Midwifery services with BirthSpirit cost about one-quarter to one-third the amount you or your insurance company would pay for mainstream medical prenatal care and hospital birth.
The full fee for uncomplicated homebirth Midwifery Service is $6000. This amount covers:
- A full schedule of prenatal visits in our office – as many as you need
- Attendance by a primary midwife and an assistant at your labor & delivery
- Use of a labor tub, if you desire
- At least 2 postpartum home visits (more if necessary)
- A 6-week postpartum office visit
- Use of the lending library
- Unlimited phone availability
The fee may be paid in lump sums of any amount arranged in the payment plan. We ask that the fee be paid in full by 38 weeks of pregnancy, if at all possible.
Insurance
If you have insurance with maternity benefits, our service may be covered at out-of-network rates. The first step in determining your coverage is to have your benefits verified by our billing service. I will provide you with a form to complete with your insurance information. These experts will verify your benefits to determine your out-of-plan benefits and co-insurance percentages. We ask that you pay a deposit by 38 weeks of pregnancy. This amount will be determined after we verify your benefits and should reflect:
- your anticipated out-of-plan deductible
- anticipated co-insurance amounts (based on the co-insurance percentage that your plans pays after the deductible is satisfied)
Financial Hardship
Whether insured or uninsured, those who qualify under my “financial hardship” process may be eligible for a reduced fee. For those who are insured, this may provide a reduction in the amount of the deductibles and co-payments they are responsible for; for those paying out-of-pocket, it could provide a reduced total payment.
To determine if you qualify for a reduced fee, locate your Total Combined Yearly Gross Income in this chart:
For families/households with more than 8 persons, add $4,540 for each additional person. Counting every person in the household, and including the growing baby as one, follow the row on the chart that represents the number of people in your household to the right until you find the number that is closest to but not over your income. Then note the multiplier at the top of the column – such as 3x. (If your income is greater than the amount in the 4x column, you do not qualify for a discount). Now refer to this chart:
Using the multiplier from the first chart above, follow that row to the right to determine any discount that you may qualify for. Example 1: A family of 4 (mother, father, 2-year-old child, and fetus) has an income of $35,000. According to this chart, their income falls below the 2x column figure of 53,000 for a family of 4. Therefore, if they are paying out of pocket (RED column), they would qualify for a fee that is 50% of the full $6000 fee. If they have insurance that will cover me (BLUE column), they qualify for a waiver of 50% of their deductibles and co-pays. Example 2: A family of 3 (mother, father and fetus) has an income of $76000. Using the first chart, their income puts them in the 3.5x column for a family of 3. Moving to the second chart, this amount would qualify this family to receive a 20% reduction off their insurance deductible and co-insurance responsibilities (BLUE column); or a 20% reduction in the $6000 out-of-pocket fee (RED column) . In any case, the minimum fee is always $3000. If the amount that insurance pays does not reach this amount, the client is responsible for the difference. This lesser amount still covers the full service, as outlined above. Please rest assured that, regardless of the fee amount you qualify for, the care a client will receive is the same. Paying less does not mean you get less service. Clients frequently access Health Savings Accounts or other tax-deferred medical accounts to pay for midwifery services. For more details, contact me personally: 414-313-1464 |