To provide home birth practice coverage in the US
American College of Nurse-Midwives (ACNM) and its partner, Contemporary Insurance Services and Lexington Insurance, which provides insurance protection, have created an insurance plan for home birth coverage in all 50 US states.
This measure suggests that over 5,000 members of ACNM will now be able to obtain coverage for home birth practice.
Melissa Avery, president of ACNM, said: “We are extremely pleased that Contemporary can now offer coverage for our members who attend home births. Our members’ priority is to provide safe, quality care for their clients. We support the right of women to choose a planned home birth, and we applaud Lexington’s recent decision to include home birth practice among their coverage options for our members.”
All certified nurse-midwives (CNMs) and certified midwives (CMs), who are currently insured with Lexington, will need to re-apply to receive home birth practice coverage. The home birth coverage will have limits of $200,000 per claim and $600,000 in the aggregate. The additional premium for home birth practice coverage will be an additional 10% of the regular premium for $200,000/$600,000 coverage level.
Israel Teitelbaum, president of Contemporary Insurance Services, said: “It is our expectation that as we gain experience with home births, we will be able to raise the available limits to the same level that is afforded to midwives in hospital and birth center birth practices, and to eliminate the extra premium that is required at this time.”