Hi Everyone, I am in a very hard situation and any advice would be great. I am a Permanent Resident ( got my green card about a month ago) and I recently found out that I am pregnant. This is not a good time however because my husband got laid off and is currently good back to school and is starting a part-time job in January ( he is on unemployment) So we have little ( no money) and no health insurance, so I can not go to the doctor. I would like to know if there is any programs, benefits or low income health insurance I can apply for ( or low income prenatal care) I live in Arizona and they have Access health insurance here ( I think it is for low income family) can I apply for this? Will these programs violate my I-864? Is my I-864 still valid since I am now a LPR? Any advice would be great, because I am really stress-out and worried by this whole situation .

I am truly sorry to hear about your situation. When I needed to get some shots and found out they cost so much (even with insurance, which don't cover the shots I needed), I went online (yahoo) and did a search on health clinics at my area. I then called every single one of them and found out they actually offer a lot of free medical stuff (not just shots). Maybe this is something you could do. Sorry I can't answer your question about the 1-864 but I hope this info can somehow help you. God bless you guys and hang in there!!! Stay strong!

The I-864 remains binding on your husband until you have 40 quarters of work in the US or until you naturalize.

There is assistance out there that is totally private and not funded by the state. You just have to look around for it. Start with Catholic Community Charities and proceed from there. Help is out there if you know where to look.

http://www.ahcccs.state.az.us/Services/Programs/babyAZ.asp found this not sure if it is the same as Access. Maybe your husband will find something with group insurance, that would be a great help in your situation. There was a good thread on this topic but I can not locate it, and can't recall the OP's name. It was suggested to try midwifes and birthing centers which tend to be less expensive than a traditional delivery provided you have no complications. I think as well it was suggested to talk to the hospital ahead of time to make arrangements for lower cost and payment methods.

http://www.birthcenters.org/fabc/featuredbc/az-bwhc.php

Many states have programs to treat uninsured people but it may violate your I864 - call and check around. I also know that some doctors will provide their services for free to the poor/needy - so maybe even calling local doctors offices and explaining your situation and asking if they will provide free services is an option (my sister who is a doctor and retiring; often did that and I heard that other doctors also do this. This was in Denver.) Good Luck

Means Tested Public Benefits

Can the sponsored applicant use government assistance or public benefits?

If the sponsored immigrant uses federal means tested public benefits, the sponsor is responsible for repaying the cost of the benefits.

What are federal means tested public benefits?

Federal means tested public benefits are the following:

Food stamps
Supplemental Security Income (SSI)
Medicaid
Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF)
State Child Health Insurance Program (CHIP)

What assistance programs are not considered means tested public benefit programs?

The following types of assistance are not considered means tested public benefits and do not have to be repaid by sponsor.

Emergency Medicaid
School lunches
Immunizations and treatment for communicable diseases
Student assistance to attend colleges and institutions of higher learning
Some kinds of foster care or adoption assistance
Job training programs
Head start
Short-term, non-cash emergency relief

I know it won't help right now during the pregnancy, however, your child will be American by birth and not subject to the Affidavit of Support, so your husband and you could use available benefits for your child's healthcare and well-being, once born. In the meantime, good luck at finding what you need.

Sorry to hear about your situation. I haven't researched on the Federal benefits stuff so can't share any information on that. But there is a wonderful organisation called Planned Parenthood out there which deals with women's health issues and assists women with low/no income.

They have quite a few service centers in Arizona. Contact them, they should be able to help. Details on :

http://www.plannedparenthood.org/

Good luck & Merry Christmas

Charuhans

Call your local hospitals. Some have special programs for families without health insurance. They charge a fee for the obstatrician and hospital stay and allow you to make payments over time. The cost is usally a fraction of what the charge would be if you were going through an insurance company. The doctors participating agree to the terms.