Pregnant and coming to the USA on K1 (How much will it cost us)

[lilsadie 50]

Hi Guys,

I'm looking for advice from people who have been or are pregnant and are coming to the USA on a K1 visa.

How did you find insurance? (My partner lives with me in Australia so I cannot get it through her employer as she will not have any either)

Were there alot of out of pocket expenses when you arrived for medical care?

We are trying to find out if it will financially ruin us if I was to get pregnant just before coming over to the states.

We have limited options due to having recently gone through IVF and having embryos left here in Aus. It will cost several thousands of $$ to bring them to the USA (Which we will do) but it will be much much cheaper if we do another round here in Aus and then ship them in a year or so.

Thanks for any advice.

[canadian_wife 1,791]

Congrats on the pregnancy! how far along is she?

Giving birth in the US is going to be very expensive, is it possible to hold off coming to the US after the baby has been born in Australia?

good luck

[lilsadie 50]

Congrats on the pregnancy! how far along is she?

Giving birth in the US is going to be very expensive, is it possible to hold off coming to the US after the baby has been born in Australia?

good luck

Hi,

Its me that will be pregnant! I'm not yet but we were thinking of doing it before we left. (Were doing IVF so we have a little more control over timing, etc.)

I'm thinking it could be too expensive though? Sigh. If only I could work the USA medical insurance system out!!

[kzielu 1,147]

Well, my wife's delivery bills were in the range of $35k - that included c-section (that's what was submitted to insurer. Even if you're going to get insurance (which you will have to - per ACA), it will still have deductible, so expect at least couple of thousand dollars of out of pocket expenses with insurance.

[lilsadie 50]

Well, my wife's delivery bills were in the range of $35k - that included c-section (that's what was submitted to insurer. Even if you're going to get insurance (which you will have to - per ACA), it will still have deductible, so expect at least couple of thousand dollars of out of pocket expenses with insurance.

Oh MAN!!!!

I've just paid $25000 for the IVF. I dont think I could spend that again on the birth! Looks like Ill wait till my wife to be gets a good job!!

Thanks so much for the feed back!

Well, my wife's delivery bills were in the range of $35k - that included c-section (that's what was submitted to insurer. Even if you're going to get insurance (which you will have to - per ACA), it will still have deductible, so expect at least couple of thousand dollars of out of pocket expenses with insurance.

Just to clarify, whats the ACA?

[Penguin_ie 5,984]

**** Moving from K1 to Moving Here forum as not related to the fiance visa itself *****

The cost of pregnancy and birth will vary widely depending on where in the USA you are, as well as the type of both )vaginal or c-section). With IVF, if you plan on transfering more than one, there is also the consideration of twins or higher order multiples, which would mean a high risk pregnancy which is also more expensive. We self-paid for a pregnancy and birth in Arkansas and paid just under $10'000 for a normal, uncomplicated pregnancy and birth of a singleton. This was with a 33% discount for paying all scheduled labs and hospital stay at the first appointment.

[jfgk1987 303]

It depends on where you're going to live in the US. I work at a hospital in The Bronx, NY and it costs about 15k for a normal birth and up to 25k for a c-section there.

Here's a nifty set of charts I found that breaks down the costs by state, the data is from 2010 but you can assume the price increases every year.

[Tisa 9]

Does that mean that giving birth in the US will always cost you something even with insurance?? I'm from germany and everyone has insurance over there so giving birth doesn't cost you anything at all. I always thought it would be the same in the U.S. having insurance??

[belinda63 2,981]

Every insurance plan is different. There is a co-pay which is the amount you pay each time you see a doctor. There is a deductible which is the amount you must pay prior to the insurance paying anything. The deductible can be anywhere from $500 to several thousand. Then there is total out-of-pocket which is the most you would have to pay per year. The only insurance I know of where you don't have to pay anything is Medicaid.

[lirpa11 16]

So with insurance, is there waiting periods?

I am a USC, and my husband and I have been trying for a baby for a year and half with no luck and will be trying a round of ivf here in Australia before we head to usa. We're only 26, and the costs for ivf here will be around $3800 out of pocket while I've read it's approx $12,000 in USA. Definitely worth trying here to save the extra money.

I really want t be with family in the usa when a baby comes along though so we will deliver there eventually (when it happens!) but I have also worried about the price. We will manage regardless. We are selling our house in australia so should be able to pay straight up for the delivery, but will insurance cover any of it? We plan on getting insurance ASAP and I have been looking at what's on offer, but agree with the previous poster it's hard to understand!

[Penguin_ie 5,984]

Yes, most private insurance as a 12 months waiting period on maternity.

[msbau764 245]

Yes, most private insurance as a 12 months waiting period on maternity.

Not true. Most insurances also make exceptions for life-changing events. Marriage, Birth. It is illegal to deny someone insurance because they are pregnant

[AngieandScratcha 1]

I think Obama made it illegal to deny coverage for pre existing conditions.

K-1 visas are for people that are not married. You get the visa to come to the United States to Marry.

However, coming to a new county and setting up your home and getting the whole immigration thing out of the way is really stressful.

That's really going to be up to your spouse and yourself to decide what you want to do.

With Obamacare you have to be a PR with a green card to get it, some have said it is expensive my professor being one of them was not a big fan, and private insurance can take up to 90 days to start from the time you get a job.

It depends on what career your in and some luck.

[d3adc0d3 186]

Once you're married your husband can add you to his health insurance plan; if he doesn't have one you can apply for health insurance through the Obamacare plan once you have a SSN (4-6 weeks after you apply - and you can apply same day you arrive). The co-payments for pre and post natal care are the same as a normal Dr's visit typically (~$20 a visit). The care for the hospital visit to give birth should have almost no out-of-pocket costs.

Have your fiance check with his employer if he has one about adding you to his plan and shop Obamacare plans for you. Make sure he notates that you're pregant so they can modify plans to care for your pre and post natal care.

Giving birth in the US is absurd without insurance, but if you have it, it's not too bad at all.

[Niceb 2]

I'm curious about this too as I am 9 weeks pregnant. I won the DV2015. My interview will be some time in January. We will have 6 months to enter the US after. As the baby is due in June it will be tricky. I am really sitting on the fence over the issue. I was thinking about giving birth in the US so my child would be American, however as my husband and I will be going without jobs I am worried about the cost. We need to keep our savings to survive until one of us gets a job.With a Greencard is one eligible for Obamacare or will we have to pay over $10,000 to have the baby there?