Moving to Boston for 1yr with 2.5 children

[Irish_Jaynie]

Hi everyone

I'm hoping I can find some advice here.

We have just had word that my husband will be working in Boston for 1 year at Brigham and Womens Hospital.

We have a 3 year old, a 6 year old and another on the way. We knew the move was on the cards, just not so soon! When we move I will be 5.5 months pregnant so the baby will be born in Boston.

As my husband will be paid from Ireland we will also have to sort out insurance.
We will also need to find somewhere to live on a budget. We are currently renting (we have to prepare annually to move with my husbands job but thankfully we have only had to move from Dublin once), and pay 1000 euros a month (approx $1400) for a 3 bed semi-d with a garden.

We haven't a clue what we are doing!
We need to find a school for my son to go to, an apartment (from looking at websites I image we are going to have to expand our budget for accomadation and size down....majorly!), my husband will be either cycling/walking/using 'T' to work.

How do we even go about finding insurance to cover me for childbirth!

It is all very daunting, scary and stressful.

Any advice, any, would be very very , much appreciated.

[Fatbrit]

Don't move without guaranteed health insurance coverage. Giving birth in the US without coverage could produce a bill anywhere from $10k (in and out, pre-negotiated charges, no complications) up to the hundreds of k for anything more.

[Irish_Jaynie]

Thanks Fatbrit, That's what we are scared of!! I don't know were to go to start looking for insurance companies other than google.

The thought of having to stay behind and give birth without my husband is not a very happy one at all!!

[coloma gold]

Originally Posted by Irish_Jaynie

Thanks Fatbrit, That's what we are scared of!! I don't know were to go to start looking for insurance companies other than google.

The thought of having to stay behind and give birth without my husband is not a very happy one at all!!

The first question is what coverage is provided under the employers health plan? Fatbrit is right in that it can be very costly for childbirth. If no ins thru the employer, then you may want to check with Kaiser, Blue Shield/Blue Cross, etc but watch out for exclusions for pre-existing conditions,etc.

[Irish_Jaynie]

My husband has just come back to me and said we will hopefully qualify for blue cross/blue shield insurance through Harvard student plan as he will also be studying there while we are in Boston.

Just have to hope they will cover me as I think some insurance companies have a clause that says they won't cover pregnancy for the first 2 years of the plan?? WIll investigate more.

Does anyone know anything about Boston and renting and were would be suitable for a family, close to the hospital and won't break the bank?

[coloma gold]

Originally Posted by Irish_Jaynie

My husband has just come back to me and said we will hopefully qualify for blue cross/blue shield insurance through Harvard student plan as he will also be studying there while we are in Boston.

Just have to hope they will cover me as I think some insurance companies have a clause that says they won't cover pregnancy for the first 2 years of the plan?? WIll investigate more.

Does anyone know anything about Boston and renting and were would be suitable for a family, close to the hospital and won't break the bank?

Just a hunch... try The South Boston Irish American Society in the internet or the forums/ link sections of the Boston Irish Reporter. Also check the internet for Irishemigrant (dot) com

[Irish_Jaynie]

I will do! Thank you so much!

[Bevdeforges]

You say that your husband will be "working" for Brigham and Womens Hospital... normally there is some accommodation for medical services for employees of major hospitals. Depends on what capacity he'll be working in, but it's worth asking about.

When you say he'll be "paid from Ireland" - that raises some questions about what exactly the arrangement is. Is he going over on a student visa, or on a work-related visa? You need to get that sorted straight away.
Cheers,
Bev

[Joanne H]

Hi Jaynie,

Congratulations on your pregnancy!

As others have mentioned insurance is extremely important. I was already pregnant when we decided to move to the US. I did a lot of research and couldn't find a single insurance company that would provide coverage for a birth unless it was at least 10 months after the start of the policy. The only way for me to get insurance cover for the birth was through an employer.

Fortunately my husband's employer came through for us and it's a good job they did - I had complications and ended up needing a C-section. The insurance company send us a monthly statement and so far the bills for my daughter and myself have come to over $45,000! I was 34 weeks when we left the UK so that doesn't include most of my pre-natal care.

I don't know what the maternity wards are like in Ireland (or Boston) but I was shocked to discover how different it is to have a baby in Florida. No midwives for hospital births, no TENS machines, no nitrous oxide, 20 hours of labor and 4 days in the hospital but I didn't see my OB/Gyn once... I'd not anticipated many of the differences and I found it very difficult to cope with. On the plus side I loved having my husband stay with me in the hospital and the food was pretty good. If you do decide to have the baby in the US I'd strongly recommend you do some research first. I believe that birthing centers offer a more European experience!

Lots of luck - I hope everything goes well for you!