Hey! Just saw this. I was editing the original post. I'll message future info back and forth.
I'm checking the ACA regarding preventive services that "shall not impose any cost-sharing requirement," though I'm not sure what that means. The relevant section of the law appears to be this: http://i.imgur.com/VxJgTQR.jpg
My wife and I are going to look up what that section is referencing.
Some info from the National Women's Law Center (here) seems to indicate that most visits should be covered free-of-charge, but we're trying to double check the law (above).
We're out in Colorado. I'll have to search around and see what I can find out here.
I glanced over the plan you linked, and it looks good to me with the in-network option. I don't know I'm any more able to know for sure than you are, though, if you've got the same handle on all the pricing terminology as I do now. As long as you don't see a bunch of terrible information from a few searches online about the network or about doctors going out-of-network unexpectedly, I'm hoping I can find something that looks similar out here. If I could find anything that laid the costs out that simply and definitively, that'd be great. My wife won't be able to switch plans until January, but since the birth will be in early 2016, we may want to go with something that specifically outlines the maximum cost for delivery (as the plan you linked does), especially since she can switch to another plan once the child is born. I'm going to go hunt for plans for a while to see if I can find anything comparable out here.
As far as I am aware, it is somewhat common for the same person to do prenatal and delivery (this also helps the mother feel more comfortable with the doctor), though it is not always the case. A midwife or OBGYN will likely be available within the network who is able to do both, though I can't really know.
With the in-network limits from your plan, billing everything at the end wouldn't be relevant, no. But if I could find a plan that had those limits in place, it looks great. We could use my wife's current insurance until January 2016 and then switch to a plan that had a maximum expense for the delivery. That would be a huge relief.
I'm going to go search around as extensively as I can and see what plans I can find before I finish looking into the law. I'll let you know if I find something similar in Colorado (it may be more expensive for us, since my wife is older, but if the terms are the same, that looks like a good bet for us for January/February of next year).
As for the timing question, we actually got a great deal on a house back in the spring through a program available for teachers (my wife is a public school teacher), which lowered our cost for housing and made us feel comfortable trying for kids (with me staying at home) rather than having me pick up a graduate degree to start teaching as well. We started trying in the first part of May, so it looks like our first swing was a hit. What about you all? Had you been trying long (or short, or unexpected)?
