Maternity Health Insurance Coverage: Features, Add-ons & Benefits

What is Maternity Health Insurance?

Health insurance with maternity coverage provides for financial support required in relation to childbirth. It includes the hospitalisation charges for both natural and caesarean delivery and provides cover for the newborn for certain days after birth. 

Why is Maternity Health Insurance Important?

Purchasing maternity health insurance will provide you peace of mind about the financial implications of delivering. When purchased as an add-on to your existing health insurance plan, this coverage is inexpensive and offers enough financial coverage for hospitalisation and delivery fees. The following are the reasons why it is important:

• This health insurance provides financial coverage for quality health care facilities for both the mother and the child and makes it easier to avail of the services both pre and post-childbirth

• When the natural process of childbirth becomes too difficult for both the mother and the infant, a surgical or caesarean delivery is performed. In this case, medical intervention is essential, and the baby is delivered by major abdominal surgery. A caesarean section can also be chosen at will. A caesarean section is substantially more expensive than a conventional delivery. These expenses may be paid by Mediclaim insurance with maternity coverage.

• Parents-to-be may focus on enjoying this crucial milestone in their life after their financial burden is lowered by maternity insurance.

Who is eligible to avail of Maternity Health Insurance Coverage?

When it comes to purchasing maternity insurance, the qualifying conditions are not vast. Insurance companies may merely need that the insured be of a specific age to get the benefit. The entry age is 18 years old, with some insurers setting the exit age at 45 years old.

Some insurance companies have a limit of two live children for the number of maternity claims. This implies that a woman can only get maternity benefits for two deliveries. In the event of a miscarriage, there may be exemptions.

What are the documents required to avail of Maternity Health Insurance Coverage?

The documents required to avail of the Coverage are:

• Any id proofs
• Summary of discharge
• Form for filing claims
• Prior health insurance policy
• Prescriptions if any
• Any other documents required by the provider

Key Benefits & Features 

The key features and benefits of the insurance are:

• Comprehensive coverage for delivery, hospitalisation medicines and more
• Coverage for new burns in case of critical illness the at the time of birth
• Ease of application through online portals
• Coverage for ambulances during emergencies
• Coverage for 30 days prior and 60 days after hospitalisation
• Swift claim settlement
• Cumulative bonus of 10% every year
• Exemption under 80D of the Income Tax Act, 1961

Inclusion under Maternity Health Insurance 

The following are the inclusions under the insurance:

• Coverage pre and post hospitalisation
• Coverage for termination under medical emergency
• Coverage for caesarean deliveries
• Coverage for new-born for 90 days post birth, post which the baby can be included in the policy
• Provides for payment of vaccinations of the new-born that include:
  • BCG
  • OPV+IPV-B1/OPV
  • Hepatitis B-1
  • DTPw booster-1 or DTPa booster-1
  • Hib
  • Measles
  • MMR-1
  • Typhoid
  • HPV (female child)
  • Meningococcal
  • Tetanus Toxoid

What is the Waiting Period for Maternity Health Insurance?

After buying health insurance with maternity coverage, you have a waiting period during which you cannot file a claim. Depending on the insurer, this time may vary. Depending on the insurer, some policies require a 9-month waiting period, while others may require a few years of waiting.

Exclusions of Maternity Benefit Health Insurance:

Exclusions are situations in which maternity benefits are not available to the policyholder. The following are the exclusions of a pregnancy insurance policy:

• Treatment costs for infertility.
• Supplements, tonics, or vitamins that are related to health.
•  Pregnancy is ectopic unless you have a base plan that covers it.
• The claim was filed while the waiting period was in effect.
•   If the maximum number of claims has been exceeded.

Add-on Covers in Maternity Health Insurance 

Base plans offer maternity coverage as an add-on. In the event of a medical emergency, the base plan provides a financial backup. Healthcare expenses such as hospitalisation are covered.

Summing Up

Becoming a mother is the most fascinating experience in a female’s life. But it also brings a lot of physical and hormonal changes in the woman’s body. A maternity health insurance plan will only make it easier for the family to take care of the mother and the baby without being bogged down by financial costs. This will allow the mother easy access to the best healthcare facilities and allow the family to plan a secure future for the baby.