Medical Assistance in Maryland

amother

Thu, Mar 07 2013, 7:57 pm

I have a Q about medical assistance in MD.

If I have my own medical insurance, however am pregnant and will need insurance for my child and I meet the income criteria, can I apply for it for just my child and not myself? How do I go about doing this?

wife2

Thu, Mar 07 2013, 8:04 pm

I had insurance for me that did not cover the baby. You cannot apply for the baby before the baby is born and you need to have insurance for the baby when you are in the hospital. I applied for medical assistance for myself but only used my primary insurance for charges for me. then after the birth the baby is automatically given a medical assistance number and my medical assistance expired since I was no longer pregnant. It is very important to apply for your baby before the birth as you never know what expenses come up. We had to go to the doctor many times the first month.

amother

Thu, Mar 07 2013, 8:06 pm

wife2 wrote:

How is someone supposed to have insurance for the baby once the baby is born if you're not allowed to apply for the baby beforehand?? In general (even not with medical assistance) How is this achieved??

And won't I end up with insurance issues if I apply for medical assistance if I already have insurance?

wife2

Thu, Mar 07 2013, 8:13 pm

your first insurance is your primary insurance. medical assistance is secondary insurance. it is okay to have 2 insurances - you can put the one you have on your application. the doctor/hospital bills the primary insurance and whatever outstanding charges are not covered are paid by the secondary insurance (medical assistance). I have very good insurance for myself and the hospital bill still had a few hundred dollars that were not covered.

most insurances allow the baby to be covered on the mother's policy for the first 30 days since they know you cannot get insurance the day the baby is born. your insurance may cover the baby for the first month. however, I still recommend getting insurance before b/c you don't want to deal with calling and paperwork right after you had the baby. get it taken care of ahead of time so that it will be a smooth transfer. then the hospital usually does the paperwork and the insurance gets the bills so they know you had the baby and automatically add the baby and give the baby a medical assistance number and you don't need to do anything.