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Financial Help During Pregnancy
For many women, the extra expenses of prenatal care and preparing for the new baby are overwhelming. You and your baby deserve to be healthy and have consistent care. Financial aid and
other programs are available for you and your baby if you qualify. |
Financial Aid |
Women can get help to pay for medical care during their pregnancies. Every state in the United States has a program to help. Programs give medical care,
information, advice and other services important for a healthy pregnancy.
The following organizations can help you and your baby get medical care:
- State and local health departments — They can tell you what programs are available in your area. Ask about health insurance, medical care, and how to qualify for this help.
- Local hospital or social service agencies — Ask to speak with a social worker on staff. She will be able to tell you where to go for help.
- Community clinics — Some areas have free clinics or clinics that provide free care to women in need.
- Women, Infants and Children (WIC) Program — This government program is available in every
state. It provides help with food, nutritional counseling, and access to health services for women, infants and children.
- Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) — This program provides health insurance for children under age 18 in every state.
- Telephone book and Internet — In your yellow pages, on the internet, or from telephone information, get in touch with your local places of worship (any and all denominations) and ask for help.
Additionally, look under the blue pages of your telephone directory for help.
To find out about the program in your state:
- Call 1-800-311-BABY (1-800-311-2229) This toll-free telephone number will connect you to the Health Department in your area code
- For information in Spanish, call 1-800-504-7081
- Call or contact your local Health Department.
- Contact your state Child Welfare Agency.
The Office of Family Assistance (OFA) in the United States Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families and oversees the Temporary
Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) Program which was created by the Welfare Reform Law of 1996. TANF became effective July 1, 1997, and replaced what was then commonly known as welfare: Aid
to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) and the Job Opportunities and Basic Skills Training (JOBS) programs.
Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) provides assistance and work opportunities to needy families by granting states the federal funds and wide flexibility to develop and implement their own welfare
programs. Citizens may apply for assistance at their local TANF agency.
For additional information about child welfare programs, contact your state Child
Welfare Agency.
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Your children may be eligible for free or low-cost health insurance. The following has been adapted from the U.S.
Department of Health and Human Services.
You work hard to provide for your children and want to make sure they grow up strong, smart and healthy. But like many parents whose children don't have health insurance,
you worry about taking care of them.
Now, you may have one less thing to worry about. Your state, and every state in the nation, has a health insurance program for infants, children and teens. The insurance
is available to children in working families, including families that include individuals with a variety of immigration status. (Materials are available that explain more about immigration
and children's health insurance.)
For little or no cost, this insurance pays for:
- doctor visits,
- prescription medicines,
- hospitalizations, and
- much more.
Kids that do not currently have health insurance are likely to be eligible, even if you are working. The states have different eligibility rules, but in most states,
uninsured children 18 years old and younger, whose families earn up to $34,100 a year (for a family of four) are eligible. |
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The following has been adapted from the National Women's Health Information Center website.
Publications
- Child Support Enforcement Steps - This publication lists the steps for applying for and collecting child support.
- Finding Help to Pay for Child Care - This fact sheet provides information on Federal and private assistance for child care. It also provides information on child care tax credits.
- Food Stamps and Other Nutrition Programs - This fact sheet provides information on the Federal food stamp program including eligibility,
where to apply for food stamps and other federal nutrition programs such as WIC.
- Frequently Asked Questions About the Women, Infants and Children (WIC) Program - Food, nutrition counseling, and access to health
services are provided to low-income women, infants, and children under the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children, popularly known as WIC. This fact sheet provides information
about the program and its benefits.
- Search for a Headstart Program - Head Start Programs are those profit- and non-profit organizations, which receive funds
from the Head Start Bureau. Use the search tool on this site to locate specific types of Head Start Programs, or those in specific geographical locations.
- Vaccines for Children Program (VFC) - VFC helps families by providing free vaccines to doctors who serve eligible children and is
administered at the national level by the CDC through the National Immunization Program. CDC contracts with vaccine manufacturers to buy vaccines at reduced rates. States and eligible U.S. projects enroll
physicians who serve eligible patients up to and including age 18 years, providing routine immunizations with little to no out-of-pocket costs.
- Who Gets WIC and How to Apply - Information about the Women, Infants and Children Program - This fact sheet
provides information about WIC's eligibility requirements, length of participation and application procedures.
- WIC Contacts: State Agencies, Nutrition Coordinators & Breastfeeding Coordinators - This directory provides contact information
for the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC), organized by each state. You may view alphabetically (by state), by region, or using a listing of just the Toll-free
numbers.
- Financial Management During Crisis (Copyright © The Nemours Foundation) - This article provides information
on managing your health care payments during a financial crisis. It provides information on the cost of health care, the health care system, the warning signs of financial trouble, paying for health care
costs, finding help paying for health care, and other financial tips.
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Additional Information |
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