Maternity Health Insurance: An Overview
Maternity is the most important time in a person's life, and it fills would-be parents with a wide range of feelings. They begin to fantasize about their soon-to-be-born child and how they will raise him or her. However, proper financial preparation is required to make all of your ambitions a reality. You can invest in a child education plan, but first, it is wise to get a maternity insurance policy to cover the financial costs of the birth and newborn infant needs such as immunization. The article discusses the significance and implications of health insurance for pregnancy and provides the best maternity cover health insurance options available.
What is Maternity Health Insurance?
Maternity insurance is a form of health insurance that covers pregnancy-related costs, including normal and C-section deliveries. Under their maternity insurance policy, several insurance companies give pregnancy coverage, including pre and post-natal expenditures and newborn infant expenses. Furthermore, some corporations provide maternity insurance as part of the best health insurance policy or as a rider to their female employees.
All maternity insurance policies in India include a waiting period, which can range from 9 months to 6 years. During this time, insured women are unable to claim any pregnancy-related expenditures. As a result, women should consider purchasing maternity insurance at least a few years before they want to have a baby. Furthermore, the maternity insurance waiting time differs from plan to plan, so people must examine it before purchasing maternity insurance.
Benefits of Maternity Health Insurance
Maternity insurance makes it possible for you and your partner to concentrate only on your health and the health of the baby over the course of the pregnancy, birth, and the following period without worrying about the costs. Any necessary medical care for the infant will also be covered, depending on the plan you select. This guarantees that your child receives the finest care possible without facing any budgetary limitations.
- The primary advantage of purchasing health insurance with maternity coverage is that it serves as a backup plan for any financial obligations at the most joyous period of your life, giving birth to your child.
- Newborn infant coverage is a common feature of maternity insurance policies, and it often begins the day the baby is born.
- Pregnancy medical insurance policies allow cashless hospitalization, so there is no need to waste time making financial arrangements.
- The premiums paid for an insurance policy for pregnancy with maternity coverage are tax deductible for the policyholder under Section 80D of the Income Tax Act.
- Many insurance companies will gladly grant an increase in the amount covered in the next policy year in the event of a claim-free year.
- Last but not least, all well-known pregnancy insurance policy policies give the insured a broad choice to select the sum protected in accordance with their budget.
What is included in Maternity Health Insurance Coverage?
It is important to know what exactly is included in pregnancy cover insurance in order to ensure no hassles during claims. The following is a list of benefits that are typically included in maternity insurance plans offered by insurance companies:
- Delivery And Labor Costs
- C-Section Birth
- Hospitalization Costs For Patients
- Cost Of Prenatal Or Postnatal Care
- Baby Expenditures For A Newborn
- Costs Associated With Terminations Due To Illness
- The Cost Of Vaccinating The Child
- Obstetrical Complications
- Preservation Of Stem Cells
Best Maternity Insurance in India
There are several different maternity insurance options available from reputable insurance companies. Some of the most popular plans are as follows:
- Aditya Birla Activ Health Enhanced Plan: There are two variations of this medical insurance for pregnancy plan, the Platinum and Enhanced Plans. The covered sum under this maternity insurance plan ranges from ₹ 2 lakhs to ₹ 2 crores. Additionally, it provides coverage for a legal abortion.
- Cholamandalam Privilege Healthline Insurance Plan: The family floater plan Cholamandalam Privilege Healthline Insurance Plan offers maternity coverage after a 5-year waiting period. It is available in two variations: Superior Plan and Advanced Plan. The former provides ₹ 15,000 in coverage for a natural delivery and ₹ 25,000 for a Cesarean section. While the latter provides coverage for regular and Cesarean deliveries at rates of ₹ 25,000 and ₹ 40,000, respectively.
- Bajaj Allianz Health Guard Plan: The Gold and Platinum varieties of the Bajaj Allianz Health Guard plan cover maternity and newborn infant expenditures. It offers coverage for costs associated with both natural and Cesarean births as well as with the legal cessation of deliveries. For the duration of the covered woman's insurance, this plan permits a maximum of two deliveries or terminations. The waiting time for maternity cover insurance under this plan is also 6 years.
- Bharti AXA Smart Super Health Insurance Plan: Women who choose a 3-year policy term under the Bharti AXA Smart Super Health Insurance plan are eligible for the maternity benefit. This benefit covers medical costs associated with childbirth or a legally approved pregnancy termination. It protects up to two deliveries or terminations at most. However, there is a 9-month waiting period and the coverage is only offered under the family floater plan.
- Care Health Insurance Joy Plan: Care Health Insurance, previously Religare Health Insurance, provides the Joy Plan, a maternity insurance program. You may pick between the Joy Today and Joy Tomorrow Plans under the Joy plan, and you'll be covered for the costs associated with your pregnancy and new baby.
- Royal Sundaram Lifeline Health Insurance Plan: Under its Elite variation, the Royal Sundaram Lifeline Health Insurance plan offers coverage for maternity costs, the price of medical abortion, and costs associated with a new baby. Additionally, it covers the cost of the newborn's immunizations up to the age of one year. Only the family floater insurance offers the maternity benefit, and only for up to two pregnancies throughout the insured's policy lifetime. However, there is a 3-year waiting period for pregnancy health insurance as well as sub-limits that are applicable.
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Conclusion
It might be difficult to choose the best maternity insurance plan for you and your unborn child because there are so many alternatives available. Therefore, be careful to evaluate the features and advantages of different pregnancy insurance plans to choose the one that gives coverage for both maternity and newborn infant bills with the shortest waiting period.
What is the waiting period in maternity health insurance?
Any health insurance program must take the waiting period into consideration. After that, you can still receive coverage under your selected health insurance plan. In many health insurance plans, the typical waiting period for maternity insurance is between 9 months and 6 years.
Can I get maternity insurance plans if I’m already pregnant?
No. Maternity insurance policies have a required waiting time, so you cannot purchase one when you are already pregnant. There are no waiting-period-free maternity insurance options in India. Contrarily, all maternity insurance plans have a waiting period that can be anywhere between 9 months and 6 years long.
What are the factors to consider before purchasing maternity health insurance?
Before purchasing maternity insurance, you should be sure of the following:
- Waiting Period For Maternity Insurance
- Number Of Kids Protected
- Protection For A Newborn
- Eligibility Requirements
- Coverage For Legally Required Eviction
- Additional Advantages