Maternity And Parental Leave
Employment Insurance provides maternity and parental benefits to:
- people who are away from work because theyre pregnant or have recently given birth
- parents who are away from work to care for their newborn or newly adopted child
Self-employed people who register for the EI program may also be eligible to receive maternity and parental benefits.
Parents In Covered California Child In Medi
Many parents who are eligible for a health plan with financial help through Covered California will find out their children qualify for Medi-Cal. Sometimes these parents want to decline Medi-Cal and add those children to their Covered California plan. Unfortunately, this isnt an option.
Parents who decline Medi-Cal enrollment for their child will continue to qualify for financial help for their health plan, but children can only be enrolled in a separate, full-cost plan through Covered California.
Births Through Assisted Reproduction Surrogacy Or With Three Or Four Parents
Through the Childrens Law Reform Act, you may be recognized as a parent to a child in certain circumstances. For example, you may be recognized as a parent to a child:
- if the child is born to your spouse, where the child was conceived through assisted reproduction or insemination by sperm donor.
- if you are part of a pre-conception parentage agreement for that child that has no more than four parents in the agreement.
- where the child is born using a surrogate, if you had a surrogacy agreement before the child is conceived, and the surrogate agrees to give up parental rights no earlier than 7 days after the child is born.
You can register the birth online for all of the examples listed above.
If the birth involves a surrogate, make sure that you have the following forms completed, signed and commissioned before starting the online registration. You will need to mail them to the Office of the Registrar General to complete the registration.
Don’t Miss: How To Take Care Of Newborn Baby Girl
Covered California Quotes For Individuals And Families
The Covered California Health Exchange is a government agency that helps Californians comply with Obamacare. To comply with Obamacare, you need to have insurance coverage from a qualified health plan that meets the governments requirements. While you usually can only enroll during the open enrollment period, the birth of a child gives you the ability to apply for Covered California health insurance outside of the open enrollment period.
Parents who are expecting a newborn may want to consider shopping for a new insurance plan for the following reasons:
- The cost of adding your newborn to your pre-existing plan is high.
- You and your partner do not currently have insurance.
- You and your partner would like to get on an insurance plan together when the child is born.
Fill out a simple online form with some basic information, including your income, and youll see a variety of plans in your search results. The details you will be able to compare include:
- Carrier Name
- Plan Category
- Plan Type
- Full Price of Plan
- Subsidy Amount You Qualify For
- Link to View Benefits
Your income level may qualify you for discounted rates all of which you can find on the Health for America website. There are additional parameters for pregnant women with low incomes, too. As a female who is expecting, you could qualify for Medi-Cal. Entering your household income information in the optional section of the forms will ensure all of the plans you are eligible for will appear in the results.
If You Dont Have Health Coverage
- Health coverage makes it easier to get the medical check-ups and screening tests to help keep both you and your baby healthy during pregnancy.
- If you qualify for a Special Enrollment Period due to a life event like moving or losing other coverage, you may be able to enroll in a Marketplace health plan right now. Being pregnant doesnt make you eligible, but the birth of a child does.
- Create an account now to apply for Marketplace coverage through the Open Enrollment Period or a Special Enrollment Period. If you select the option to get help paying for coverage on your application, youll be asked if youre pregnant. Reporting your pregnancy may help you and your family members get the most affordable coverage.
- If you dont qualify for a Special Enrollment Period right now, youll be eligible to apply within 60 days of your childs birth. You can also enroll in 2021 coverage during the next Open Enrollment Period this fall.
- If eligible for Medicaid or CHIP, your coverage can begin at any time.
Recommended Reading: How Often Do Formula Fed Newborns Eat
Why Get A Social Security Number For Your Child
In light of recent data concerns, many people might wonder why you need a Social Security number for your child in the first place. Its not required legally, yet many parents apply for this number before leaving the hospital. As we mentioned above, this is an important legal number to have on hand.
The most common reason to apply for this number for your child is for tax purposes. If you want to claim your child on your federal income tax, youll need to provide their Social Security number. Theyre treated the same as any other dependent.
However, this isnt the only reason to secure this number. Other common reasons include:
- Health insurance for your child
- Bank or savings account for your child
- Savings bonds for your child
- Government benefits or services
- Beneficiary purposes if you start end-of-life planning
As you can see, there are a lot of reasons to start this process for your child. Applying for a Social Security number for a newborn or even an adopted child is easier than you think. With just a few short steps, theres no reason not to get a number for your child.
Create a free Cake end-of-life planning profile and instantly share your health, legal, funeral, and legacy decisions with a loved one.
» MORE:
See If Your Children Qualify And Apply For Chip
Each state program has its own rules about who qualifies for CHIP. You can apply right now, any time of year, and find out if you qualify. If you apply for Medicaid coverage to your state agency, youll also find out if your children qualify for CHIP. If they qualify, you won’t have to buy an insurance plan to cover them.
Also Check: How Much Formula Needed For Newborn
If You Have Medicaid Or Chip
- If found eligible during your pregnancy, youll be covered for 60 days after you give birth. After 60 days, you may no longer qualify. Your state Medicaid or CHIP agency will notify you if your coverage is ending. You can enroll in a Marketplace plan during this time to avoid a break in coverage.
- If you have Medicaid when you give birth, your newborn is automatically enrolled in Medicaid coverage, and theyll remain eligible for at least a year.
May Group Health Plans Insurance Companies Or Hmos Impose Deductibles Or Other Cost
Yes, but only if the deductible, coinsurance, or other cost sharing for the later part of a 48-hour stay is not greater than that imposed for the earlier part of the stay. For example, with respect to a 48-hour stay, a group health plan is permitted to cover only 80 percent of the cost of the hospital stay. However, a plan covering 80 percent of the cost of the first 24 hours could not reduce coverage to 50 percent for the second 24 hours.
Don’t Miss: How Do You Get Insurance For A Newborn
Risk Of Not Having Newborn Insurance Coverage In California
Care for newborns tops the list as most expensive insurance claims. The key to minimizing cost and making sure your new addition is covered is planning. Theres a lot to do when youre planning for a new member of the family, especially in those first 30 days. If you havent decided what to do about getting insurance for your newborn in California before your little one arrives, it can be easy to forget insurance coverage in the midst of adjusting to life as a parent. When you do remember, theres often paperwork that needs to be completed, and coverage isnt instant leaving your new bundle of joy at risk of being without health insurance, and you with the significant financial burden that comes with post-partum out-of-pocket expenses. So what can you do to ensure your baby is protected?
The Mother And/or Father Has An Individual Or Family Health Insurance Plan
If you have an individual or family health insurance plan, call your insurance company directly and talk to them about what options they offer for adding a newborn to your plan. You should ask them questions such as:
- How much will it cost to add my newborn to my individual or family plan?
- What process do I need to follow to get my newborn added to my plan?
- When will coverage begin for my newborn?
- Will the coverage for my newborn be the same as my coverage?
If this is not your first child, you may be pleasantly surprised to find that the increase you had with the first baby will not occur with your second or third. Its also important to note that when you add another child to the family, its often worth revisiting health insurance plans for the entire family. For example, you may have your child on a separate plan, but now that you have two children, there may be a better family plan rate available.
If parents are not on the same individual or family health plan, its important to compare coverage to see whether the mother or fathers health insurance policy offers the better value for the newborn. This may also be an opportunity to get more value from your health insurance policy by searching for a family health insurance policy that covers both parents and the new child.
You May Like: What Vaccines Do Newborns Get At Birth
Is This Doctor A Good Fit For Me
After you’ve had a chance to talk with the doctor and other members of the care team, do you feel you will work well together? Is the doctor willing to explain things carefully? Does the doctor seem to be a good listener? Will you be comfortable asking questions? Do you think the doctor would mind if you wanted to get a second opinion?
Do you and your doctor share beliefs about issues that are important to you? For example, how does the doctor feel about circumcision? Breastfeeding? Alternative or integrative medicines or techniques? Use of antibiotics and other medicines? Remember that the doctor may be seeing your child for years to come.
Keep your notes about the doctors you didn’t select. If your insurance changes, you may find yourself looking for a new doctor. Or it may take a while to find a doctor you’re happy with.
Choosing a health care provider before your baby is born will help you feel confident about your baby’s care. Knowing you have chosen the right doctor will help you feel calmer and more in control.
Is It Permissible For My Health Plan Insurance Company Or Hmo To Require Me To Get Permission For A 48
No. Plans, insurance companies and HMOs cannot deny your coverage for the 48-hour hospital stay based on a failure to show medical necessity. However, plans, insurance companies, and HMOs can deny coverage for any portion of the stay that is longer than 48 hours based on their determination of whether it is medically necessary.
In addition, a plan may require you to give notice of pregnancy before admission to the hospital in order to obtain more favorable cost sharing. However, a plan may not reduce your benefits because your pregnancy began before the first day of coverage and you failed to give notice of the pregnancy before becoming covered under the plan. This type of plan provision operates as a preexisting condition exclusion and these exclusions cannot be applied to pregnancy.
Recommended Reading: How Many Layers Should A Newborn Sleep In
Signs A Newborn Is Sick
If you notice any of the following symptoms with your baby, its best to call your doctor just to be sure:
- Refuses to feed for multiple feedings in a row.
- Has diarrhea and vomits more than usual.
- Has a cold that does not improve, or that gets worse.
- Has a rash.
- Has signs of dehydration .
- Has ear drainage.
- Will not stop crying.
More serious reasons to call your doctor or take your baby to the doctor as soon as possible include:
- Has any type of poisoning.
- Has bleeding that you cannot stop.
- Is not able to move.
- Has a rectal temperature of 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit or higher.
- Has yellow skin or eyes.
- Sleeps more than usual or will not wake up.
If you have any questions or concerns about your newborn, do not hesitate to call your doctor. Parental instincts are usually right and its better to make sure everything is OK than assume it will be in time.
Neither Parent Has Health Insurance
If insurance is available through the mother or fathers employer, talk to the human resources office about what coverage is available. Remember that in California, a newborn can be added to a mother or fathers policy within the first 30 days. The parents of the child do not need to be married.
If insurance is not available through an employer, begin shopping for an insurance policy. Whether youre searching for an individual plan that you can eventually add your child to or a child-only insurance plan that will cover your child, search online through the Health for California to learn what coverage is available and how much it will cost. You can also learn more about the different categories of plans as you browse our website to see what plan offers the best value for you and your newborn.
You May Like: Is Infant Formula Safe For Newborns
Wait For Your Childs Card
Once youve applied either through the hospital or your local Social Security Administration office, its time to wait for your childs card. This takes anywhere from 2 to 12 weeks. The processing time varies by state.
If your child is over a year old, this process might take even longer. Because the Social Security Administration needs to contact your states department of statistics to confirm your child’s birth certificate is valid, this is a longer process.
Gather Your Supporting Documents
When you apply for AHCIP coverage, you must provide supporting documents that prove:
- Alberta residency
- legal entitlement to be in Canada
Alberta residency documents include:
- bills such as utilities and phone bills
- mortgage or rental agreement
- Permanent resident card
- First Nations/Inuit/Métis card
- Alberta drivers license
Legal entitlement to be in Canada documents include:
- Canadian passport
- Permanent resident card
- First Nations/Inuit/Métis card
- Canadian birth certificate
- Canada entry document
- Canadian citizenship card or certificate
If these supporting documents are not provided, your application cannot be processed.
Additional supporting documents may be requested to confirm AHCIP eligibility.
You May Like: What Is A Good Going Home Outfit For Newborn