India has come a long way in the development and advancement of health infrastructure and facilities. With modern technologies taking into the health sector, the facilities have become robust and sound. But with this evolution, the one thing that has also observed a hike is the medical bill. The increasing health expenses have become a common concern leading to the demand for health insurance plans. Today, you would come across a dozen health insurance companies offering numerous health insurance plans to the people. One of the latest additions to the list of these policies is the maternity insurance plan. Here is all you need to know about this recently added extension.
What Is a Maternity Insurance Plan?
Maternity insurance plan is a standalone policy that covers almost all the medical expenses that incur during the pregnancy period. Most of the health insurance plans do not cover maternity expenses under typical arrangements. You either need to buy the add-on coverage or buy a separate health insurance plan. However, you will have to buy the maternity insurance plan at least a year ago, given the waiting period is usually 1-3 years.
What Does it Cover?
The coverages of maternity health insurance policies differ from one insurer to another. You will have a plethora of options to choose from, and you must choose the best one. For that, you need to know common coverages that are available in almost every plan. Let us have a look at the inclusions and exclusions to the plans.
Inclusions to Maternity Insurance
- All the hospitalization expenses related to the delivery procedure (both normal and C-section delivery)
- Hospitalization expenses including doctor’s fees, room rents, medicines and nurse’s charges, etc
- Charges related to pre and post-natal care
- In the case of unfortunate pregnancy complications, the plan also offers child coverage
- Hospitalization costs incurred if any emergency arises 30 days before the prenatal period and 60 days after postnatal
- If an emergency ambulance charges incurred during the pregnancy period, it gets coverage
- The maternity plans also cover the vaccination charges of the baby for one year.
All the aforementioned coverages may vary from one plan to the other. Therefore, it is always better to compare all the plans and go through all the costs covered in them to end up with a decision.
Exclusions to Maternity Insurance
- The weekly or monthly visits to the doctor for routine check-up are not covered in the maternity insurance plans
- Diagnostic tests like sonography undertaken during the pregnancy period fall under exclusions to the plan
- Costs incurred for buying medical supplements and vitamins
- The expenses that arise due to ectopic pregnancy are not a part of the plan.
- Expenses on non-allopathic treatments
- Treatment needed for any self-inflicted injury or drug abuse and alcohol
- Additional costs incurred beyond the capping-limit
Where to Buy a Maternity Insurance Plan?
Buying a health insurance plan is no more a tedious task with so many insurance brokerage services taking it one themselves to help you out. All you have to do is find a reliable source of information and an operational website to compare the available plans. Find the best maternity insurance plan before you start planning for a baby to get the most of the coverages and a comprehensive plan. Also, decide the coverages you will need, to have a clear mindset. Take care of the premium rates and ensure they are in the budget to not miss out on the best offers.
Maternity insurance plans are best for availing top-class hospitality facilities without having to worry about the bills. Welcome the special and new member to your family in a stress-free environment. Prepare for future expenses beforehand to make the most of the available policies.