Btw, 40k isn't a lot of money, but if you guys have modest rent and no huge existing debts, isn't this enough to afford either a basic insurance plan or the BC?

1/2/2011 8:44:58 PM

There are tons and tons of ways to solve this problem. For starters, I think a couple earning 40k/year could afford a pregnancy without insurance on a payment plan...assuming there's no horrible prenatal/neonatal disaster.

The hard part, of course, is actually being a parent.

1/2/2011 8:48:20 PM

can we get a move to chit chat?

1/2/2011 9:00:07 PM

A guy I used to work with had a baby without insurance. He was from NC and she was born in Mexico (her parents are both Doctors in Mexico City). They got the prenatal care locally and then went back to Mexico to have the baby. The delivery and hospital stay for the birth apparently cost less than one of the prenatal visits.

1/2/2011 9:42:36 PM

yes, i have gotten lots of good feedback. thanks! I am totally satisfied.


Stop with the BC comments because we know about that stuff. we were on bc for a long while.

I was just interested in hearing about what happens to people that are low income and pregnant w/o insurance

[Edited on January 2, 2011 at 9:50 PM. Reason : kp]

1/2/2011 9:46:41 PM

This is going to be long, so skip to the summary if you don't want to read..

You should at least be trying to prevent a pregnancy from happening. Even if the mood strikes, use a damn condom if she doesn't want to take the pill or can't for some reason. If you don't, get the morning after pill the next day (it can be obtained without a prescription). I understand that some women can't take a pill with hormones (I couldn't), but be aware that many of the non-hormonal pills are not as effective (only about 98% if taken at the same time each day). And no form of bc is 100% effective, even though most are pretty damn close.

In addition to actively trying to prevent a pregnancy, there are things you can do to make life at least slightly easier for yourselves if she winds up pregnant and you don't have insurance. The best advice I have is to start actively paying off any revolving debt now. If you carry a balance on any credit cards, start getting rid of them. This will make the financial situation slightly easier when trying to pay the hospital bills. And as many people said, many hospitals will work with you to set up a payment plan. But trying to pay hospital bills, doctor bills (because prenatal care is not included in the delivery costs) And start pricing insurance. A high-deductable plan will mean you pay a few thousand out of pocket, but it will still save you money in the long run. Pregnancy is NOT the only thing you have to worry about... you never know when an emergency might pop up.

For the record, all of this is coming from personal experience. daalians and I are expecting child #1 next month, and it was unplanned. I took the pill at the exact same time every night (had a phone alarm set), without ever missing one, and still ended up pregnant. Thankfully, when we got married, we decided to be proactive and pay off all of our debt so if something happened, we wouldn't be completely fucked. Having a baby is expensive, even with insurance (thankfully, we do), and if you aren't at least slightly financially prepared, you're fucked.

Some numbers to scare you into action (quoted by the insurance lady at my OBGYN):
~$12,000 - Pregnancy if EVERYTHING is perfectly normal
~$18,000 - Pregnancy with a C-section delivery
~$25,000+ - If anything goes wrong, ie-premature birth, eclampsia, etc... Each thing that goes wrong could potentially add about $4000.

------
tl;dr:

-actively try to prevent a pregnancy, whether through pills, condoms, pull out, rhythm, etc.... while realizing nothing is 100% effective
-look into high-deductable insurance plans, as it will still save you money in the long run if the unthinkable happens
-pay off any credit card debt to help prepare yourselves financially in case of pregnancy

1/2/2011 9:49:00 PM

^^ I don't know if you'd be considered low income in the eyes of the government. $40k is above the poverty line in most states.

1/2/2011 10:02:57 PM

Quote :

"I was just interested in hearing about what happens to people that are low income and pregnant w/o insurance"

they get abortions

1/2/2011 10:09:52 PM

Quote :

"BanjoMan: I was just interested in hearing about what happens to people that are low income and pregnant w/o insurance"

You are not low income. You are not even close to low income.

Your girlfriend should have health insurance. You two have more than enough money for her to get insurance.

There are plenty of people with no college education who make way less than you, and they also don't qualify as low income...and miraculously, they get themselves some insurance.

When all this health insurance hoopla was stirred up and people talked about how hard it was for working families to get insurance...they were not talking about you. They were not talking about unmarried, childless college graduates with decent jobs who like to forego all contraceptives and get their romance on. Get the gosh darn insurance.

1/2/2011 10:39:26 PM

Stop having sex until you're responsible enough to handle a pregnancy? (ducks for cover)

[Edited on January 2, 2011 at 10:46 PM. Reason : ]

1/2/2011 10:45:47 PM

Quote :

"I was just interested in hearing about what happens to people that are low income and pregnant w/o insurance "

What the hell do you think happens?

You're a big boy and girl. Don't be an idiot--go get the damn health insurance.

1/2/2011 10:52:08 PM

The problem is a lot of insurances don't kick in until a year after you start so that people can't just buy insurance at a convenient time and cancel it after the convenient time has passed.

1/2/2011 10:57:14 PM

I have never heard of that. What companies/plans do that?

Or rather what do you mean 'kick in'

[Edited on January 2, 2011 at 11:06 PM. Reason : lkj]

1/2/2011 11:05:43 PM

If you have to ask, you can't afford it. insurance exists to make money off your inability to weather financial risk: it isn't there to allow you to make irresponsible decisions. also, there is no IF regarding pregnancy. If she is not comfortable with abortion as a form of birth control (which is nothing but a mega-dose of birth control pills these days), does not have an IUD or some other form of reliable birth control, or loves pets then you WILL end up with an unplanned and underprivileged child.

1/2/2011 11:05:56 PM

...so go get that shit yesterday.

Insurance of any type (car insurance, health insurance, life insurance, homeowner's insurance, extended warranties, income annuities, whatever) is the sacrifice of a little bit of money in exchange for safety in a circumstance when you can't afford to (or don't want to) risk the worst case.

You cannot afford a pregnancy, or a broken leg, or cancer, or much of anything else, even relatively minor, without insurance. You are rolling the dice with financial disaster (and possibly your wife's health).

Quote :

" insurance exists to make money off your inability to weather financial risk: it isn't there to allow you to make irresponsible decisions."

[quote]

That's what I was trying to say, put more succinctly. The more money you have, the more risk you can assume and the more you can reasonable decline various types of insurance. At $40k/year household income, Warren Buffett you are not. Go buy some health insurance ASAP.

[Edited on January 2, 2011 at 11:09 PM. Reason : ]

1/2/2011 11:06:19 PM

Quote :

"If she is not comfortable with abortion as a form of birth control (which is nothing but a mega-dose of birth control pills these days)"

Just...just stop posting.

1/2/2011 11:06:56 PM

A lot of spoiled conservatives ITT

1/2/2011 11:10:14 PM

^^Well, that's true of the morning-after pill. RU-486 is a little different. Wait more than a few weeks, and you're in it for a surgical abortion.

^ Fine, wallow in your self-pity all the way to the poor house...

or learn a lesson the easy way from the "spoiled rich people" who didn't get that way because they were inept at making financial decisions.

[Edited on January 2, 2011 at 11:13 PM. Reason : ]

1/2/2011 11:11:19 PM

1) I went to Planned Parenthood and got on generic birth control for <$6/month, but I volunteered there. I think if she goes there paying out of pocket, it will be ~$30/month. If you're really paranoid, use some condoms too.

2) If not, she can always consider getting an IUD- Medicare/Medicaid should be able to cover almost all of this.

3) If all this fails, abortions are running >$500 these days out of pocket, last time I checked a few years ago at the local clinic. Expensive, sucks for her, etc. You should consider options 1 and 2 before this.

1/2/2011 11:25:46 PM

If I had a wife without insurance coverage, and I was unwilling to have an abortion of any type at any stage, I would make sure she took that pill like clockwork at the exact same time every day, AND I would use condoms every single time, without exception.

...but irrespective of pregnancy, not having health insurance is stupid.

1/2/2011 11:28:51 PM

Thanks for the feedback.

Again, i feel like this thread has taken the direction of "how can I get the govt to pay for having my baby?"

This is not the situation, I am definitely not trying to have a baby now.

1/2/2011 11:32:40 PM

Sounds like a baby is the last thing you need right now. Don't let that put a damper on your sex life. A few alternatives to getting preggers:

1) oral sex
2) anal sex
3) mutual masturbation
4) vibrators + fleshlights

You don't have to forgo sex entirely. Just utilize other holes.

1/2/2011 11:35:34 PM

^ Yaay the backup arrives just in time


I am thinking of getting a snip snip, cuz the bc just ruins our sex life

[Edited on January 2, 2011 at 11:38 PM. Reason : vc]

1/2/2011 11:38:16 PM

Do you ever want to have kids? While a vasectomy is reversible, it's not reversible 100% of the time.

1/2/2011 11:39:58 PM

what if we just elope for insurance coverage.

Would that piss off the conservatives?

^Yes, but not for about 5 years.

[Edited on January 2, 2011 at 11:44 PM. Reason : hb]

1/2/2011 11:43:52 PM

Then don't get snipped. Seriously. It's not always reversible.

You probably should elope. You'll save money and she can get on your insurance. You're getting married anyway ... Eloping is prob a smart option.

1/2/2011 11:49:52 PM

OK problem solved

/thread

1/2/2011 11:59:23 PM

1/3/2011 4:57:06 AM

I thought Obama made insurance free.

1/3/2011 9:12:56 AM

Quote :

"A lot of spoiled conservatives ITT"

Yes, it's only conservatives who think you are being foolish

1/3/2011 9:13:38 AM

^

1/3/2011 9:30:11 AM

If parents have employer provided insurance they can add children up to age 25 regardless of student status now, they child just can not have insurance available from his/her employer. I am not so sure even if she is eligible for this her parents are gonna think to highly of you for knocking her up and not marrying her/making sure she is insured.

If you knock her up and don't marry her sounds like bankruptcy for her afterward is your only option. If you find out she is preg you might want to move your legal wedding up to like tomorrow (@ the courthouse) and have the ceremony later.

1/3/2011 9:36:29 AM

Quote :

"I think you mean Medicaid."

Yes, sorry you are exactly right.

Quote :

"Btw, 40k isn't a lot of money, but if you guys have modest rent and no huge existing debts, isn't this enough to afford either a basic insurance plan or the BC?"

It absolutely is possible. When I got my first job after getting married I made a little less than that and she stayed home with our newborn son. Guess what, we had insurance for the whole family and did just fine. It wasn't cheap, but we made do with not new cars and a shitty little duplex for a while.

Quote :

"the bc just ruins our sex life"

Has she looked at an IUD? We got Mirena and it has worked great. No worries about stupid pills, patches, etc. Its like $200, but it is good for 5 years, so it comes out far cheaper in the end. One or both of us is very fertile, so the condom method alone did not work for us. After the first we did the patch, and within 2 weeks of stopping that she was pregnant with number 2. Now we have been 3+ years on Mirena and no problems whatsoever.

1/3/2011 10:21:56 AM

Quote :

"My wife and I use a mix of pulling out and the rhythm method (spray on safe days, pull out if not a safe day). Worked for 3 years and 3 months before she got pregnant. (she got the day wrong) And it has worked again for 1 year 10 months so far since she gave birth. Just needs self-control on my part and charting her cycle on her part. Easy. Free. Effective."

So what you're saying is that it didn't work

1/3/2011 10:33:01 AM

No, what he's saying is it worked except when it didn't.

1/3/2011 11:46:25 AM

Answer the call of duty from your local recruiter

Military will pay all

1/3/2011 11:50:45 AM

Quote :

"This is not the situation, I am definitely not trying to have a baby now."

then why are you going through the motions????

1/3/2011 12:13:31 PM

I am not, we were on BC till the preccrip ran out. It was just a what if question that we thought about after a close call while on BC.

1/3/2011 1:29:16 PM

It doesn't really matter that this is just a "what if" thread. I'm not impressed by the OPs lack if realization about the reality of the scenario he brings up. What I love most about this site is the real perspective that the users bring to the table in threads just like this (duke, among others for example). It's sad to me that people who have actually walked down the hypothetical road the OP brought up offer up the SOUNDEST/REALEST advice possible this guy could hear, and needs to hear, and he asked for in the thread title...and he results to name calling?? Maybe I'm just fortunate enough to appreciate that these "strangers" are going out of their way to offer you this, but you appear to be the type that prefers to learn all the lessons in life the hard way. Based on your situation you should be thanking every person who had the decency to reaffirm something that should be very obvious already; prioritize your life choices to get insurance for you both ASAP, and don't fall victim to the excuse that using BC (of any form) was inconvenient that ONE time or was too expensive to afford. It's not. That is an excuse for teens who are having sex and aren't old enough to realize the life altering repercussions of being irresponsible about it. Don't be that guy. The fact that you are on this board pretty much means you are too old for that. You don't have to say thanks, but take the advice people are offering up here.

[/rant]

1/3/2011 4:04:03 PM

Quote :

"So what you're saying is that it didn't work"

This is what I was thinking. I remember him loudly singing the praises of his "method" before he knocked up his wife, I figured that little incident would make him rethink matters. Guess I was wrong.

1/3/2011 4:21:15 PM

Oh you know what I forgot to mention, she could also look into Plan B for emergency contraception- effective for up to 72 hours after an "oops moment". Some pharmacists, though, in certain areas may refuse to fill it, citing their religion or whatnot (happened to a friend of mine). Just keep on trying pharmacies until you find one that does.

1/3/2011 4:25:21 PM

Quote :

"BC doesn't work for us b/c without insurance it is expensive "

Babies are expensive....

Quote :

"We do use condoms, but sometimes the romance happens and you just can't help it. "

Are you trolling? What you stated is the problem with this country. People think it is their RIGHT
to have a baby subsidized by the American Tax payer and/or get "surprised" with unwanted pregnancies that
they can not afford. By all means I wish a couple the best of luck with a child they choose to have, however,
it is no mystery where babies come from. Next time before the romance happens wrap your tool.

Quote :

"This effects a lot of the poor class in this country, but I think that a majority of the upper class just doesn't get it. "

upper class.....
A good amount to Blue collar working class america gets it...
What makes one part of the "poor class" is doing stupid shit like getting knocked up at 16 and dropping out of high school.

Quote :

"It's not hard to get. I paid for it out of pocket when I graduated from NCSU and could no longer be on my parent's insurance./quote] This involves self-responsibility.... [quote]^$$ "

My dad at one point worked 2 jobs when I was first born (days at print shop, nights at pizza hut) in order to afford the insurance
and put food on the table.

Quote :

"4.5 years now and we wouldn't have it any other way. Trust me, it's worth it. "

True if you are planning and have the financial means to provide for a baby.

Quote :

" learn a lesson the easy way from the "spoiled rich people" who didn't get that way because they were inept at making financial decisions. "

Nailed it on the head.

[Edited on January 3, 2011 at 5:36 PM. Reason : s]

1/3/2011 5:35:47 PM

The OP never called a user a spoiled rich brat, so calm down. The OP just made a comment about the loads of conservative dogma that were coughed up and unloaded in the thread. It was a what if statement and I got lots of good feedback, and lots of rhetoric that I have heard before about health care. This is not a health care thread. As far as I am concerned the thread is done.

1/3/2011 6:57:50 PM

Quote :

"This shit is what really pisses me off about this country. People (usually comfy upper class white people) don't get how hard it is to get health care if you are over 18 and your parents don't have it. She fits in this category."

It's not hard to get, you just need insurance. I pay probably around 140 bucks for health and dental insurance as a 23 year old male. What you should be getting pissed about is the fact that anyone without insurance will go bankrupt trying to pay for a 3 day stay in a hospital. It's absurd, but a typical result of the third party payer system that we are virtually required to live under.

1/3/2011 7:36:51 PM

Quote :

"This shit is what really pisses me off about this country. People (usually comfy upper class white people) don't get how hard it is to get health care if you are over 18 and your parents don't have it. She fits in this category. Yes she works, but it is one of those jobs where they work you just under the amount required to get insurance. This effects a lot of the poor class in this country, but I think that a majority of the upper class just doesn't get it."

You're willing to risk having a child that you yourself claim to not want right now out of wedlock and without insurance over something that costs roughly the same as a tank of gas every month? And the comfy upper class white people are the ones who don't get it? Grow up and act like an adult.

The people you're bitching about are the ones who got where they are by not making easily preventable and highly expensive choices. They're the reason your birth control only costs $30 a month. And they're primarily the people who are actually paying their medical bills. If you want to complain about the cost of insurance/medical bills look at your brethren who are putting a burden on the system by using the ER like a free clinic.

[Edited on January 3, 2011 at 7:46 PM. Reason : s]

1/3/2011 7:45:34 PM

Quote :

"It's not hard to get, you just need insurance. I pay probably around 140 bucks for health and dental insurance as a 23 year old male. What you should be getting pissed about is the fact that anyone without insurance will go bankrupt trying to pay for a 3 day stay in a hospital. It's absurd, but a typical result of the third party payer system that we are virtually required to live under."

I thought that it was about that much, last time I check in NC it was like 200$

[Edited on January 3, 2011 at 7:53 PM. Reason : vf]

1/3/2011 7:50:33 PM

^^^^ No, you just implied we were "comfy upper class white people" and/or "spoiled conservatives"

1/3/2011 8:07:22 PM

well, I'm sorry

1/3/2011 8:18:18 PM

Quote :

"BC doesn't work for us b/c without insurance it is expensive"

this is the dumbest fucking excuse on the face of the earth

1/3/2011 8:36:04 PM

I'm having a hard time trying to figure out the problem here. If you can't pay for a pregnancy, then use birth control. Or as they say, if you're not prepared to be a papa, keep your pecker in your pants. If you can't figure out how to use birth control, or are too irresponsible to use it, I would really appreciate you following the latter piece of advice.

1/3/2011 8:42:00 PM