Hi, I'm hoping to get some advice on this because I dont know what else to do. I'm 18 weeks 4 days today and I live in NY. My health insurance is United Healthcare. I want to give birth in a birthing center rather than a hospital, which is my right. The only birthing center they have in network is in New Jersey, so I applied for a gap exception. I found a birthing center a 20 min drive from me in my neighborhood. You ask for this so that your insurance charges in network rather than out of network for when there is a "gap" in their coverage, in this case no birthing center in NY. They denied it, and gave me the names of midwives who deliver....in hospitals and at home. Not what I want, so I appealed it, and listed the reasons: this birthing center is cheaper than if I were to go to a hospital, they have no birthing centers in NY in network, I have the right to choose where I would like to give birth, etc. They denied the appeal. When I spoke to them, they told me that the birthing center in NJ is in network. When I told them that it is in another state, they told me they dont look at state, they only look at mileage and its within the 30 mile limit. Is there anything I can do to fight this? Or am I going to have to pay out of pocket (bc I'm not going to another freaking state to deliver my kid). Any advice helps! Thank you!