Maternity health insurance

Features of Maternity health Insurance

Here are some key features of maternity health insurance plans:

Who is Eligible to Avail Maternity Health Insurance?

Parenthood does bring great joys. However, it also brings associated expenses and large medical bills throughout the term of pregnancy. Hence, it is important to stay prepared with appropriate health insurance.

The criteria of eligibility to avail a maternity health plan differs as per the insurance companies. 18 years is the minimum age at which a woman can buy maternity insurance, while the maximum limit of age is 45 years. You must also note that maternity insurance comes with a waiting period of 9 months to 6 years before the insured could avail the benefits.

Documents needed to buy Maternity health Insurance

Below are the documents needed while buying a maternity health insurance plan:

• Duly filled application form
• Address proof like telephone bill, PAN card, Passport, Ration Card, electricity bill, Aadhaar card, etc.
• Passport size photographs
• Identity proof like passport, Aadhaar card, Pan card, voting ID card etc.

How to raise a claim for Maternity health Insurance

Here are the steps to follow:

• Notify the insurer and submit the duly filled claim form offered by the hospital
• Once the hospital does the paperwork, they will send notification to the insurance provider
• The insurer will verify the papers and will pay the hospital as part of the cashless claim payment
• If you go for the reimbursement system of payment, you can pay the hospital bill at the time of discharge. Later, you can raise a claim with your insurer within the prescribed time frame with all the paperwork and seek for a reimbursement claim

Inclusions of Maternity health Insurance

The inclusions of maternity health insurance might vary as per the insurance company. Here are some common inclusions:

• Normal/Cesarean delivery
• Room rent charges
• Prenatal expenses
• Post-natal expenses
• Hospitalization costs for patients
• New born baby cover
• Complications in pregnancy
• Expenses of medically necessary termination of pregnancy
• Preservation of stem cell
• Ambulance expenses
• Daycare treatments etc.

Exclusions of Maternity health Insurance

Like inclusions, the exclusions might also vary from insurer to insurer. Here are some common exclusions of pregnancy health insurance:

• IVF or In-vitro fertilization treatment
• Ectopic pregnancy expenses
• Expenses of pre- and post-hospitalization
• Regular check up
• Late pregnancies above 45 years of age
• Expenses of surrogacy etc.

Best Maternity Health Insurance Plans in India 2023

There are several insurance companies offering health insurance with maternity cover as an in-built feature of their plan or as an add-on benefit. Here are some popular maternity insurance plans mentioned in the table below:

To Conclude

A maternity or pregnancy insurance is an important coverage for a family to embrace parenthood. However, it is important to consider the maternity plan well before purchasing a health insurance that covers pregnancy so that you can get maximum benefit from it. Along with waiting periods, new-born care and number of child births, one should also check if the policy covers abortion or termination of pregnancy.