Pre and Post Natal Expenses
Having a baby is the most joyous part of our lives. The feeling one experiences while holding their baby for the first time is priceless.
Are you also planning to start a family soon? If yes, then you must realise that bringing a new life to the world is a big responsibility. With excitement & happiness, this new phase of your life comes with expenses. Therefore, rather than worrying, you must make sure that you are well-prepared in advance.
With an effective Maternity Health Insurance plan, you're ready to embrace parenthood with utmost pleasure.
Maternity insurance is a part of Health Insurance that offers coverage for all pregnancy-related expenses such as delivery expenses & newborn baby expenses up to the pre-decided limit during the policy term.
What is Pre & Post Natal Cover?
- Pre- Natal means 'Before Birth'.
- Postnatal means 'After Birth'.
Pre & Post Natal expenses fall under the category of Maternity expenses. Such expenses can be covered if you have a Health Insurance policy that provides financial security against Maternity related expenses.
Under Pre & Post Natal cover, one gets the coverage against prenatal costs such as medical check-ups, ultrasounds, various tests, medicines etc. One can avail coverage before pregnancy and can ensure a smooth journey all along during their pregnancy.
Along with this, postnatal costs such as medical check-ups, treatments and vaccinations of the baby etc are covered. All medical consultations and procedures that are required to ensure the safety of the baby till childbirth are covered under such plans.
With Pre and Post Natal coverage, you can ensure that you and your child will get complete protection, not only during pregnancy but even before and after that.
For women, the journey of pregnancy is emotionally, financially and physically challenging. With the support of her friends and family, she can be mentally and physically strong, however, to keep herself financially stable, one needs to have a Health policy with Maternity coverage.
Health Insurance Companies
Availability under Health Insurance
- Usually available as a rider to the base Health Insurance policy.
- Now, these Maternity plans can be purchased as a standalone policy.
Eligibility Criteria
- Entry Age: 18 years
- Exit Age: 45 years
Moreover, some health insurance companies have a cap on the number of maternity claims up to 2 deliveries, which means a person can get maternity benefit for 2 deliveries only. Therefore, it is advisable to thoroughly read the Terms & Conditions before investing in any plan.
What if My Health Policy Does Not Offer Maternity Coverage?
Health Insurance plans that cover Maternity often come with in-built sub-limits. For example, if you have a Health cover of 3-5 Lakhs, you will get the Maternity coverage of around Rs. 25,000-50,000.
However, if you have a Health Insurance policy which does not cover Maternity Expenses, you can opt for a Maternity Benefit Rider to your base Health Plan.
What is Covered under Maternity Health Insurance?
Prenatal or Pre-Delivery Expenses
In a comprehensive Health Insurance plan, one gets coverage for all the Pre-Natal expenses such as Medical Check-Ups, frequent Medical Scans, and Ultrasounds to ensure that both baby and mother are fine.
Delivery Expenses
Under an ideal Maternity Insurance policy, an Insured gets coverage for all the medical expenses including the Delivery Charges and Labour.
Post-natal or Post-Delivery Expenses
Along with Prenatal, a comprehensive Health Plan will cover the Post-Delivery expenses such as Baby Vaccinations, Medications, and Hospitalization.
Vaccination Cover
The list of Vaccines covered under this plan are:
BCGOPV+IPv-B1/OPVHepatitis B-1HibMMR-1MeaslesTetanus ToxoidHPV (only girls)TyphoidMeningococcalDTPw booster-1 or DTPa booster-1
Exclusions of a Maternity Insurance Plan
Though there are many benefits to having Maternity Insurance, here are a few aspects that are not covered:
- Any Pre-Existing Illness that affects pregnancy
- Expenses incurred for Infertility Treatment
- Cost of medicines apart from those prescribed by the doctor
- Doctor's consultation & check-up fees
- Congenital Diseases
- Claim raised when the allowed number of claims have exceeded
Claim Process to Avail maternity Coverage
You can avail both Cashless (when you're admitted to a Network Hospital) and Reimbursement (when you're admitted to a Non Network Hospital) facilities.
You can follow the below mentioned steps to file a claim:
Inform the Insurer
When you get hospitalised for delivery, you must inform your Insurer firstly, at the earliest.
Submission of Documents
Submit the duly-filled Claim Form with all the required documents, which
Verification of Documents
The hospital will verify and forward your form to the Insurance Company
Claim Settlement
- Cashless ClaimAfter verification of your documents, the company will settle your bill and pay directly to the hospital as a part of the Cashless Claim payment procedure.
- Reimbursement ClaimIn case you opt for Reimbursement, you will have to primarily settle the hospital bills on your own. Post verification of documents & approval, the amount shall be transferred to the registered Bank account.
Documents Required for Claim Process
- Duly filled claim form
- Policy documents
- Discharge summary
- Fitness certificate
- KYC documents
- Consultation bill
- Original hospital bill
- Pharmacy bill
Summing it up
Pregnancy is an important phase of a couple's life. However, with the continuous rise in the costs of healthcare and medical expenses associated with pregnancy, having an effective Maternity plan has become an utmost necessity. Thus, in order to embrace parenthood without any financial crunches, it is recommended to have a good financial backup to meet the requirements of a mother & the baby.
