Maternity Health Insurance for the Pregnant: Is It Possible?

There is a lot of anxiety that is associated with parenthood. And this anxiety can take quite a while to settle. However, there is something that you can do to feel more prepared and reduce the anxiety that you feel. You can buy a maternity insurance plan.

Before you purchase health insurance with maternity cover, there are several factors that you should consider before and after conceiving. This will help ensure a safe and healthy pregnancy.

Between all these considerations, you should not forget about the cost of maternity health insurance. Today, we’ll help you in making sure that you don’t forget about any of the important factors that are related to maternity insurance plans.

Importance of Maternity Insurance Coverage

The cost of a normal delivery in a decent hospital anywhere in India can cost you anything between INR 60,000 to INR 2 lakh. This cost does not include the expenses of vaccination and the additional care that the infant and mother will require right before and after the birth of the child.

These shocking figures are enough to hurt the pocket of any person. This is why planning for your pregnancy should include purchasing a maternity policy. With the help of the right kind of maternity policy in India, you will be able to get the best quality healthcare for your family without worrying about dipping too much into your finances.

Understanding the Features of Medical Insurance for Pregnancy

The best insurance plan for pregnancy provides coverage for financial protection during pregnancy, prenatal and postnatal care of the newborn baby, ambulance charges, delivery costs, pre-hospitalization expenses, and post-hospitalization expenses. This is true in the case of a normal or cesarean delivery.

A good maternity insurance policy without a waiting period also provides cover to the newborn baby for a certain amount of time. Some other benefits that one can find in a maternity Mediclaim are:

• Comprehensive Coverage

An effective maternity cover comes with coverage for expenses related to the delivery of the baby, pre-hospitalization, post-hospitalization, ambulance charges, hospital room rent, doctor’s consultation fees, medicine charges, and other related expenses.

• Prenatal and Postnatal Care for the Newborn

A good maternity insurance policy in India provides coverage to both the mother and the newborn. This should also be true if the child or the mother is diagnosed with a critical illness.

• Hospitalization Coverage

Pre-hospitalization and post-hospitalization expenses related to pregnancy for a certain period of time before and after hospitalization are covered. The duration of coverage will be specified in advance in the maternity insurance policy in India.

• Cashless Facility

There are some maternity insurance India plans that come with the option for cashless facility across several network hospitals in India.

• Claim-Free Bonus

If a policyholder does not raise a claim request in a policy year, then he or she is eligible for a discount on the premium cost for the next policy year. This feature is provided in several health insurance plans before pregnancy plans.

• Tax Savings

According to Section 80D of the Income Tax Act, 1961, tax-saving benefits are applicable on maternity health insurance policies. You can also avail of this benefit when you purchase a health insurance policy.

Beyond all this, the policyholder will also have the freedom to select the amount of sum insured that he or she wants to opt for. All these benefits provide more control to the policyholder.

Apart from all these positive features, you must also remember that there are other features related to a maternity health insurance policy that you might not like so much. For example, there can be several deductibles applicable on the health insurance policy. There are also maternity health insurance plans that come with the capping of several features. You might also be required to copay if the expenses exceed a certain amount.

This is why you must carefully go through the policy document before making any final decision regarding the kind of maternity health insurance policy that you want to purchase. Once you have a clear picture in your head, then you should proceed with actually buying the policy.

The Benefits Provided in Maternity Insurance

Some benefits provided in maternity insurance are:

• ICU rent
• Room rent
• Daycare if hospitalization is less than 24 hours
• In-patient care if hospitalization is at least 24 hours of hospitalization
• The cashless facility at network hospitals
• Emergency ambulance charges
• Domiciliary hospitalization
• International coverage

The Exclusions in Maternity Insurance

There are also some expenses that are not covered in a maternity insurance plan. These exclusions are:

• Diagnostic tests
• Doctor’s consultation
• Doctor’s follow-ups
• Regular checkups during the gestation period
• Vitamins and supplements expenses

Apart from these exclusions, one should also remember that there are different eligibility criteria established by various insurance providers. One must fulfill these eligibility criteria if she wants to purchase a maternity insurance plan.

Documents Required to Apply for Pregnancy Insurance

There are different documents that you will have to submit to the insurance provider when you purchase a health insurance policy. These documents are:

• Proof of age, including certificate of birth, aadhaar card, passport, a passing certificate for 10th standard, or passing certificate for 12th standard
• Proof of identity, including passport, driving license, and aadhaar card
• Proof of address
• Electricity bill
• Diving license
• Ration card
• Medical check-up reports for policyholders who are over the age of 45 years
• Passport size photographs

These are all the major documents that one would require to apply for a maternity health insurance plan.

If you believe in planning the finances of your family and want the best for everyone, then getting a maternity insurance plan before getting pregnant is a great step in the right direction. This decision will ensure that your family gets access to the best quality healthcare without having to shell out a lot of money from their savings.