Hoping for some friendly advice

"friendly" advice? On here? :P ...just not on Maid threads :D If it makes you feel better PJ, a while ago I posted a similar "seeking reassurance/advice, am I being reasonable" type question when I thought the Maid used cow's milk instead of soy milk (when she knew i was dairy intolerant and had no problems using soy milk all along) to cook my breakfast porridge and then lied about it...and got lynched for not pouring my own milk on my cereal, and the whole why couldn't I have done it myself thing. <em>edited by Sugarbeach on 09/05/2012</em>

Hi Hunnybee, You and I seem to be sharing the exact same concerns. I am in the process of being made redundant and am 14 weeks pregnant with no. 2. My husband works for MAF so once my work insurance coverage is canceled (next week) I should, in theory, be moving to use his coverage only i.e. Gulfcare. Frankly, I'm very worried too as the maternity policy isn't great and, as you say, we seem to be penalised for wishing to have babies in Dubai as opposed to AD. I decided to call Gulfcare and spoke with a lady called Dr. Ayesha Altaf (Senior Claims Administrator - full details at the bottom of my post). Dr. Altaf confirmed my fears. Effectively the maximum that Gulfcare would reimburse per pregnancy and delivery (in Dubai) based on our policy is USD 7,500 (this may be different to the coverage that you have based on the grade system within MAF - I'm not too sure as I'm not an employee there myself). It's not so much the amount that worried me (last pregnancy from the 14 week mark onwards it cost approx USD 7,200 so we're still 'in budget' provided the pregnancy is routine) but moreover the obvious 'we will avoid paying it if we can' attitude of Gulfcare. Basically, they will only reimburse 80% (as I have opted to go with Cooper Health Clinic which is considered out-of-network) of any routine prenatal examinations. This does not include any 3D or 4D imaging or anything that Gulfcare happen to deem not 100% medically necessary, even if Dr. Nataliya believes that it is necessary. They will also not cover a C-section unless it is a medical emergency (last time my C-section was required, this time I have opted to go that route by choice). They will also not cover any part of the premium that Dr. Nataliya (my preferred OB/GYN) charges as a doctor external to Medcare (the only hospital in which she does deliveries) in spite of the fact that they consider Medcare as 'in network'. The fact that I would need pre-approval before going in to Medcare to deliver worried me even more. What happens if my LO decides to come early and I've not yet got pre-approval? Finally, the fact that my claims would be reviewed and processed only 14 working days (i.e. 3 weeks) after receipt of the original invoices and receipts worried me. That means we'll be constantly out of pocket for our entire pregnancies. This may all seem very standard and routine for local insurance providers so excuse me if I sound incredulous for nothing. For my last pregnancy I had Cigna Platinum coverage so was rather spoiled. I am able to extend my Cigna coverage at the cost of AED 2,200 per month which I'm seriously considering even though I'll effectively be unemployed. OP, I appreciate that my Cigna/Gulfcare comparison won't be very helpful to you so apologies for the slight tangent there. Basically, I would tailor your pregnancy, doctor and delivery expectations around your insurance coverage limitations unless you have an alternative insurance option. A lot of the ladies on here have been very helpful about the various options out there. Of course, my Dad also suggested that I head home to deliver no. 2 on the NHS - which I have not ruled out for now. Am not sure where you are from but perhaps considering part of your pregnancy in Dubai then delivery in your home country may be more financially viable route... Dr. Ayesha Altaf Senior Claims Administrator | Employee Health & Benefits Department Marsh Insco LLC | Ground and Mezzanine, Al Gurg Tower 3, Plot 125-117, Riggat Al Buteen, Baniyas Road, Deira P.O.Box 64057 & 1019, Dubai, United Arab Emirates __________________________________________ Phone: +971 4 223 7700 | Direct: +971 4 212 9383 Fax: +971 4 227 2020 Email: [email protected]