What are our plans for adding another baby to the family?
(Whoa, three babies.)
The open enrollment period for our insurance plan is this month and we are adding a maternity rider with the typical 6 month waiting period required before conception. So that puts us in January at the earliest.
Beyond that, I've enjoyed getting pregnant in the Summer and having my babies in the Spring although I'm feeling a lot more relaxed about how it all plays out this time. I'm open to getting pregnant in any season, and can see the perks of being pregnant and giving birth at any point in a given year.
On good days, and in projecting what life will be like in the future when the boys are 2.5 and 4 for example, or 3 and 5, adding another person to the family feels reasonable and manageable. On days that I feel challenged I have a hard time wrapping my head around EVER having more than two kids, but fortunately those feelings are fleeting and at worst they simplify the big question of when by letting me know NOT NOW, that we are still learning about life as a family of four.
I've been pregnant or nursing for more than three continuous years. My relationship with the kids is still very physically demanding. I'm trying to be better at recognizing and respecting my own boundaries. I know that learning to do this is important for me and for the kids and that it will be good for all of us if I have some more time in between to pause and refuel before beginning the process again. Andy and I want to pace life's big changes, if we can, but we hope to have another little one on the way by June of next year.
Like before, I have a list of things I want to do beforehand. Some items are related to the kids like getting Roscoe out of diapers, and weaning Merritt. Others are about preparing my body to carry a baby to term and doing everything possible to prevent another premature birth. The rest of the to-dos are about enjoying life right now, because it's so good, and savoring the freedoms that continue to come with time.
I turn 30 in two months and the plan is to have two more babies born by the time I turn 35. (Although, the final number seems up for debate lately.) Ideally, I would love to have two girls next, but, given that boys seem to be in the genes, I won't be wagering any confident bets. I also think it would be intense and wonderful to have a house of boys. I guess we'll just have to wait and see!
What do you consider to be ideal spacing for siblings and for parents?
Showing posts with label Health Insurance. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Health Insurance. Show all posts
June 7, 2012
December 21, 2009
Happy Happy Holiday!!
Last night I sent a letter to the brokerage company explaining the context of the maternity rider situation. This morning at 11:00 I got a phone call from the owner stating that he was able to circumvent the system, and will facilitate the addition of the rider to my policy as long as I retroactively pay for the months of November and December. This also means that I'm covered retroactively and we could get pregnant as early as May--not that we will!
What a relief! And I didn't have to expend nearly as much time or energy as I thought I might.
What a relief! And I didn't have to expend nearly as much time or energy as I thought I might.
December 18, 2009
Ya got me covered?! Oh wait....
When I returned to work after maternity leave I reduced my schedule to a 17.5 hour work-week, and my status changed from full-time to “temporary, part-time, off-site, employee.” I forfeited all paid benefits for the sweet opportunity to enjoy being a mother.
Losing my health insurance stressed me out the most, especially with a pre-existing condition and my complete and utterly compulsive nature when it comes to hypochondria and access to the providers I know and love.
When I was 20 weeks pregnant with Roscoe, Andy and I decided that our first babe would be born at home. Soon after, I left a traditional group practice with physicians and midwives to hire an independent nurse-midwife who continued my prenatal care and later delivered Roscoe. As great as my insurance was at the time, it did not cover homebirth so we paid for the cost out-of-pocket. After verifying that the new policy would be accepted by all my current doctors, my secondary focus was maternity coverage.
Employer based health insurance is relatively comprehensive and straightforward for the consumer; I know very little about private insurance. In September I contacted an expert on the topic, an insurance broker, to learn more about my options. I chose a plan that consists of a base rate with added-on “riders” for extras like dental, immunizations, and maternity. The maternity rider costs an additional $71/month and—as I was told repeatedly—it must be added to the insurance policy at least 6 months before conception, or the pregnancy will not be covered.
On October 31st I said goodbye to solid group health insurance, and hello to a $700 monthly premium for a private individual insurance plan under which the three of us are now covered.
We opted not to add the rider in October when we initially purchased the insurance because we weren't planning to get pregnant until the Summer. Yesterday I called Anthem to request the addition of the maternity rider—we’re 6 months out already!!! I was surprised to learn that open enrollment periods apply to individual insurance too, and that I can only add the maternity rider when I renew the policy (next year!), change policies, or decrease my deductible.
In all the maternity related conversations I had with Anthem and the insurance broker, this fact was never brought to my attention.
Who to blame!?!?
Anthem says it was my broker’s responsibility. When I called him to share that I would be filing with Anthem a formal complaint against him (and actually, I was hoping he would take a stab at rectifying the situation), he attempted to manipulate the truth by insisting that while he did tell me the rider could only be added at certain times of the year, he also considers this information such common knowledge that he shouldn’t have had to explain it to me in the first place…he continued whining that he doesn’t have time (and shouldn't be expected) to explain every little detail written in my contract with Anthem.
American Benefits Planning is so-o customer service oriented!
As it stands, Anthem dictates when we will have our next child. According to them we cannot conceive before July 2011. Lunacy!
Losing my health insurance stressed me out the most, especially with a pre-existing condition and my complete and utterly compulsive nature when it comes to hypochondria and access to the providers I know and love.
When I was 20 weeks pregnant with Roscoe, Andy and I decided that our first babe would be born at home. Soon after, I left a traditional group practice with physicians and midwives to hire an independent nurse-midwife who continued my prenatal care and later delivered Roscoe. As great as my insurance was at the time, it did not cover homebirth so we paid for the cost out-of-pocket. After verifying that the new policy would be accepted by all my current doctors, my secondary focus was maternity coverage.
Employer based health insurance is relatively comprehensive and straightforward for the consumer; I know very little about private insurance. In September I contacted an expert on the topic, an insurance broker, to learn more about my options. I chose a plan that consists of a base rate with added-on “riders” for extras like dental, immunizations, and maternity. The maternity rider costs an additional $71/month and—as I was told repeatedly—it must be added to the insurance policy at least 6 months before conception, or the pregnancy will not be covered.
On October 31st I said goodbye to solid group health insurance, and hello to a $700 monthly premium for a private individual insurance plan under which the three of us are now covered.
We opted not to add the rider in October when we initially purchased the insurance because we weren't planning to get pregnant until the Summer. Yesterday I called Anthem to request the addition of the maternity rider—we’re 6 months out already!!! I was surprised to learn that open enrollment periods apply to individual insurance too, and that I can only add the maternity rider when I renew the policy (next year!), change policies, or decrease my deductible.
In all the maternity related conversations I had with Anthem and the insurance broker, this fact was never brought to my attention.
Who to blame!?!?
Anthem says it was my broker’s responsibility. When I called him to share that I would be filing with Anthem a formal complaint against him (and actually, I was hoping he would take a stab at rectifying the situation), he attempted to manipulate the truth by insisting that while he did tell me the rider could only be added at certain times of the year, he also considers this information such common knowledge that he shouldn’t have had to explain it to me in the first place…he continued whining that he doesn’t have time (and shouldn't be expected) to explain every little detail written in my contract with Anthem.
American Benefits Planning is so-o customer service oriented!
As it stands, Anthem dictates when we will have our next child. According to them we cannot conceive before July 2011. Lunacy!
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