Financial Investment

 

At Devotion Midwifery, we want midwifery care to be accessible to everyone, which is challenging in our patchwork system of health insurance, insufficient coverage for out-of-hospital midwives, and poor insurance reimbursement for care providers. Because we value more accessible midwifery care in our communities, we offer a sliding fee scale, payment plans, and we are open to many kinds of trade or barter for care.  

We also value and respect the deep level of time, energy, care, love, support, and commitment that we put into our work as midwives. For that reason, we ask that you thoughtfully and honestly consider where you and your family are on the sliding scale below. This is a starting point for our conversation about fees so we can come to an arrangement that will work for all of us.  

Devotion Midwifery Private Fee: $5,500

Sliding Scale

This system allows you to pick your payment based on your personal financial experience. If you are not sure which bracket you fall into, read the description of life experiences and choose the one that best fits today.

Once you have settled on a reasonable fee, you will then choose your payment terms such as payment plan or full payment and how to pay:

  • Online Payment: All major credit cards, Afterpay, PayPal

  • In Person Payment: Square credits cards payment, HSA/FSA, Cash

  • Costshare plan agreement

Gardenia (Full Private Fee) $5,500

Consider placing yourself in this part of the sliding scale if you and your family:

  • Do not struggle to meet the basic needs of food, housing, transportation, childcare, and healthcare, and paying for midwifery care will not change this

  • May have financial debts, but they do not prevent you from meeting the basic needs above

  • Will have to cut back or budget more tightly on non-essentials and extras to pay for midwifery care, such as eating out, buying a morning coffee/tea, new clothes, or vacation

  • Have some amount of savings for extras and emergencies

  • Have relatives, friends, or extended community with financial resources who could support your midwifery care with gifts, donations, or loans

  • Are able to have some choice in where you live (e.g. location, quality, price, or space) because of your available financial resources

  • Own your home or can pay for medium or higher quality rental housing

  • Can afford to take planned vacations, trips, and time off from work

Camelia (20% off Full Private Fee) $4,400

Consider placing yourself in this part of the sliding scale if you and your family:

  • Have Medicaid

  • Occasionally struggle to meet the basic needs above, but not regularly

  • Will have to stretch your basic needs budget to pay for midwifery care, but will not have to skip or choose between meeting any basic needs as a result

  • Have limited financial resources for any extras or emergencies beyond basic needs

  • Rarely or never buy new items because they are not affordable

  • Have relatives, friends, or extended community with limited financial resources who could only minimally support your midwifery care with gifts, donations, or loans, or could not offer any financial support

  • All of the above is by necessity not by choice. For example if you have access to family money and resources in times of need, work part time by choice, and/or have a relatively high degree of earning power due to level of education (or gender and racial privilege, class background, etc.) but choose not to access that, please look at and consider the non-discounted fees below.

Magnolia (40% off Full Private Fee) $3,300

Consider placing yourself in this part of the sliding scale if you and your family:

  • Have Medicaid, Foodstamps, WIC

  • Regularly struggle to meet basic needs - food, housing, transportation, childcare, and healthcare

  • Will be less able to meet any of the basic needs above because of paying for midwifery care

  • Rely on payday loans and/or credit card debt to meet basic needs

  • Live paycheck to paycheck with no savings for non-essentials, extras or emergencies

  • Live in the lowest-rent options, stay with relatives/friends, and/or have unstable or inconsistent housing

  • Have limited, low-wage, and/or unstable income, or are unemployed

  • Don’t have relatives, friends, or extended community with financial resources who could support your midwifery care with gifts, donations, or loans

  • All of the above is by necessity not by choice. For example if you have access to family money and resources in times of need, work part-time by choice, and/or have a relatively high degree of earning power due to level of education (or gender and racial privilege, class background, etc.) but choose not to access that, please look at and consider the non-discounted fees below.

DONATIONS TO SUPPORT SLIDING SCALE - PAYMENT ABOVE LISTED FEES

If you are in a position to make a donation and pay above the listed fees, this is a vital support to for more people have access to the type of health care they want and need. Families who donate above the listed fee are a key part of what allows me to continue to offer sliding scale and bartering options to as many families as possible. Any amount you pay above the listed fees will go directly to supporting the care of families receiving discounted fees.

Above Fee

  • Will not need to cut back on extras or make any financial sacrifices to pay for midwifery care, such as eating out, buying a morning coffee/tea, new clothes, or vacation

  • Own more than one home

  • Can choose to do part-time paid work sometimes or all the time due to savings, investments, family money, or other means

  • Sometimes or regularly do not need to work for money due to savings, investments, family money, or other means

  • Can afford to take vacations, trips, and time off from work multiple times a year without needing to budget or save up for it

  • Have income from investments, trusts, or family money

Honeysuckle (20% above Full Private Fee) $6,600

  • Allows me to offer other families the discounted care options above and services such as free pregnancy testing for those who need it.

  • Pay student midwives and purchase their supplies, testing, and further midwifery

Jasmine (40% above Full Private Fee) $7,700

  • Allows me to offer other families the discounted care options above and services such as free pregnancy testing for those who need it, and the potential to expand the number of families and communities I can offer these services to.

  • Pay student midwives an purchase their supplies, testing, and further midwifery

  • Fund Lawyers and Lobbyists to help improve Louisiana midwifery rules and regulations

Payment Plans

We absolutely accept payment plans. You have the option to pay in full (preferred) or make payments over the course of care (until 6 weeks postpartum- you do the math!) .

Insurance Coverage

Devotion Midwifery is not an in-network provider for any health insurance plans, including Medicaid, and unfortunately most insurance companies will not provide reimbursement or coverage for any home midwifery services. Currently, the price of the malpractice insurance required of all Medicaid providers and in-network insurance providers is cost-prohibitive for this very small independent midwifery practice.

If your insurance covers standard pregnancy, postpartum, or wellness labwork and ultrasounds, both labwork and referral ultrasounds with Devotion Midwifery are covered by your insurance.

We can take payment with HSA/FSA through our Square reader with success.

Healthshare insurance plans such as Liberty Healthshare, Samaritan and Christian Healthshare usually pay 100% of the Global Maternity Fee.

Costshare plans require an invoice from the midwife and do not remit payment until close to birth. Self pay will be require until they take over or reimburse.

Barter & Trade

I am open to barter and trade for up to half of the full private fee for care.

The type and quantity of item and/or service you would like to offer in trade for midwifery care needs to be proposed and agreed on by all of us at the start of care, along with the timeline for when the barter payment will be completed. Some suggestions include:

  • Raw Milk, Vegetables, or Fruit

  • Tree work or maintenance

  • Trade work such as plumbing, electrical, roofing, flooring

Discounts

ONE $500 discount from full private fee ($5,500) for the following:

  • Birthworkers

  • If you have a photographer that will allow me to use photos for marketing and education

  • Repeat Clients

  • Hiring a Doula

  • Paying in full at the initial visit

Additional financial requirements not included in Devotion Midwifery fee:

  • Birth Kit (must be ordered and delivered by 36 weeks): Order Here

  • Placenta Encapsulation: $250 processed and returned by 1 week postpartum visit

  • Not currently included but hoping to incorporate soon: Doula, International board certified lactation visits, perinatal mental health counselor, chiropractic, pediatrician

  • All diagnostic ultrasounds, physician referral or consultation, other care providers…