Being pregnant with no insurance is a bit scary because you know that adequate prenatal care is critical for a healthy pregnancy. The good news is that there are a number of options and programs available to pregnant women that will help you to get the care that you need. Many of these programs are not something people know about because most are not heavily advertised. Knowing what these are allows you to compile a list so that you can apply to the programs and get the care that you and your baby need.

Getting Medical Care for You and Your Baby

You will have several prenatal visits to keep an eye on you and your baby as you go throughout your pregnancy. The most common option for pregnant women is Medicaid. This is a government health insurance program and whether or not you qualify will depend on a combination of your income and your household size. You can apply online or through various social service offices throughout the country.

If you do not qualify for Medicaid, you can look into the Children’s Health Insurance Program. This is geared toward children, but it does cover pregnant women and their prenatal care as well.

There are free clinics, such as Planned Parenthood, throughout the country that women can use for prenatal care. These are often low-cost or no-cost, depending on your financial situation. They generally price their care on a sliding scale, so what you pay is based on your income.

Some women are prescribed medications during their pregnancy. It is recommended that all women use prenatal vitamins. There are assistance programs to help with your medications and pharmacies. You can contact the pharmaceutical companies directly because some do offer discount programs. Individual pharmacies also have low-cost programs for their drugs. One of the most popular is Walgreens and it offers a number of drugs at a discount for a small annual fee.

Getting Help with Healthy Foods

When you are pregnant, you know that what you eat is critical for the health of you and your baby. You need to eat a diverse array of food and most of the foods that you eat should be healthy, and therefore, more expensive. WIC and SNAP are the two most popular programs available. These provide you with vouchers or a card, respectively, that you can use to purchase food items. You can also check out local food pantries for supplemental food.

While being pregnant with no insurance is not easy, you now have a number of options to help you get the medical and food help necessary for a healthy pregnancy. As soon as you know that you are pregnant, you should start looking into these programs because it can take time to know whether or not you are approved. Talk to a social worker in your area if you need help learning more about the assistance programs available to you.