Maternity Health Insurance: The Silver Lining for Your Family’s Future
Motherhood is one of those life-changing experiences that one needs to be prepared for mentally, physically and financially. For the rare few, the nine months of pregnancy can be a smooth-sailing process but for the majority of women; pregnancy is fraught with hormonal (physical and emotional) changes that can impact health in a number of ways. To deal with such health issues, most likely you will need to resort to medical help, which means more expenses. To manage the overwhelming amount of expenses that come with having a baby (planned or unplanned), maternity insurance can extremely come in handy.
Let’s understand in this article how maternity insurance really works and in what ways it can benefit you.
What is Maternity Insurance?
Maternity insurance is a type of medical insurance that helps women cover medical costs associated with pregnancy. This includes not just the gestation period but also the post-delivery treatments and procedures that come with taking care of the infant as well as the mother. Many corporate companies also offer maternity insurance policy benefits to their female employees to make them feel more included and appreciated within the company.
This ensures a healthy and gender-sensitive working environment for all and negates financial worries that come with having to take maternity leave or leave the job altogether. The corporate benefits for maternity insurance often come with an upper limit which if exceeded will need to be met by the mother or the couple out of her/their own pocket.
Maternity Medical Insurance: Benefits
Now that you have understood the basic crux of maternity insurance, let us quickly glance through some of the common policy features that attract would-be parents to such a plan.
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Provides Financial Support: As per studies conducted, the cost of delivery and expenses incurred for pregnancy-related tests during the nine months and after when combined can run into lakhs of Indian rupees. This can be difficult for couples and mothers who are not financially secure to manage. Maternity insurance can be the silver lining for both cases of planned and unplanned pregnancies.
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Maintains a Healthy Financial Condition: When it comes to having a baby, expenses don’t stop with the delivery. You will have to continue to bear the burden of financial expenses even in the post-natal care phase. Such expenses arise from the baby’s basic sanitation necessities and vaccinations. Maternity insurance assists you during postnatal care and keeps finances secure.
Who Can Purchase One?
Couples or young women intending to have a baby and grow their family typically after a year or two post-marriage are the primary groups for maternity insurance. Parents who already have a child but want to have a second one also subscribe to a maternity insurance plan that would cover them comprehensively.
Another group of interested customers include those couples who have not planned to have a baby but want to secure their financial position in the event of an unavoidable circumstance and also can benefit greatly from investing in maternity insurance.
Mode of Payment for Your Maternity Medical Insurance
Under the payment mode category, interested parties can avail of two kinds of options:
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Cashless Claim Facility:
This is considered to be the most ideal option since it is completely free from the hassles of lengthy paperwork, having to make the payment upfront and then go for a reimbursement process. The mode of payment is offered by partner hospitals and clinics of the insurance provider. When you opt for a cashless claim facility payment mode, then the medical expenses will be settled by the insurer directly with the healthcare provider.
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Filling a Reimbursement Claim:
This is the alternative option when it comes to settling medical expenses that arise during the nine months of pregnancy and delivery during which time you need to settle the bills yourself out of your own pocket. These expenses can be claimed later on as compensation.This is generally a viable option when the hospital that you have taken services from is not a partner of the insurance provider and so cashless claim settlement is not a possibility.
Best Maternity Insurance Policies on the Market
In case you are wondering which maternity medical insurance is best for you, here are a few insurance providers and their policy features at a glance for you to browse through:
1. Bajaj Finserv Health: Bajaj Finserv Health Maternity Insurance is one of the most purchased Insurance policies in the Indian Market. Under it, you get exciting features like:
· Ambulance expenses
· In-patient care treatments
· Prenatal expenses
· Follow-up visits
· Day-care treatments
· Hospital room charges
· Newborn baby cover
· C-section/normal delivery
2. Policy Bazaar: Another preferred insurance provider. Their maternity insurance policy covers the following features:
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Normal/c-section delivery
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Cashless treatment facility
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Vaccination costs for the infant
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Day-care treatment
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Hospitalisation charges
3. Niva Bupa: If you opt for this insurance provider, you will get to enjoy the following policy features:
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Hospitalisation costs covered
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Normal/c-section delivery
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Newborn baby cover for 1-year post birth
Takeaway:
Whether you have planned to have a baby or not, having maternity insurance in place post your marriage secures your financial future and provides you cover in case of unforeseeable circumstances. Such a policy safeguards you from unexpected costs and maintains the financial health of the family so that everyone gets to enjoy this phase happily and healthily without having to compromise on availing the best healthcare for the mother and the baby.
Additional Read: Why Should One Avail a Health Insurance Policy?
