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Maternity

By Christian Healthcare Ministries
For Members
11/22/23

Ready to grow your family?

We want this experience to be full of joy and excitement as you welcome a new life into the world! Ready to dive into our maternity solution?

If you’re a member, call us within the first 16 weeks of pregnancy so we can:

  • Take $500 off your Personal Responsibility
  • Connect you to the best care in your area
  • Offer prayer, spiritual support, and Christian community

Please note: Maternity expenses are only eligible for sharing on CHM Gold, and the mother must have joined CHM Gold at least 300 days before their doctor’s estimate of due date. Please see the CHM Guidelines for more information.

Please call 1-800-791-6225 and select the maternity line to get started!

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DOWNLOAD MATERNITY GUIDE

We’re right here with you during this journey. Download our free Maternity Guide to learn more about how CHM supports you during this exciting stage of life.

We also want to provide you with helpful maternity resources. If you sign up for our maternity email journey, you can receive:

  • Information you should know about our maternity solution and how we process your bills
  • Facts about our nurse navigator and how she can be a blessing to you
  • Helpful information about choosing a maternity provider and healthcare team
  • Devotionals about pregnancy and motherhood
  • Budgeting and baby preparation tools
  • Answers to common medical questions you might have about your pregnancy
  • Catered emails with information that’s specific to where you are in your maternity journey

  • Call our Maternity Care Team

    As soon as you learn you’re pregnant, call our Maternity Care Team!

    CHM Gold members who call within the first 16 weeks of pregnancy can receive a $500 Personal Responsibility reduction. Call
    1-800-791-6225 and select the maternity line to connect with the Maternity Care Team and our maternity nurse navigator.

  • Ask for a prepayment agreement

    Ask for a prepayment agreement on your clinic/hospital/doctor’s letterhead.

    Your prepayment agreement should have the patient information, list of services included (or CPT codes), total charges, and due date the prepayment agreement needs to be paid by.

  • Submit prepayment agreement

    Immediately submit Sharing Request forms, the prepayment agreement, and any additional itemized bills

    Your Sharing Request forms can be filled out digitally through the Member Portal. Notify the CHM office immediately if your healthcare provider sets a time limit for reduced charges on your prepayment agreement (seven months is common).

More about our maternity program

Below is additional information about our maternity program. Download our free Maternity Guide to learn more about how CHM supports you during this exciting stage of life.

What’s eligible under the maternity solution?

For CHM Gold members, CHM shares qualifying medical bills for prenatal care, delivery (including cesarean and multiple births), home births, midwives, postnatal care, and complications that arise for mother and baby.

For prenatal care, CHM shares:

  • routine office visits
  • lab tests
  • maternity-related prescriptions and immunizations
  • three ultrasounds

For delivery, CHM shares costs associated with:

  • facility labor and delivery
  • physician labor and delivery
  • anesthesiology services
  • complications that arise for mother and baby

Note: CHM shares expenses from either a midwife or a physician, not both. (For an exception, see CHM’s maternity Guidelines.) We cannot share expenses from more than one midwife.

For postnatal care, CHM shares:

  • mother’s postpartum check-ups
  • lactation consultations
  • Postpartum depression treatment
  • wellness visits, circumcision, and tongue tie for baby*

For a list of ineligible maternity expenses, please refer to CHM’s maternity Guidelines

*See maternity Guidelines for more information on baby’s eligibility under mother’s membership unit.

What can I expect after submitting my maternity incident?

Once CHM receives all the necessary paperwork and invoices, we’ll review the bills to make sure they’re properly itemized and eligible according to CHM Guidelines. Once CHM issues your reimbursement check, you’re responsible to promptly pay your healthcare provider.

Documents required for sharing include:

  • your prepayment agreement/global fee
  • Medical Information Release and Patient Delegation Form
  • Maternity Verification Form
  • itemized bills for services not included in your prepayment agreement

Failure to submit the necessary documents can result in sharing delays. We recommend uploading via the Member Portal, as all the necessary forms are fillable directly from the Portal.

Please note: CHM will process your prepayment agreement near the 30th week of pregnancy. We ask that you plan on checks going out around that time.

A prepayment agreement for facility charges must include the length of the hospital stay and whether or not the baby’s facility charges are included.

 

What is a prepayment agreement/global fee?

Your physician or midwife may provide you with a prepayment agreement/ global fee. This usually includes:

  • prenatal appointments
  • physician/midwife delivery charges
  • postpartum appointments (for mom)

In order to process your prepayment agreement, it must include:

  • provider information
  • patient name
  • a list of all services included in the fee
  • total fee for services
  • the payment due date or payment plan details

You’ll need to obtain itemized bills for any medical services performed outside of the global fee. Charges outside of the global fee typically include:

  • lab work
  • ultrasounds
  • additional appointments
  • hospital/ER visits

Note: Some prepayment agreements/global fees include lab work and ultrasounds. Please review your agreement before sending in itemized bills.

What’s the difference between a prepayment and an estimate?

An estimate is a ballpark figure that’s subject to change.

prepayment agreement is an agreed-upon price that stays the same as long as the conditions of the agreement are met.

While prepayment agreements are preferable, if you receive an estimate, please submit it so our team can work with you and your provider to receive additional information.

If you need assistance obtaining a prepayment agreement, please contact the Maternity Support Team at 1-800-791-6225.

Does CHM reimburse facility/hospital prepayment agreements?

Our Maternity Support Team (MST) wants to help our members receive bundled facility flat rates. Please contact the MST at 1-800-791-6225 for assistance finding flat rates available in your area.

Facility/hospital prepayment agreements (or flat rates) must include:

    • the patient’s name

    • provider or place of service

    • CPT codes or descriptions of services

    • the total charge for each service

    • length of your hospital stay

    • whether newborn charges are included

    • due date of the prepayment agreement

Anesthesiology charges are eligible for sharing, but CHM cannot share these expenses prior to the birth. You’ll need to pay these charges out of pocket if your provider requires payment before delivery. You can upload the estimated bill into the CHM Member Portal prior to delivery, then submit the actual bill after the birth. Following this suggestion will significantly shorten sharing time.

Note: You may receive additional medical bills for your baby’s after-delivery hospital care, such as lab work, hearing tests, pediatrician visits, etc. You can submit the itemized bills as “maternity add-on” bills.

Is genetic testing eligible for sharing?

Genetic testing may be eligible for sharing if:

  1. It’s non-invasive and required to determine treatment for a current medical condition.
  2. Medical records or healthcare provider notes are provided for verification.

Note: An amniocentesis may be considered for sharing when medical records confirm that the procedure is necessary to determine life-preserving medical care for the baby and/or mother.

Are medical bills for congenital conditions eligible for sharing?

For members whose birth was shared through CHM’s maternity program, CHM shares up to $125,000 for medical bills related to their congenital condition if the following conditions are met:

  1. For a dependent child, the child’s mother must be a CHM Gold member with an account in good standing and must remain a Gold member until $125,000 is shared.
  2. The individual who incurred the bills has continuously been a CHM Gold member (no interruptions in membership) since birth or adoption.

Note: Babies with a congenital birth defect must transition immediately from their mother’s membership unit to their own unit.

For more information, please reference the CHM Guidelines.

How does CHM spiritually support members?

We believe supporting each other spiritually is as important as the financial support members receive. Our Maternity Support Team will pray for you, provide you with spiritual resources, and encourage you to participate in a community with each other.

Through the Prayers Unceasing program included in your Monthly Gift Form, members have the opportunity to reach out to each other through prayer, cards, and notes of encouragement. By visiting us every Wednesday on social media, you can join members across the country in praying for one another.

CHM staff also pray daily for members, especially those who have submitted prayer requests by mail, email, or phone. Staff members are dedicated prayer warriors available to pray with you over the phone at your request.

Christian Healthcare Ministries
Christian Healthcare Ministries and its members help carry the load for their brothers and sisters in Christ, reflecting the spiritual values outlined in Galatians 6:2.