"Upon your recommendation, we submitted your fee to our health insurance (United Healthcare) and received word back from them just before the year ended. They covered the doula fee almost 100% (they wrote me a check for $7 less than the fee we paid you)!! I couldn’t believe it when I got the claim notice. I thought for sure we’d have to resubmit a few times with explanation or backup documentation, but it all went through without any of that. I was thrilled to get the notice in the mail and wanted to let you know too. We would have still contracted you as our doula even without the option of getting reimbursed by insurance, so this was just a bonus. Please feel free to relate this on to Teresa or any of your clients."
We think you should always consider filing with your insurance company. We provide a form - a superbill - for you to send in to your insurance company AFTER the birth. Don't contact them ahead of time. Wait to send it in afterward. If you have a less interventive birth, then the likelihood increases that they will consider it. If they tell you up front they will not, no matter what- they will not since it is documented that they told you so.
You can go to www.cappa.net or www.dona.org and copy their position paper documenting the effects of using a doula to substantiate the cost being a benefit to your labor and birth outcome.
Most pretax programs not only cover doula services but also many of our classes.
2 comments:
And here I am the dumbest person on earth because I never got around to submitting it for either of my 2 children... and they probably would have reimbursed me. I'm so kicking myself. I did call once after my life wasn't so hectic with the 2 kids and Colby was already 1 at this point, and they told me they have a 1 year expiration period so I just missed it. Dumb, dumb, dumb. Ladies, listen to your doulas and make the time to SUBMIT YOUR CLAIM to insurance!!!!
I'm so excited to hear that United Healthcare actually paid the claim. Due to my husband changing jobs we just changed to UHC & they'll be covering the pregnancy. I will DEFINITELY be submitting it after I pop this little guy out in May.
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