I have made this page to help other women get insurance coverage and reimbursement for prenatal care and their legal choice of birth attendants. Whether it be birth center or a midwife for homebirth. Let's make them pay up!

Blue Shield HMO insists to me that "Maternity services provided by a CNM (Certified Nurse Midwife) are a covered benefit." But, they do not have any in network CNM's that do homebirths and they are not letting me go out of network to obtain this service. (It took them 6 mo to find those 3 hospital CNM's in their own network).

I am most infuriated (thus this site) because if I, a college educated, solidly middle class woman with private insurance, living in arguably the biggest richest metropolis in the world, cannot obtain free choice of legal healthcare providers WHO CAN!?!
If I were a welfare mom on medi-cal, this would be completely covered with no hassle.

I need help from other women and midwives!!!

If you have EVER gotten Blue shield HMO to pay or reimburse you please contact me.

If you are a midwife that has been denied entry into the Blue Shield HMO network, Please Contact Me!!!

To Contact Me Click Here

I want to be clear. As of this date I have not gotten them to pay, but I believe I have made a crack, now someone needs to stick in a wedge. Let me know what blue shield has told you. They said they'd be making changes in the information they give their members. I'd like to see If they did. I will help you in anyway I can.

We must all hang together, or assuredly we shall all hang separately.
-Benjamin Franklin

Tips For You:

Keep a phone log with dates, times, full names, phone extentions, and department of everyone you talk with and keep a backup copy too. This is something you can't afford to lose. Knowing what I do now I would even go as far as audio taping conversations, they tape why shouldn't we? A DMHC rep told me that in situations where it is the consumers word vs the companies the companies usually win. A tape would be irrefutable evidence and could also be used in court.



Keep copies of all letters



Send your complaints to the DMHC and send them certified or registered mail.



You might want to send copies to your congressional representatives & governor as well. ACNM keeps track of how they are voting and where we especially need help on this issue.