better billing for mom and baby

Well, if you've been reading my occasional posts here and there about consumer rights, you knwo that I'm always first in line to rant about new opportunities for consumers to save cash and avoid being ripped off. Here's a new one that I just ran across at PPP that sounds like a deal.

It's called the MaternityCard, and its apparently a new offering by AHCO health. Initially, you might make the assumption that this is just another maternity rider for yet another health insurance program. However, this one has a different spin, and it's one that I think some people can appreciate, especially if you consider the cost of having a baby.

While my wife and I were researching our own health plan, we were relieved that we didn't have to factor in maternity benefits. At this point, we believe that we have enough children, and don't plan on having any more. And, it's a good thing, because maternity riders add considerable costs to health insurance plans, especially when you're footing the bill without assistance from your employer or a group plan.

Enter AHCO with their new MaternityCard, a standalone maternity package program that is individually tailored to your specific wants and desires, for the mother *and* the coming baby. The plan awards mothers-to-be with discounts for maternity services, and includes infant discounts after the birth. MaternityCard is very quick to point out that this is *not* insurance. Instead, they work from within the medical billing paradigms to find the best ways to save you money.

If you've ever been on the receiving end of unpaid or incorrectly billed insurance bills (and you'd have to be from another planet not to have ever dealt with this problem before), you know how often a simple reclassification or correction in the terms of the service can completely change the amount charged. With this package, MaternityCard says that they have experts to deal with the hosptial and doctor billing arrangements for you. That alone is worth the cost of the annual membership.

Best of all, they offer a guarantee that they'll save you at least as much as the cost of the membership, or they'll give you a full refund plus $200. Sounds like a no-brainer to me.