EXTREME
CAUTION!

IF WORSE COMES TO WORST,,,

Yes, pregnancy is generally considered a pre-existing condition by insurance companies. Therefore you may be left in the lurch by yet another string of sad experiences. A few shafts of hope are listed below.

Recognize I'm not a lawyer and certainly not licensed in your state, but, speaking from experience alone I can tell you this.. if all else fails, you can just walk in the doors of a hospital and declare yourself an EMERGENCY. EMERGENCIES must be treated.  That is the law. YOU will be treated.

In order to make your case more typical of an emergency -- when your time of delivery draws nigh, go stay elsewhere until your baby is ready.. Then walk in the door, explaining why you couldn't avail yourself of the hospital closer to where you usually live.

EMERGENCIES must be treated. YOU will be treated.

For all their hippocritic oaths, not all hospitals will welcome obviously impoverished and pregnant women. Therefore, IF you've heard of people in dire need of help being turned away from the hospital near you,, CALL AN AMBULANCE, NO hospital will turn you away when you arrive by ambulance.

Don't all ambulances cost money?  No, In many communities, ambulance service is paid for by the community.

I'm sorry this isn't the best of matters, but at least you should be reassured that when push comes to shove, you have an ace up your sleeve.

Other Options 

#1:  In California a couple of options are:

AIM - Aid to Infants and Mothers   

Enrollment Information:
         916-324-4695 / 800-433-2611
Eligibility info:
        Northern CA  1-800-300-1031
        Southern CA  858-492-4422


Baby CAL 1800-222-9999

#2: You can go to work for a company with group insurance coverage by HMO.

#3: You can go to work for a LARGE company with group insurance which may (or may not) accept you.

#4: You can make application for a quote from all the quotes companies I list on
http://www.talewins.com/Life/protect.htm and indicate you are pregnant.

#5: Check with your local Medicaid office and see if you qualify. 
http://www.hcfa.gov/
http://www.hcfa.gov/medicaid/medicaid.htm
http://www.hcfa.gov/init/children.htm
 

Check with WIC to see if you qualify.  WIC is effective in improving the health of pregnant women, new mothers, and their infants. A 1990 study showed that women who participated in the program during their pregnancies had lower Medicaid costs for themselves and their babies than did women who did not participate. WIC participation was also linked with longer gestation periods, higher birthweights and lower infant mortality.

#6: Check NOW to see if there is a University Hospital near you. Sign up immediately, and begin paying for the pregnancy in advance.

#7: Check the doctors and the clinics in your area to see about alternatives.

#8, See if you have enough equity in your home to pay for the delivery.

#9: Call on your family for assistance, then on your local religious leader.

#10: If you are a self-employed individual you may claim a special deduction for health insurance on your form 1040 of 45% of amounts you pay during the taxable year. You may be able to use this as a means of proving to relatives or doctors that you can pay back their loan.

#11: borrow on your credit cards.  This should be your last, your very last opttion.

#12: Contact your state's Department of Insurance ( http://www.talewins.com/Life/res.htm ) and file a complaint on the insurance company which dropped you.

#13: HIPAA ( Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 ) only covers group insurance, while employers with less than 20 employees are not required by law to offer COBRA. If either of these are applicable, contact your employer, or former employer as the case may be.

#14: Go to http://www.talewins.com/Life/Nonins.htm and sign up with either of the companies there.

#15:  Maternity Card is a product from Affordable Healthcare Options specifically developed to help pregnant women afford the ever-increasing expenses for women who do NOT have or can't obtain maternity health insurance. Maternity Card can slash the costs up to 60% *(0%-60%).