?
• Do you have a list of physician providers from which to choose?
• What's the total reimbursement you provide for my doctor?
• What's the total reimbursement allowance for hospital costs?
• How many hospital days do you allow for a vaginal birth and a cesarean birth?
• What type of hospital room does my plan provide for? Private? Semiprivate or ward?
• How is payment handled for services? Direct payment to physician? Reimbursement to me after delivery?
• What obstetrical costs do you cover? Ultrasound? Blood tests? Amniocentesis? Fetal well being tests (stress and nonstress testing)? Medications?
• Is there coverage for neonatal or pediatric care?
• What coverage is there should complications occur?
Questions For The Hospital
Call the hospitals in your area and ask to speak to a nurse in the labor and delivery department. Explain that you're pregnant and interested in what the hospital has to offer for birth options. Here are some sample questions:
• What types of birthing rooms do you offer? Traditional? Single room, labor/delivery/recovery/postpartum (LDRP), or a combination?
• Who do you allow for support persons? How many? Do you let children attend births? If you do, are sibling preparation classes offered at the hospital?
• Do you allow video cameras during delivery?
• If a cesarean has to be done, do you allow support persons in the operating room?
• Do you offer vaginal birth after cesarean?
• What types of anesthesia for delivery do you provide? Is epidural anesthesia available?
• Do you have 24-hour coverage for anesthesia in the hospital, or do you use on-call people after hours?
• After delivery, how soon can I nurse my baby?
• Does the baby have to stay in the nursery, or can I have unlimited access to him?
• How soon after delivery do you usually discharge patients?
You can add or delete questions to the list depending on what's important to you. Don't ask nurses about hospital fees; they usually don't know about those things. Labor nurses are also great resources for matching you with a suitable doctor based on your preferences. Give the nurse a sample of your high-priority preferences. For instance, if you don't want an enema or perineal shave and you want to stay out of bed as long as possible, who would go along with your wishes? If you want someone who is flexible or fatherly, ask for the names of doctors who fit your bill. Ask your friends and family for some recommendations. Call a few childbirth educators and get their input. Many resources of information are out there.
