Understanding Maternity Insurance Cover in Health Insurance

Maternity insurance can be basically termed an “add-on” cover that you can opt for (it takes care of all expenses related to your pregnancy) in health insurance, individual insurance, or even the best family health insurance plans.

When the time comes, all the costs regarding maternity, like the expenses of delivering the baby, and/or expenses regarding treatment-related complications, or termination of the baby (if medically necessary), are all covered by the maternity insurance. On top of all that, this type of health coverage will also compensate the policyholder for any costs that arise out of issues regarding fertility, hospitalization charges of the newborn baby, owing to any kind of medical complications, and even the charges of vaccination (till 90 days have passed from the date of the baby’s delivery). 

Even if it is not your first time, bringing a newborn into your family is a huge step and a lot of responsibility. The time can feel like a tumultuous ride of a roller coaster of emotions. So whether you want to have your first child or give your child another sibling with who he/she can bond, the entire maternity phase will be extremely stressful, so it is always the right choice to plan for the best thing beforehand. So just sit in the comfort of your own home and buy health insurance online, which also provides maternity insurance plans and ensures that you are not stumped by those unforeseen expenses that life throws at you.

Getting The Maternity Insurance While Pregnant

Even though it is possible to get regular Health Insurance when a person is pregnant, she will not be able to get maternity insurance coverage on her Health Insurance since most Insurance Companies look at pregnancy as a “Pre-Existing” Condition. As a result, the pregnant mother will have to undergo a considerable waiting period before she can avail of maternity insurance. The major percentage of Insurance Policies, including the top health insurance plans, have a minimum three-year waiting period before giving you health insurance with maternity cover.

What the Maternity Insurance Covers?

The Regulatory and Development Authority of India, better known as the IRDAI, once released a circular that stipulates that any maternity insurance policy on a Health Plan, has to have the following advantages :

• Maternity-Related Hospitalization: All the costs related to maternity, will be taken care of by the maternity insurance coverage, from 30 days before the actual date of delivery, until 60 days after it. 
• All prenatal and postnatal expenses are included: These expenses include the costs of either a regular delivery or a caesarean delivery, coupled with the expenses of treating any type of post-delivery complications that the mother may experience.
• Hospitalization Charges: All the expenses regarding hospitalisation of the mother and baby, like ambulance charges, room charges, surgeon and nurse fees, medical practitioner and anaesthetist consultation charges, etc. are all covered. 

• Newborn Baby Coverage: The top health insurance plans, with the Maternity Cover must also include Neonatal Care from the date of delivery, to 90 days after it. This means that all the needs that a newborn may have must be taken care of. However, it is absolutely essential that you find out all about the stance of the policy provider, on Complicated Deliveries and Premature Labour.

What It Does Not Cover

• Pre-existing Diseases: Any pre-existing diseases  that the mother may have that could affect pregnancy, like blood pressure issues or epilepsy, will not be covered by the Maternity insurance.
• Congenital Diseases: These are basically Inherited Medical Conditions occurring in babies, prior to or at the time of birth. Eg. Down Syndrome, Heart Disease, etc. These are also not covered by health insurance with maternity cover.
• IVF Treatments: Any type of Infertility Treatments, better known as IVF, is not covered.
• Medicine Costs not prescribed by the Doctor: The medicines prescribed by the doctor, may be covered. But, the costs of any added supplements, vitamins or other medication that you take on your own volition, will come out of your own pocket.

• Consultation Fees: The Maternity Cover also does not reimburse any visits to your OB-GYN over the course of your pregnancy.

How The Maternity Cover Fits As A Part Of Health Insurance

Even for the best health insurance plan that covers your pregnancy, there is a mandatory 2-4 year waiting period. So you have to buy the Maternity insurance a long time before it. However, if you have not bought one well in advance, there are covers available at later dates, but at drastically higher premiums. The insured who will be claiming the maternity benefits can be a maximum of 45 years old, in most cases. Check with your particular insurance provider to get the exact age. The leniency of the cover can vary with the age of the expectant mother. The premiums on such covers are generally higher since, unlike normal health insurance, it covers an event in life that is almost bound to happen.

Summing It All Up

Since childbirth is almost an inevitable part of human lives, you will be doing yourself a huge disservice if you do not plan to support yourself during this beautiful yet challenging time in your life. Even though there are many Health and Wellness packages available on the market, you simply have to do a “Cost-Benefit” Analysis, by comparing several options, after conducting thorough research on them to find the one most suited to your requirements and specifications. The whole premise of opting for Maternity insurance as a part of your Health Insurance is to ensure that the whole process of pregnancy is more relaxed and enjoyable for you and your spouse, rather than stressful and scary. It takes care of any unforeseen problems that may crop up. All you need to do is focus all your precious time on this life-altering experience and your baby. The internet is littered with numerous Health Insurance Policies with Maternity benefits. So you can buy health insurance online when you find the right one for you, and rest assured that you have planned properly for the future.