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Ohio

Pregnancy, birth and the first year in Ohio, in 14 topics: from who runs maternal and child health to what happens at your newborn's screening.

Insurance

In Ohio, various health insurance options are available to help cover the costs of pregnancy and childbirth care. These include private insurance plans, Medicaid, and specialized programs aimed at ensuring expectant parents have access to necessary medical services. Here are some key programs and services:

  1. State Plans and Programs

a. Ohio Medicaid programs
Ohio Medicaid provides comprehensive health coverage for low-income pregnant individuals, including prenatal and postpartum visits, hospital and delivery costs, and infant care through the first year of life.

Eligibility is based on household income and size. Learn more and apply at Ohio's Medicaid Program.

b. Ohio’s Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP): A special program under Medicaid, Healthy Start, offers coverage for pregnant individuals and children up to age 19. It provides prenatal care and ultrasounds, labor and delivery services, and newborn and well-baby care. Learn more at Healthy Start.

  1. Employer-Sponsored Health Plans

Many Ohio employers offer health insurance that includes maternity and newborn care under group health plans. Coverage typically includes prenatal checkups, delivery and hospital stays, postpartum care, newborn screening and pediatric care. Spouses and dependents may also be eligible for coverage under family plans.

  1. Health Insurance Marketplace

Through the Health Insurance Marketplace, Ohio residents can compare and enroll in health plans that cover maternity and newborn care (an essential benefit under the ACA), doctor visits, lab services, and hospital delivery. Ohioans can compare and enroll in plans through the federal marketplace at Healthcare.gov.

  1. Private/Individual Health Insurance Plans

Private health insurance purchased outside the marketplace may also provide coverage, though benefits can vary.

Parents’ health insurance plan (if that plan offers dependent coverage) can also cover pregnant dependents before their 26th birthday. Employer-sponsored coverage for dependents usually ends during the month of the child’s 26th birthday. If the dependent is covered under their parents' Marketplace plan, the dependent can stay on their parents' plan until December 31 of the year they turn 26.

  1. Other Assistance Programs

a. Indian Health Service (IHS): American Indian and Alaska Native individuals living in Ohio may be eligible for IHS or tribal health clinic services, which include prenatal care and childbirth support.

b. Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs): FQHCs and community health clinics across Ohio offer prenatal, postpartum, and pediatric care on a sliding fee scale based on income. Find an FQHC in Ohio

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