Benefits of Buying Maternity Cover under Your Health Insurance

We’re sure you have probably heard people say that giving birth to a child is one of the most beautiful things in the world. And it might be too if we don’t see hospital bills for the standard delivery of a baby these days.

As medical inflation keeps on rising, you will have to take some steps if you plan on having your own little bundle of joy. Giving birth is truly a special and wonderful experience. Having a baby can bring a lot of happiness to your home and your life. This wave of happiness should not be lost because of worries about the medical costs involved. But, believe us, the cost of having a child can add up to be a lot! 

Did you know? If you live in Delhi, the cost of giving birth can go as far as Rs.250,000 and even more! This might be because the hospital may charge you heavily on room rent, lab tests, Surgeon/gynecologist fee, diet charges, gynecologist visits, general nursing care, etc. Some hospitals give a separate bill for the baby and the mother. If you don’t have all this money saved up or are not ready to let it all go at once, you need to do something now. 

Maternity Cover

One of the best things you can do to protect against high medical bills is to buy a maternity cover. You can even get this under the health insurance plan you already have. This is because maternity cover is an optional add-on to improve the coverage of regular health plans. It may not be an automatic part of your health plan. Some people buy health insurance under the assumption that it would also cover the costs of childbirth. More often than not, it doesn’t. 

Usually, you would have to buy an additional cover for this. Your maternity cover helps you cover the costs you incur after giving birth. This not only applies to natural deliveries but also to C-Section deliveries. So don’t worry about your maternity insurance not covering the charges of a Caesarean. Both are to be covered by a maternity cover. This is why buying a cover like this can be really helpful while covering the cost of medical treatment for you and the baby. 

Key Benefits of having Maternity Cover 

Your maternity cover is not only for you but for the baby as well. It makes sure that both of you are taken care of when you might need it the most. Here are some key advantages offered by a dedicated maternity cover.

• Hospitalization time due to maternity: When we talk about hospitalization coverage, we don’t only mean the bill you would get when you go home. Hospitalization charges covered by your maternity cover can be fairly extensive. IRDAI has directed in a circular that a maternity cover under your health plan must take care of your hospitalization expenses for a number of days before and after your delivery. 
• Post delivery stay: In many cases, mothers are required to spend some extra time in the hospital due to problems that could come up during childbirth or because the baby needs more attention. Your maternity cover is designed to understand all these requirements. The maternity cover can help you for up to 30 days before and up to 60 days after the actual delivery of the baby.
• Hospitalization charges related to maternity: When we talk about the charges that your hospital bill may have, they can be for a lot of reasons. Generally, your cover includes the cost for your room, your nurse, surgeon, a meeting with an anesthetist, etc. Moreover, these might not be the only costs you may have. The last few days of your pregnancy can be unpredictable. It might be difficult to predict when exactly you should go to the hospital. In such cases, you may have to call an ambulance at the last minute. Do not worry about the high cost of ambulance charges. All these are covered under the maternity cover.
• Cover for your new bundle of joy: During the first few days, the baby in your arms may require a little more care. Your baby is at a very delicate stage in his or her life and needs very gentle love and care. Moreover, some babies can have a tough start in life and may require extra medical attention due to certain congenital deficiencies. Your maternity cover may help. These types of policies cover your newborn baby for up to 90 days. This may provide help in that period where your infant may need more help than usual. 
• Cesarean / Natural Birth and Post delivery complications: It does not matter whether your delivery is natural or a cesarean; your maternity cover will still cover most of the costs. This can make things convenient for you and will not put any financial pressure on you. But that’s not all. Your maternity cover can also help defray the cost arising out of post-delivery complications; which has become quite common these days. Not all deliveries go through smoothly and hence it is very important to ensure coverage for all these problems too. 

All in all, a maternity cover can prove to be very useful for you. However, you must also note that if you are already pregnant at the time of buying the cover, the maternity cover cannot help you. You’d have to plan well in advance to claim the benefits of this cover, as most maternity covers have a waiting period ranging from 3 to 4 years. 

To know the exact time frame, you can talk to your insurer or an agent. It can be a tough decision to make right now about the policy you should choose for your future. But I am sure that by proper reading and research, you will make the right choice. A little bit of research and a little bit of comparative analysis can help you get the best for your child.