How much does a home birth midwife cost in Orlando, FL in 2024?

If you're planning or thinking about midwifery care, a significant aspect is your financial plan. This short guide will discuss the costs of hiring a midwife in Central Florida.

The costs

As of October 2024, a home birth through a midwife in Central Florida costs between $7,000 and $10,000. If you're reading this much further in the future, the costs might be higher because of inflation.

For those who are looking for a hospital birth with prenatal care from a midwife, it costs roughly around $4,500.

At Moments Midwifery, we offer transparent pricing on our website. Visit our pricing page for more details. We pride ourselves on including more in our standard of care than typical.

Why aren't most home birth midwives in network with insurance companies?

When in network with an insurance company, insurance companies will pay minimally for a home birth midwife. On these numbers alone, a midwifery practice cannot be financially sustainable.

Yes, Florida law requires insurance companies to cover licensed midwives. Most midwives can give you a global bill you can provide to your insurance company.

"(7)(c) This section does not prevent a policy from imposing deductibles, coinsurance, or other cost sharing in relation to benefits..."

The law does not stop insurance companies from charging high deductibles, coinsurance, or other fees. These fees lower the amount they will pay you back.

In my experience, many insurance companies make it difficult for people to get reimbursed for any amount. In some cases, it may take years for you to get any money back.

Why aren't most home birth midwives accepting Medicaid?

Like insurance companies, Medicaid pays meagerly for midwifery services. Sometimes, it can be less than 10% of the cash-pay services. Based on these numbers, a midwifery business cannot be financially viable with many Medicaid patients.

Therefore, some midwives in a network with some Medicaid health insurance companies take a few Medicaid patients a month. Many have stopped taking Medicaid at all. To make things worse, some birth centers have stopped accepting Medicaid. In theory, they should since they usually have more patients than home-birth midwives.

Too expensive? Here's some ideas you can try

A home birth is usually cheaper than a hospital birth. However, depending on your insurance, your out-of-pocket costs can be greater than those of a hospital birth.

I understand how frustrating it can be to pay for insurance and have little control over what it covers. So here are some ideas besides the obvious, such as asking friends and family for help.

1. Plan and budget

Most midwives offer payment plans, under which you pay for portions of your care until you're 34-36 weeks pregnant.

For example, if you start midwifery care at eight weeks pregnant, you have seven months to pay the balance.

So here are some scenarios:

• Balance is $7000: You'll be paying $1000 per month.

• Balance is $8000: You'll be paying $1142 per month.

• Balance is $9000: You'll be paying $1285 per month.

• Balance is $10000: You'll be paying $1429 per month.

Note: Some midwives will pay back some of your fees if you go to a hospital due to pregnancy problems. Check with your midwife to understand the details.

2. Christian Share Programs

Christian share programs let you join a community of Christians. Each member helps pay off others' medical bills. Like insurance, it falls under the faith exception of Obamacare. Instead of having health insurance, you would choose to be part of a Christian share program.

In my experience, programs like Good Samaritan Ministries can reimburse up to $10,000 for midwifery care. This is because it costs insurers much less than a hospital birth.

Note: Like insurance, if you're already pregnant, then it will be considered a pre-existing condition, and Christian share programs won't cover the costs.

3. Programs for Non-Christians

While I don't have any experience working with the following programs, here's what I could find:

• Knew Health

• HSA for America

Note: I am unsure if they cover home-birth midwives. Further research is necessary.

4. Credit for Healthcare Services

Healthcare financing options are available, such as medical credit cards or loans specifically designed for medical expenses. While I don't have specific recommendations, I'm actively researching these options for my clients. In the meantime, you might explore companies like CareCredit or consult with financial advisors who specialize in healthcare expenses.

5. Birth Centers

Birth centers usually have more financing options, such as Medicaid, and network with some health insurance companies. They can generally afford to do so because they take many more patients than a smaller midwifery practice. However, this approach has drawbacks, such as the lack of personalization, because you won't know who will attend your birth.

If you want to find the birth centers in Orlando, I have compiled a list for you.