Personally, I wouldn't advice a new immigrant to consider having a baby in the US as soon as they arrive and without medical insurance coverage. In as much as having a baby in the US is highly desirous, since the baby immediately becomes a citizen, if you don't have medical insurance coverage, immediate or close family/friends you can depend on, no job offer for your spouse before your arrival, etc, you're better off having the baby in your home country and bringing the baby in as a LPR (the baby automatically becomes a citizen when you become a citizen yourself 5 years down the road anyway).
Contrary to what most people think, new immigrants are
NOT entitled to Medicare, yes there are loopholes which people have exploited in the past and continue to exploit, you however don't want to be the scapegoat! Applying for Medicare when you're not entitled to it is like reaping where you've not sown. FUnding for Medicare is not government money per se, the funding is derived from the taxes other people have paid, and if you've not contributed to it, you shouldn't be expecting to benefit from it. Don't mess up your future with an immediate temporary gratification!
New immigrants are not entitled to government aids or benefits, which is why they request for an affidavit of support from a US sponsor. Your sponsor is liable for all benefits received while not entitled to them. I know some of you did not have to produce an affidavit of support as at the time of your interview, and you might be thinking you will not be jeopardizing anyone if you receive any of these benefits, trust me, this will come back to haunt you! When you apply for citizenship, you will have to declare what type of aids you received in the past and when you received them.
The good news is yes, hospital or medical doctor will not refuse to treat an unisured person. The bad part? Doctors' fees and hospital rates are not regulated! You could end up being slammed with thousands of $$$$$$,.Yes they will probably not ask you to pay everything at once, but you don't want to end up using every penny you earn to settle hospital bills for God knows how long.
As new immigrants, I suggest you try and get some sort of medical insurance as soon as you arrive. Don't wait till you have a medical emergency to find out how brutal the US medical industry can be. You can always cancel your personal coverage once you have a job that provides you with medical insurance.
Here are some links that could possibly help you get started. I don't work for any of the companies here and I'm not making a personal recommendation, but the information may save you some major headache and heartache down the road.
Medicare Insurance for Green Card Holders (permanent residents) in USA
http://www.visitorscoverage.com/green-card-insurance/medicare-for-green-card/
Medicare vs Medicaid
http://www.visitorscoverage.com/health-insurance/medicare-vs-medicaid/
Medical insurance for Green Card or New Immigrants to USA
http://www.visitorscoverage.com/immigrants/health-insurance-for-green-card-holders/
New Immigrants Medical Insurance
http://www.insubuy.com/guide/new-immigrants-medical-insurance-plans.jsp
This is probably a long read for most of you, pardon my long rambling!! However, I suggest you all educate yourselves and prepare yourselves for your new life. A word is enough for the wise!!
