Expectant couples, especially the first timers are usually unaware of the challenges that maternity may bring along. As with any health-related matter, even maternity carries financial liability; and any financial liability is to be insured. Thus we often hear the term maternity insurance. Here is a comprehensive guide to maternity insurance for those who want to be financially guarded during this important milestone of their lives.
Why Maternity Coverage?
Prenatal care involves regular visits to the OB-GYN, diagnostic expenses and unexpected hospital stays. Being uninsured or inadequately insured for maternity may result in a hefty expenditure on your personal savings or even inadequate prenatal care. To tide against this uncertainty, maternity insurance comes to rescue.
What to Look for in Maternity Insurance
Typically, maternity insurance covers inpatient and outpatient expenses during and after pregnancy and at childbirth. The coverage amount will vary from policy to policy. The main objective is to assess what you need and then look for a product that satisfies all your needs.
When to Get Maternity Coverage
The best time to get maternity insurance is before pregnancy commences. As per insurance norms, no insurance is granted for a pre-existing medical condition. Hence it becomes mandatory to get maternity insurance before you actually get pregnant.
In case you had no idea about this and you are looking for insurance then the damage control can be done by checking if your medical insurance covers any part of the maternity. If it does or allows for additional coverage then you could get lucky by paying an additional premium.
How to Get Maternity Coverage
The first things to do when trying to get insurance for your maternity is to see if your general health policy already covers you for prenatal, child birth and post natal expenses. If it does, then ascertain the total expenses that you can expect and see if the cover is enough. If you feel it is insufficient then check for riders that allow you a top-up for the missing component. This is less expensive than going for an exclusive maternity coverage.
But if you find component missing and you cannot top it up, then getting a separate maternity insurance becomes a must. ehealth insurance is an online insurance mart that gives you information about various health insurance products. Here, you can compare various products, compare quotes and zero-in on the coverage that you prefer and get insurance instantly.
