Let us first comprehend the term pre-existing condition. According to IRDAI, any condition diagnosed or treated 48 hours or more before issuing an insurance policy is known as a pre-existing condition.
It can be a medical condition, ailment, injury, or disease that existed before taking a health insurance policy.
A pre-existing disease is not covered under your insurance policy or is covered after a certain period.
Conditions such as blood pressure, heart condition, diabetes, asthma, thyroid, cancer, etc., or surgical procedures such as the appendix, gallbladder, caesarean, etc., are not covered or have a waiting period.
Whether you purchase the policy online or offline, any significant medical condition for which you take medications or treatments must be informed to the insurance company before opting for the policy. If not disclosed, your claim can be denied, or your policy can be rejected.
Is pregnancy covered in health insurance policies?
Yes, some companies offer pregnancy coverage in the policy, while others offer it as an add-on benefit. Maternity cover benefits that are usually provided are:
- Pre and post-hospitalisation expenses cover any medication or doctor visit 30 days before and after hospitalisation.
- Room charges
- Surgeon expenses
- Doctor’s fees
- Nursing charges
- Consultation
- Both normal and caesarean options are covered in the policy.
- Any complications in the pregnancy can be covered with an add-on benefit.
Waiting period before pregnancy
If you plan to have a child, it is better to take an insurance policy without procrastinating. You may be required to serve a waiting period before availing of the benefit of pregnancy coverage.
The waiting period may differ from company to company. Some companies offer pregnancy coverage from day 1, whereas some may offer it after a waiting period of one to four years.
What happens if a person is already pregnant before buying the insurance policy?
Suppose the person is already pregnant and takes the policy. The pregnancy may not be included in the insurance policy as it will be considered a pre-existing condition.
Companies that offer pregnancy cover
Pregnancy cover comprises all the expenses related to maternity, such as pre and post-hospitalization, doctor’s fees, and delivery charges. Newborn costs are also covered in maternity health insurance for some time.
Some of the top companies that offer pregnancy coverage are mentioned below.
Care Health Insurance
Joy tomorrow policy from Care
- It covers maternity expenses of up to 50000.
- The waiting period is two years.
- If the insured is not availing the benefit of the waiting period, he gets 25000 as maternity expenses.
- Newborn baby expenses are covered for up to 90 days. After that, you should give a premium to add the baby to your policy.
- Vaccination cost for the baby is not included in the care policy.
- After 45 years of age, one can’t avail of maternity coverage benefits in this plan.
Niva Bupa Health Insurance
Health Premia from Niva Bupa
- It covers maternity expenses of up to 40000.
- The waiting period is two years.
- Up to 2 pregnancies are welcome in this plan.
- It includes all the prenatal and postnatal expenses.
- Newborn baby expenses are covered for up to 90 days. After that, you need to pay an additional premium to add the baby to your policy.
- These days vaccination costs for the baby are very high and a burden on the pocket. This plan covers vaccination costs for the baby for 1st year.
Star Health Insurance
Star Comprehensive from Star Health
- It covers up to 15000/- for normal delivery and 20000/- for caesarean section.
- The waiting period is two years.
- Newborn baby expenses are not included, and one needs to pay an extra premium to include the baby.
- Vaccination costs for the baby up to 5000/- are only covered for the first year in the Star Comprehensive plan.
- Future Generali Total Insurance Solutions
Health Total Vital from Future Generali
- It covers medical expenditures of up to 35000.
- The waiting period is two years if the policy is a floater and four years if it is for an individual.
In conclusion
If one plans to have a baby, one should take an insurance policy as soon as possible. Before buying, ensure that the policy includes maternity health insurancecoverage.
Since there is a minimum of 9 months to two years waiting period in any policy, one should plan for the pregnancy well in advance to avail of the benefits of maternity coverage.
While buying the policy, one must ensure that the selected company provides the best maternity coverage and other benefits. These include accident insurance policy, pre and post-natal coverage, maximum delivery expenditure, inclusions of complications in delivery, least waiting period, newborn baby expenses and vaccination coverage, etc.
The policies mentioned above are some of the good policies that offer maternity benefits. We hope the research helps you to make a wise decision for your family.
