Which Health Insurance covers Maternity and How does it work?

September 26, 2019 7:19 am,

Motherhood brings lots of happiness in a woman’s life. Pregnant women require constant care and monthly tests for delivery. It is not just delivery expenses, post-delivery care also equally expensive. Hence, a simpler solution to avoid burden is to have the best health insurance which does provide maternity benefits as well.

What is maternity health insurance coverage?

Maternity Insurance is a plan which is designed to cover the maternity and health care cost to expecting mothers and newborns. Not all insurers provide maternity benefits along with health insurance. In this article, we have considered policies which cover maternity and the benefits it offers

Usually, maternity benefit is an add-on or additional rider with your existing health insurance.

What are the considerations in a pregnancy health insurance policy?

Below are the important considerations you must know before buying health insurance that covers maternity

Coverage: Ensure that your policy provides adequate cover for all pregnancy costs including hospitalization, medications, tests, check-ups and any unforeseen events.

Waiting period: Most policies have a waiting period of 2-5 years – this means, you have to wait for a certain amount of time from the commencement of the policy to avail the maternity benefit. It is advisable to purchase a policy with a maternity benefit in advance so you can enjoy the benefits of it at the required time.

Clauses: Please read all the literature attached to the policy thoroughly. Refer the glossary to get Insurance-related terms. Compare and analyze all the features and terms and conditions before purchasing any plan.

Which health insurance policy covers Maternity?

In this article, we have considered 2 best insurance policies from HDFCErgo which cover maternity.

1. Health Suraksha Gold
2. Medisure classic

Let us consider Health Suraksha Plan

Health Suraksha Gold is unique and to meet your maternity medical needs. It provides maximum coverage at an affordable cost. So, choosing Health Suraksha Gold will indeed give you complete protection and safeguards you from spiralling medical expenses. Hence, you can also add health Suraksha Gold plan with your existing employee health insurance for getting maternity benefits.

But, there is always a waiting period when it comes to maternity coverage. Waiting periods are the minimum tenure for which one needs to wait to get the maternity expenses covered. So, after the completion of the waiting period due to continuous renewals, one can avail the benefits offered under the maternity section. Hence, buying a health insurance plan during the early phase of life helps widely in getting away with waiting periods

Health Medisure classic:

With this health insurance plan, relieve yourself of the financial stress and get cover up to Rs 20,000 for normal delivery and up to Rs 40,000 for C-section delivery.

Sometimes there can be complications in the health of a new-born baby and such cases require the best of care. With this health insurance policy, get coverage for the baby for up to 90 days after birth.

Hence, this plan covers both mother and newborn up to 90 days. A waiting period of 4 years of consecutive renewals is applicable.

Let us consider must know queries related maternity health insurance plan.

Maternity health insurance plan and exclusions:

Below mentioned are the expenses excluded from a maternity health insurance plan –

• Doctor’s visit for regular health check-ups.
• Diagnostic tests, doctor’s consultation, and follow-ups during nine months of pregnancy.
• Expenses on vitamins or tonics are not covered unless it’s the part of treatment

How do you claim the maternity cover?

You must inform the insurance company about your pregnancy if your health insurance policy has maternity cover. So, once you get hospitalized for the delivery of your baby, you should raise the claim with your insurance company. Remember, the sooner, the better. Thus, you should make a claim as early as possible.

When to apply for maternity coverage?

Ideally, one should seek maternity coverage before they conceive. Sometimes insurance companies deny the cover if the lady is already pregnant because as per many companies, this condition is considered as pre-existing. In addition to this, maternity coverage has a waiting period of 3-4 years before the actual benefits come in to play.

Hence, it is always better to get good maternity insurance as early as possible. Policies mentioned above offer effective maternity health Insurance along with hassle-free claims during any emergencies.