Which plan ends up costing least for pregnancy?

Please help me with health insurance, pregnancy, and baby math!

My husband and I have decided we want to try to start for our first kid. I’m trying to do my math to figure out which health insurance plan is best. We’re currently on the 4000-80 plan outline below, which according to my math is actually better than the PPO plan. But my math has been known to be faulty at times. So a little help would be incredibly appreciated! We are trying to determine if 1) we should switch plans during open enrollment and 2) if we should try to start conceiving immediately or more towards the end of the year to maximize benefits on the “best” plan. From what I can tell, the high deductible plan is actually best?? But again, my math isn’t what it used to be.

The cost formula I used: (premium*12)+ individual out of pocket max (“OOPM”)

4000-80 plan (0*12)+6,850=$6,850

Notes: $13,700 is family OOPM; Coinsurance is 20% on everything (except for office visits for pregnancy which are free after deductible is met); This plan is still free after kid is born; Employer does not contribute to HSA

2000-20 plan (324*12)+6,850=$10,738

Notes: $13,700 is family OOPM; Premium goes up to $551 after kid is born; Coinsurance is 20%; Specialist visits are $60 and deductible does not apply

1000-20 plan (378*12)+4,500=$9,036

Notes: $9,000 is family OOPM;Premium goes up to $626 after kid is born;Specialist visits are $50 and deductible does not apply

For all plans, office visits are free after deductible is met and 20% Coinsurance for childbirth, diagnostic test. and bloodwork.

Other notes about us: I’m 26 and husband is 28. We have no debts (no mortgage, no car payment. We rent and own both cars outright.). Our rent is $1,100 a month. Other miscellaneous bills add up to $600 a month plus additional food costs that fluctuate. We make a combined $105k living in Georgia with our two dogs. We have a total of 17k fluid in savings account and 40k in retirement funds (mix of 401k and Roth IRA).

While it may be tight, but I think we can make a kid work with our finances. I’m not loving the prospect of paying a $6.9k pregnancy bill with only 17k in savings so I’m hoping for some insight here on my math. Especially because I’d we got pregnant tomorrow, that means our OOPM and deductible reset halfway through the pregnancy. As much as I reeeaalllyyyyy don’t want to wait for Nov-December to start trying to convince, I’m beginning to think that may be smartest.

submitted by /u/Littlest_Star_
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