CHIP Perinate Member Rights & Responsibilities

1. You have a right to get accurate, easy-to-understand information to help you make good choices about your unborn child’s health plan, doctors, hospitals, and other providers.
2. You have a right to know how the perinatal providers are paid. Some may get a fixed payment no matter how often you visit. Others get paid based on the services they provide for your unborn child. You have a right to know about what those payments are and how they work.
3. You have a right to know how the health plan decides whether a perinatal service is covered or medically necessary. You have the right to know about the people in the health plan who decide those things.
4. You have a right to know the names of the hospitals and other Perinatal providers in the health plan and their addresses.
5. You have a right to pick from a list of healthcare providers that is large enough so that your unborn child can get the right kind of care when it is needed.
6. You have a right to emergency perinatal services if you reasonably believe your unborn child’s life is in danger, or that your unborn child would be seriously hurt without getting treated right away. Coverage of such emergencies is available without first checking with the health plan.
7. You have the right and responsibility to take part in all the choices about your unborn child’s health care.
8. You have the right to speak for your unborn child in all treatment choices.
9. You have the right to be treated fairly by the health plan, doctors, hospitals, and other providers.
10. You have the right to talk to your perinatal provider in private and to have your medical records kept private. You have the right to look over and copy your medical records and to ask for changes to those records.
11. You have the right to a fair and quick process for solving problems with the health plan and the plan's doctors, hospitals and others who provide perinatal services for your unborn child. If the health plan says it will not pay for a covered perinatal service or benefit that your unborn child’s doctor thinks is medically necessary, you have a right to have another group, outside the health plan, tell you if they think your doctor or the health plan was right.
12. You have a right to know that doctors, hospitals, and other perinatal providers can give you information about your or your unborn child’s health status, medical care, or treatment. Your health plan cannot prevent them from giving you this information, even if the care or treatment is not a covered service.

You and your health plan both have an interest in having your baby born healthy. You can help

by assuming these responsibilities.

1. You must try to follow healthy habits. Stay away from tobacco and eat a healthy diet.
2. You must become involved in the decisions about your unborn child’s care.
3. If you have a disagreement with the health plan, you must try first to resolve it using the health plan's complaint process.
4. You must learn about what your health plan does and does not cover. Read your CHIP Perinatal Program Handbook to understand how the rules work.
5. You must try to get to the doctor's office on time. If you cannot keep the appointment, be sure to call and cancel it.
6. You must report misuse of CHIP Perinatal services by health care providers, other members, or health plans.
7. You must talk to your provider about your medications that are prescribed.

If you think you have been treated unfairly or discriminated against, call the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) toll-free at 1-800-368-1019. You also can view information concerning the HHS Office of Civil Rights online at www.hhs.gov/ocr.