From Bump To Baby: Maternity Health Insurance Options For Every Mom

Congratulations on your decision to expand your family and bring a little one into the world! It is a fantastic feeling to be able to feel your child growing inside you. For now, your spouse or partner must be content with feeling the prodding of little feet on your bump. While you wait to deliver your bundle of joy, let us know of the options available in insurance for pregnant women.

Every mother deserves a healthy, stress-free pregnancy and an unforgettable experience. While your near and dear ones around you do their best to make you feel comfortable, the financial implications of a pregnancy might be bothering you at the back of your mind. Pregnancy is expensive, with doctor’s fees, cost of medical tests, cost of delivery, hospitalisation expenses and so on. The good news is that health insurance for pregnant mothers is available in India. If you are a single mother, the financial implications may weigh down on you even more, as having a child also brings numerous expenses. But do not unnecessarily worry, as health insurance for pregnant single mothers is available in India and will cover the costs relating to your delivery and any complications if they arise.

What is Maternity Health Insurance?

Maternity health insurance, or health insurance for pregnant women, is a comprehensive health insurance policy that covers the following expenses relating to your pregnancy:

1. Doctor’s fees
2. Cost of medical tests
3. Hospitalisation expenses
4. Cost of delivery – both standard delivery as well as Caesarean Section (C-Sec)
5. Pre and Post Natal expenses
6. Expenses of your newborn baby
7. Expenses incurred in case of complications in pregnancy
8. Cost of vaccines for your newborn baby
9. Stem cell preservation (at least assistance)
10. Expenses related to medical termination of pregnancy, if so required.

Critical Aspects of Maternity Insurance

Health insurance for expecting mothers is a great support in helping you access quality healthcare facilities as it ensures that the health insurance company takes over the financial burden. This provides significant relief, especially in the context of the high medical trend rate and medical inflation, in India at 14 %in 2022 -23, the highest in Asia and higher than the global average. Institutions providing quality maternity care have become very expensive, and the cost of a C-Section delivery has increased to Rs 2,00,000 in the best facilities in the metropolitan cities. Luckily, in India today, affordable health insurance for pregnant mothers is available to cover the expenses.

As per the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI), maternity expenses or treatment in the context of insurance for pregnant women includes the following:

1. Medical expenses during hospitalisation for delivery – including C-Sec and complicated deliveries
2. Legal, medical termination of pregnancy – subject to a maximum of two deliveries and terminations during the entire lifetime of the person who has been insured
3. Medical expenses, both pre-natal and post-natal, incurred either during a delivery or termination.

Employees of certain companies are entitled to the benefits of medical insurance for pregnant women as part of their group Mediclaim policy. This benefit is available for women employees and the wives or partners of the male employees, where the company offers spouse medical insurance facilities. This is excellent support, but the coverage under such employer-provided group Mediclaim policy is often capped at a limit between Rs twenty-five thousand to Rs One lac and may be subject to waiting periods.

A maternity health insurance plan has specific exclusions. The expenses relating to the following are usually excluded:

1. Ectopic pregnancy
2. Regular check-up
3. Surrogacy
4. Hospital cash benefit

Pro Tip: Please note that usually most health insurance policies, including those that provide the best health insurance for pregnant women, come with a waiting period ranging from nine months to six years.

>> Also Read: How to Claim the Maternity Cover in Health Insurance?

How to Choose the Best Health Insurance Plan for Expecting Mothers?

At this juncture, it is natural for a question to pop up in your mind: Which is the best health insurance for expecting mothers? Most health insurance companies offer you comprehensive health insurance with maternity benefits. The health insurance policy that provides the best insurance for expecting mothers is Care Joy by Care Health Insurance. Care Joy is a product offering maternity health insurance specially designed for young couples planning to start a family. The focus of the policy is maternity-related hospitalisation. The policy also covers you for other hospitalisation while it is in force.

Care Joy comes in two variants – Joy Today and Joy Tomorrow. It has a maternity waiting period starting from nine months and provides cover for your newborn baby from the first day to the age of ninety days. This policy has an entry age starting at 18 years for adults, and maternity cover is available for up to 45 years of age.

Care Joy comes with specific benefits and services for maternity:

1. Pre-natal customised diagnostics package from SRL for all three trimesters at a discount of 50%t.
2. A flat discount of Rs 10,000 on the Cord Cell Bank Services offered by CryoViva
3. Discount of up to 25% at SRL for other diagnostics and consultations

These value-added benefits have no waiting period and may be availed of from the day after you get the policy kit.

Let us look at the maternity-related benefits of both variants of Care Joy:

Things to Keep in Mind While Buying Maternity Health Insurance Plan

Before buying a policy for Health Insurance for Pregnant Women, you need to check on the following points:

1. Waiting period for maternity coverage
2. Reimbursement of pre and post-hospitalisation expenses and the number of days in both instances
3. The number of children and pregnancies the policy covers
4. The coverage the policy provides for your newborn baby
5. Cashless hospitals in the network hospital list
6. Sublimits for different treatments
7. Eligibility criteria, if any
8. Coverage in case of legal, medical termination of pregnancy
9. Additional benefits offered by the policy
10. Inclusions and exclusions in the policy
11. Discounts are applicable for online payment or prior payment for multiple years of premium.

As you welcome your bundle of joy into the world, do ensure that you have already purchased your maternity health insurance policy. Do your proper research and comparisons before you buy your policy for an amazing and everlasting experience free of the associated financial worries.

Disclaimers: All plan features, benefits, coverage, and claims underwriting are subject to policy terms and conditions. Kindly refer to the brochure, sales prospectus, and policy documents carefully.