For 30 years we had coverage through Blue Cross by way of our Farm Bureau. I hit 65 this year, so I moved out of

That seemed to serve us well. You're always going to have a love-hate relationship with your insurance company.

Our youngest child is 26, so I don't have any knowledge about how maternity coverage works now. Back then we were advised to skip maternity coverage because the extra cost over a couple of years was equivalent to the benefit. In other words, we did that out of pocket. The mother and child were covered past the regular delivery costs should anything arise over and above a normal birth. We simply squirreled away money to cover the initial costs.

Again, don't take my advise on face value since I don't know the economics of maternity coverage now. Ask folks who've recently had babies about costs and their own coverage.

I would advise you to pay attention to deadlines for notifying your insurance company or the HR office (if bought through the place of work) about the new baby. A friend's kid missed that point and had to pay a lot of medical bills for something extra stuff that arose within the first 6 weeks of the child's life.