How can I get Kaiser to pay for home birth?
Q: First of all thank you for your dedication to this cause. The movie elucidated the great work midwives do and it only solidified my desire to have a home birth. I live in California and my HMO is Kaiser Permanente. I was told they do not cover home births or birthing centers but do you know if there is a way around this? Are there any loopholes or advocacy I can do in order to get them to pay for a home birth? If I take this route I realize I may have to pay up front but it would be great if they could reimburse me. I feel like there has to be a way but I don’t know where to start. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thank you much!
Aurora F.
A: Dear Aurora, I am in San Francisco and we deal with Kaiser quite frequently. I have never had them pay for a homebirth. However, I think it is a great question and if you are willing to push the issue, you should write a letter to them directly. State that you are interested in a service that they do not provide, therefore have had to go outside of their network to find a midwife. If more consumers do that, and if Kaiser begins to realize how much MONEY they will save, they may begin to think about it. Good luck and welcome to midwifery politics!
Maria Iorillo, LM, CPM
www.wisewomanchildbirth.com
wisewomanchildbirth.blogspot.com
Lynn Hughes says:
There is a relationship between Group Health Cooperative and Kaiser (if you are a member of one and are traveling, the other will cover. Beyond that I’m not clear on the details, though there may be a history)
Group Health has been contracting with Washington State midwives since the late ’90’s for home births.
Just thought this detail might be helpful, Aurora, if you are trying to make a case.