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How does medical insurance work with maternity leave?

I am wondering how insurance coverage works when you go on maternity leave. I have Blue Cross Blue Shield insurance. I am due Oct. 31st. I would like to stop work around the 1st of October to prepare and have some time before baby gets here. I do not plan on returning to work after maternity leave. How does this work? When will my insurance expire? I've asked my employer and she is yet to get back to me with information! Help please!! Thanks!!!! PS- We live in AL if that matters. I will work up until delivery if I have to but I will NOT be returning to work once this baby gets here. That's not even an option! If my insurance terminates SO BE IT as long as it's effective to cover my delivery!

Public Comments

1. call Blue Cross
2. I'm not sure b/c technically it's not maternity leave if you don't plan on returning to work...it's just leaving all together. So it's really up to the company you work for, as to when the insurance will stop.
3. Well dear, if you're not returning to work, that's not called maternity leave; that's quitting. Usually, when you quit a job, you lose your insurance immediately. But that's not true in all cases. You will have to wait to hear back from your boss or contact Blue Cross (you can find their number on the back of your insurance card). You may be able to keep it if you continue to pay for it, but obviously don't expect your soon to be former employer to kick in anything if they have been. Good luck!
4. It's not maternity leave since you are quitting and will not be returning to work. You will not get maternity coverage. They'll terminate your insurance the day you quit. Some companies will wait until the end of that month but most terminate right away. If you need that insurance, you'll have to plan on coming back to work for a certain amount of time after the baby is born. Otherwise you'll have to pay back maternity leave. Check with your HR department. If they haven't responded, ask again.
5. Well I dont know how you can take that much time off without getting fired! You must have a great job. I have the same insurance and it gets canceled the same month you quit your job. If you dont give your resignation to your employer you will probably be covered for 6 weeks. but as soon as they find out you aren't coming back that insurance will be canceled by the end of the year.
6. If you've already announced that you won't be returning to work, then you'll be resigning on October 1 and giving up all benefits you receive through your employer (unless you have some vacation days to use up there at the end). To maintain your insurance, if you get it through your job, you'll need to keep working and plan to return to work at the end of your leave. If your husband is working and can get insurance through his employer, then when you quit, he can add you to his insurance, since your change of employment counts as a "life change" that allows changes to insurance coverage outside the open enrollment period. You have to be sure there's no gap in coverage, though. Yours ends one day, and his starts the next. Otherwise, your pregnancy will be considered a pre-existing condition, and your preg. expenses won't be covered.