Maternity Insurance Features Which You Get with Health Insurance

Becoming a mother is a privilege, a privilege which is enjoyed by women alone. Motherhood not only brings added responsibilities for a mother, but for the father too. While the mother is tasked with nurturing and taking care of the infant, the father bears the financial expenses involved. Right from the time the child takes seed in the womb, to the time it is born and brought up there are various additional expenses which are incurred. Childbirth itself is an expensive process where hospitals charge huge amounts of money. Does your health insurance plan cover such expenses?
 

There are health insurance plans which cover maternity-related expenses. They include maternity insurance in their list of coverage features and thus cover the expenses incurred in childbirth.

Salient features of maternity insurance in health insurance plans

Coverage is available after a waiting period

Any health plan with maternity insurance provides maternity-related coverage only after a waiting period. This period is specified in the policy and is counted from the date of policy inception. Usually the maternity waiting period ranges from 2 to 4 years. Thus, if you want to enjoy maternity coverage under a health plan, you should buy the plan as early as possible so that by the time you plan and start a family, the waiting period would be over.

There are limits on maternity coverage

Coverage for maternity-related expenses is not provided up to the sum insured. There are specified limits up to which maternity is covered. Moreover, maternity cover is available only if your sum insured is above a specified level (usually, Rs.5 lakhs). The limit on maternity cover is specified based on the type of child-birth. Normal deliveries are covered for a lower amount compared to Caesarean deliveries.

Expenses which are covered

Maternity insurance covers specified maternity-related expenses. Normal and Caesarean deliveries and pre natal hospitalisations related to pregnancy complications are covered under all maternity health plans. Some plans also cover expenses incurred in lawful termination of pregnancy. Moreover, the new born baby is also covered under many plans for up to 90 days from the date of birth. There are a few plans which also cover infertility related treatments up to a specified limit. However, infertility treatments are covered for one cycle. Thus, maternity cover doesn’t only mean coverage for deliveries, you can avail coverage for other expenses too.

Some points to remember

Though the features mentioned above tell you almost everything about maternity insurance, there are a few points which you should keep in mind when buying a maternity health insurance. These are as follows :

Maternity insurance is available for up to 2 living children. So, if you already have a child then you would get coverage for only one more delivery.

Females aged up to 45 years can only avail maternity coverage. If you have crossed 45 years of age, you cannot avail maternity cover even if your health plan provides it.

The limit on maternity cover is available for all treatments related to pregnancy. So, if your plan provides coverage for Rs.40, 000 and you are hospitalized earlier for any complications, the expenses incurred on such hospitalization are deducted from the coverage limit. So, if an earlier hospitalization costs Rs.10, 000 your maternity limit would reduce to Rs.30, 000.

If you have a group health plan or more than one health plan which offers maternity coverage, you can claim the coverage from any one plan. You cannot avail maternity coverage from multiple health plans whether through a combination of group health and individual plan or a combination of two individual health plans.

So, health insurance plans come to your aid in meeting your maternity-related expenses. However you should understand the nuances of maternity cover in terms of the waiting period, coverage limits and expenses covered so that you would be aware of the coverage available. So, arm yourself with the knowledge and then plan your family.

 

FAQs: Maternity Insurance Features

Maternity insurance benefits include financial protection during pregnancy, pre- and postnatal care, pre- and post-hospitalization costs, ambulance fees, and delivery costs, regardless of whether you deliver naturally or via caesarean section.

the reason for insurance

Its goal is to lessen monetary uncertainty and manage accidental loss. This is accomplished by exchanging the payment of a small, predetermined fee—an insurance premium—to a reputable insurer for the assumption of the risk of a sizable loss and a promise to make payments in the event of such a loss.

The meaning of maternity benefit is you can make a claim for maternity expenses against your Group Health Insurance policy. Usually, the following two events are covered. Maternity Health Cover under a Group plan primarily covers delivery expenses. The newborn baby is covered with health insurance for up to 90 days.

Medical and surgical costs for an insured person are covered by health insurance. Depending on the terms of the insurance policy, either the insured pays expenses out-of-pocket and then receives a reimbursement, or the insurance provider pays expenses directly.

Maternity leave duration: The right of the mother to a period of rest in connection with childbirth is an essential tool for preserving the health and nutrition of the mother and her child.

Author Bio

Paybima Team

Paybima is an Indian insurance aggregator on a mission to make insurance simple for people. Paybima is the Digital arm of the already established and trusted Mahindra Insurance Brokers Ltd., a reputed name in the insurance broking industry with 17 years of experience. Paybima promises you the easy-to-access online platform to buy insurance policies, and also extend their unrelented assistance with all your policy related queries and services.

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