Take the guesswork out of health care costs for pregnancy

Millennials make up 85 percent of all pregnancies, and while most will experience a healthy pregnancy, a recent analysis of Blue Cross Blue Shield (BCBS) data show this generation is experiencing some of the highest increases in health conditions that could lead to higher risks of pregnancy and childbirth complications. Learn more and get resources to share with your employees with our free "Understanding Millennial Health and Pregnancy" PDF Fileflyer.

This article was last updated on April 22, 2020.

While newly expecting employees may not be ready to share the big news just yet, you can bet they're already diving into details about where to deliver, how benefits will apply, and poring over any other information they can find. Providing self-service, pregnancy-related resources to your employees may offer them peace of mind without getting involved before they're ready.

Learn what's covered for maternity care

After the confirmation of a pregnancy sinks in, the next question your employee might ask is "What's covered by my insurance?" They might want to understand basics like prenatal tests and regular check-ups but may have questions about morning sickness treatments and midwife services, too. Posting a summary of benefits or coverage manual on your intranet site, or otherwise making it easily accessible at any time for your employees, is a great option to share the basics. Next best: Encourage your employees to reach out directly to their insurance provider for details.

Bonus: This helpful, ready-to-share pregnancy FAQ Opens in a new window from Blue^SM lays out answers to common questions. Post it on your business intranet site or share via email for a simple way to highlight tips and available services.

Find a doctor or hospital

Not all doctors (or facilities) are the same, and asking friends and coworkers for recommendations is a perfect way to narrow options down. Wellmark Blue Cross and Blue Shield members can even find ratings and reviews for in-network doctors and an easy-to-use search based on specialty or location. Plus, your employees can see if there's a Blue Distinction Center (BDC) nearby to choose for their delivery.

BDCs for maternity care are hospitals recognized for delivering quality care safely and effectively, based on objective measures developed with input from the medical community.

Enroll in a pregnancy support program

Depending on where your employees choose to deliver, the hospital, clinic or birthing center may have pregnancy programs or free educational classes. Insurance providers may offer pregnancy programs, too. Connect your employees with information from March of Dimes External Site or the Office on Women's Health External Site to locate other easy-to-access digital and local resources.

Understand breastfeeding benefits

Encourage your employees to check their exact benefits for breast pumps through their insurance provider. For Wellmark members, breast pumps are generally covered every two years. Wellmark does require a prescription on any durable medical equipment (DME) Opens in a new window, including breast pumps¹ even if it can be purchased without one.

Your employees can also find benefit information for lactation consultation services External Site (education and one-on-one counseling), which is a required coverage under the Affordable Healthcare Act (ACA).

Find a pediatrician

Your expecting employees will also need to find a pediatrician for their new bundle of joy. They can get recommendations from friends or use the handy search tool mentioned above to read reviews and even see if the doctor is accepting new patients. (Your employees will likely be asked for the chosen pediatrician's information before delivery — so it's helpful to get a head start!)

Psst: Don't forget!

Employees have 60 days after the birth to add their new baby to their insurance coverage Opens in a new window.

Do it all with myWellmark®

myWellmark makes it easy for your employees to research and get answers to these pregnancy-related questions and more with the click of a button. The personalized site is based on their specific benefits, and they can easily message Wellmark customer service with any questions.

Once logged in, your employees have 24/7 access to trusted and helpful digital resources like a pregnancy self-assessment, WebMD® Pregnancy Assistance, Count the Kicks® and text4baby^SM. Employees with high-risk pregnancies — identified via self-assessment and claims data — may receive additional support from an Advanced Care nurse throughout their pregnancy.

The more your employees know about what's covered for maternity care and beyond, the better they will feel about managing their health care dollars.

Questions? Please contact your authorized Wellmark representative.

Check out form number P-2006 on the Wellmark Marketing Toolkit Secure Site for easy-share info about the pregnancy program.

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¹ A manual or standard electric breast pump may be purchased before or after delivery, and cost share will be waived if purchased from an in-network DME provider. Wellmark does not include hospital-grade breast pumps in the cost-share waiver. Wellmark allows electronic and manual pumps to be rented or purchased. However, the hospital-grade breast pumps are subject to your annual deductible and coinsurance.