10 Best Maternity Insurance Policy in India 2024 – Need and Benefits of Maternity Health Insurance Cover

What is a Maternity Health Insurance?

A maternity insurance is a policy that offer coverage for every expense related to pregnancy as per the set policy limit during the tenure of the plan. Depending on the insurance provider, some companies cover expenses for both pre and post natal treatment, as well as the expenses of the newly born child in pregnancy insurances.

Corporate insurance plans also offer maternity benefits to the female employees together with normal health insurance plans. In certain cases, the maternity benefit is added as a rider with a sub-limit.

The health insurance plans for maternity offer coverage for hospital room rent, nursing expenses, consultation fee, surgeon charges, and charges incurred on anesthetist, among others.

However, it is very crucial to have a careful understanding of the plan before purchasing so that you can make decisions accordingly and to use the plan in the best possible way.

 

Best Maternity Insurance Policies with a Short Duration of Waiting Period

Insurance Plan	Waiting Period
Bharti AXA Smart Super Health   Insurance	9 months
Care Joy Maternity Insurance   Plan	9 months
SBI Arogya Premier Policy	9 months
Bajaj Allianz Health Guard Plan	24 to 48 months
Royal Sundaram Lifeline Health   Insurance Plan	36 to 48 months
Digit Health Care Plus Policy	24 months
Niva Bupa Heartbeat Insurance   Plan	24 months
Liberty HealthPrime Connect   Plan	24 months
Aditya Birla Activ Health   Enhanced Plan	24 – 36 months

 

 

Need of Maternity Insurance Policy in India?

Parenthood is one of the most important phases in the life of every couple, and it is important that you prepare well for this phase by investing in the best maternity plans. A maternity insurance plan will not just cover your monetary needs during pregnancy, but will also allow to enjoy the phase without any worries of delivery expenses, hospitalization costs, tests and all.

Let us analyze the various maternity plans in this blog along with understanding the importance of having such a plan.

Premium and Waiting period of Maternity Insurance Plans

When it comes to buying a maternity plan, the basic question that needs to be addressed is regarding the right time to purchase a maternity policy. You may note that all maternity plans come with a waiting period that might range between 9 months to 48 months depending on the insurance company and the particular maternity plan. Thus, it is important to purchase a maternity plan beforehand looking at the waiting period and your requirements.

Maternity/pregnancy insurance plans also come with a high premium rate. This is because the expenses under maternity treatment are generally high and there is a certainty that claims would be filed. Hence insurers levy heavy charges. So, it is important for the policy seeker to do a detailed analysis of the cost levied and the benefits offered before buying a plan.
 

Key Features of Maternity Health Insurance Plans

Maternity Insurance Key   Features	Description
Things Covered	Hospitalisation expenses (including cost of drugs,   room rent charges, specialist fees, etc.)  Pre- and post-hospitalisation expenses  Delivery expenses and Newborn Cover  Ambulance charges  Pre and Post-natal expenses
Things Not Covered	Pre-existing diseases within the 4-Year waiting period  Illnesses/diseases contracted during the first 30 days  Non-allopathic treatment costs  Hospitalisation expenses as a result of a self-inflicted   injury  Hospitalisation expenses arising as a result of   drug/alcohol use  Treatment of congenital diseasesAesthetic treatments  Expenses arising as a result of treating AIDS/HIV  In-vitro fertilisation (IVF) or infertility treatment costs
Waiting Period	Most maternity health insurance plans will only cover   your maternity-related expenses after a period of 2 –   6 continuous policy years.
Sum Insured	When you purchase your policy, you must select the   sum insured amount. You can select the ideal sum   insured, as long as it stays within the insurer’s   established parameters. The amount insured will   determine your premium rates. As a result, choosing   a high insured amount will result in a high premium.
Premium	The cost of a health insurance plan that covers   maternity costs will be higher than the cost of a   standard plan. The amount insured, entry age, risk   factors, location, and number of employees will all   affect the premium rates (if it is a group policy).

 

What is Covered under Maternity Health Insurance?

Below are the things that are covered in health insurance with Maternity cover –

• Delivery/child birth charges (both normal and cesarean)
• Pre and Post Natal expenses such as doctor fee, ultrasound, regular check-ups etc.
• Newborn child health care expenses
• Newborn vaccination
• Room charges as well as ICU expenses
• Any particular treatment that do not require hospital stay for 24 hours or beyond
• Emergency ambulance charges

What is Not Covered under Maternity Health Insurance?

Below are the things that are not covered in maternity insurance policy –

• In-Vitro Fertilization or IVF is not covered under maternity plans
• Ectopic pregnancy is also not covered
• In case of premature termination of fetus, treatment cost is not covered
• Medicine supplement costs are not covered
• Pregnancy among women who are 45 yrs and above are also not covered

10 Best Maternity Health Insurance Policy in India 2024 from Top Health Insurers

1. Aditya Birla Activ Health Platinum – Enhanced Plan
2. Bajaj Allianz Health Guard Family Floater Health Insurance Plan
3. Bharti AXA Smart Super Health Insurance Plan
4. Care Health Joy Health Insurance Plan
5. Chola MS Family Healthline Insurance Plan
6. Digit Health Insurance with Maternity Cover
7. Edelweiss Health Insurance Gold and Platinum Plan
8. Future Generali Health Total Mediclaim Insurance
9. Kotak Mahindra Premier Plan
10. Niva Bupa (Earlier called as Max Bupa) – Heartbeat Family Floater

Now, let us take a look at the different kinds of maternity insurance plans or different health plans offering maternity coverage.

1. Aditya Birla Activ Health Platinum – Enhanced Plan with Maternity Cover

Insurance Company~ Aditya Birla Health Insurance

As per the maternity benefits of this health plan, you get coverage for the medical expenses incurred for the new born baby, including expenses on any treatment after birth, immunizations, or any pregnancy complications leading to abortion of the fetus etc. Insured sum for this plan starts from 2 lakh rupees and goes up to 2 crore rupees with a dedicated sum allocated for pregnancy related as well as related to newly born child expenses.

2. Bajaj Allianz Health Guard Family Floater Health Insurance Plan with Maternity Cover

Insurance Company~ Bajaj Allianz Health Insurance

This is an insurance plan for family offering coverage for maternity along with newly born child benefits as part of the Gold Health-Guard Plan. For this plan you can get sum assured between the range of 3 lakhs to 50 lakhs. The age of entry into this plan is within 18 to 65 years in case of elders, while it is counted from three months till the age of 30 years for children.

3. Bharti AXA Smart Super Health Insurance Plan with Maternity Cover

Insurance Company~ Bharti AXA Health Insurance

This policy is available in 3 variants namely:

• Value plan
• Classic plan
• Uber plan

Value plan offers Rs. 35,000 maternity cover and Rs.25,000 new born baby cover, which is available till the baby is 90 days old. This policy comes with a waiting time of 9 months and the benefits can be availed by opting for a plan with a 3 year policy term.

Classic Plan offers Rupees 50,000 protection on maternity and newborn baby expenses.

Uber plan offers higher maternity and newborn coverage of up to Rs. 75,000 in case of plans with sum assured ranging between Rs. 20 to Rs. 30 lakhs. If your plan ranges above that amount, the maternity benefit can be further high.

4. Care Health Joy Health Insurance Plan with Maternity Cover

Insurance Company~ Care Health Insurance Company

This is another health insurance that covers pregnancy, and works best for couples willing to embrace parenthood soon. The waiting period for the policy is 9 months and the maternity benefits are available with the plan named ‘Joy Today’. For another plan named ‘Joy Tomorrow’, the waiting period is 2 years.

5. Chola MS Family Healthline Insurance Plan with Maternity Cover

Insurance Company~ Cholamandalam MS Health Insurance

This is a floater plan offering maternity health insurance benefits. However, the waiting time here is 5 years. The coverage limit in the ‘Superior Variant’ of this plan is fixed at 15,000 rupees for normal delivery and 25,000 rupees for operation. In the ‘Advance Variant’, 25,000 rupees coverage is offered for normal delivery and for caesarean this amount is fixed at Rupees 40,000. You also get No-Bonus advantage with this plan of maximum 50 percent of the assured sum.

6. Digit Health Insurance with Maternity Cover

Insurance Company~ Go Digit Health Insurance

This plan offers the added benefit of maternity coverage. The expenses provided under maternity add-on include delivery charges, new born child cover, infertility cover, cover of missed abortion etc. Also, you get a 200% sum insured with this plan for the second child.

7. Edelweiss Health Insurance Gold and Platinum Plan with Maternity Cover

Insurance Company~ Edelweiss Health Insurance

Maternity cover in this plan is available under two options:

• Gold plan
• Platinum Plan

The plan has a waiting time that is 4 years. Thus, this plan suits couples who are not planning to have a child so soon.  Here, you get coverage for up to 50,000 rupees and 2 lakh rupees for gold and platinum plan respectively.

8. Future Generali Health Total Mediclaim Insurance with Maternity Cover

Insurance Company~ Future Generali Health Insurance

This comprehensive medical plan covers for maternity, which can be availed after 2 years waiting time. The condition is that both the expecting mother and father has to be insured under this plan. The plan offer two options: 1) Superior 2) Premier under this plan. This plan offers coverage for as many as 15 members of a family. Sum assured varies between Rupees 15 lakh to 25 lakhs for the superior option, and from rupees Rs. 50 lakhs to rupees 1 crore for premier plan.

9. Kotak Mahindra Premier Plan with Maternity Cover

Insurance Company~ Kotak Mahindra Health Insurance

This is another comprehensive plan that covers for delivery and missed abortion expenses for first two children of the insured that are born during the term of the policy period. It cover pre-natal as well as post-natal costs, new born child’s expenses and vaccination charges of the child till 2 years of age.

10. Niva Bupa (Earlier called as Max Bupa) – Heartbeat Family Floater with Maternity Cover

Insurance Company~ Niva Bupa Health Insurance

This floater plan, available in three type, offer coverage for pregnancy and newborn baby expenses including vaccination. The three variants are namely:

• Silver
• Gold and
• Platinum

All 3 types of pregnancy health insurance variants offer maternity benefits for the first two children of the insured couple, if they are insured for two consecutive years.
 

Other Health Insurance Plans Available with Maternity Cover Benefits

In addition to the above policies, there are other health insurance plans available with maternity cover benefits. Here are some names for your information:

• ManipalCigna Health Insurance – ProHealth Plus Plan

• National Insurance Parivar Mediclaim Policy

• New India Assurance Mediclaim Policy

• Oriental Happy Family Floater Insurance

• Royal Sundaram Master Product – Total Health Plus

• Star Health Wedding Gift Pregnancy Cover

• SBI Arogya Premier Plan

• Tata AIG Medicare Premier Plan

• Universal Sompo Complete Healthcare Insurance

• Future Generali Comprehensive Health Insurance Plan

• Royal Sundaram Lifeline Elite Plan

• Star Comprehensive Health Insurance etc.

How to Purchase Maternity Insurance?

For buying maternity health insurance, you must consider a few important factors. A maternity plan covers the expenses that arise during pregnancy, childbirth, and post-delivery expenses of a newborn baby. Buying a good plan will protect you against several other costs besides delivery such as medication, doctor visits, and other procedures. Here are the points that need consideration while choosing a maternity insurance plan.

1. Choosing the policy coverage wisely 

Ensure that the policy purchased covers all maternity-related treatments. Since the various treatments under maternity are expensive, you can expect a hefty hospital bill to blow your savings. Hence, buying an all-inclusive maternity plan is advisable to cover costs during pregnancy and of the newborn for up to 90 days.

2. Carefully ensure the waiting period

Don’t forget to check the waiting period of your maternity policy. Most maternity health policies come with a long duration of waiting period. Hence, it is advised to check the waiting period so that the purpose of buying a maternity plan is fulfilled.

3. Check the sub-limits of the maternity plan 

Many maternity health plans come with sub-limits, which means that the insurer will pay a particular amount of the expenses. So, if the claim amount exceeds that particular sum, the insured is likely to cover the rest of the amount from his/her pocket.

How to File a Maternity Health Insurance Claim?

Almost all maternity health insurance plans offer cashless treatment at network hospitals. So, if the insured is admitted to a network hospital, he/she can avail of a cashless claim. However, if the insured is admitted to a non-network hospital, the insured is likely to make the payment at the time of discharge on their own. Later, they can raise a claim for reimbursement from the insurance company.

If due to an emergency or any reason the insured is unable to avail of treatment at a network hospital, they can go for reimbursement claims. For this, the insured has to submit a few documents as listed below:

• Claim form (duly filled)
• Hospital bill
• Policy document
• Pharmacy bill
• Hospital discharge documents
• Fitness certificate
• Any other document required by the insurer