Maternity Medical Cover under Individual Policy

Being a mother to be is an occasion of great joy for every woman. And very often a carrying woman is offered the best facilities and conditions. The best doctors and hospitals are chosen for pre and post delivery care. This often runs up a reasonably big expense.

Any of us who have tried for taking maternity cover in our individual mediclaim would know the difficulty in obtaining one. Corporate mediclaim covers maternity benefits under their group policy. But for individuals, most insurance company say a no to maternity cover.

However there are few private sector players who offer maternity cover on the individual level. The benefits offered and the terms and conditions for coverage varies from company to company. The minimum waiting period to cover maternity under individual mediclaim policy is 2 years while for some companies it is as long as 4 years. It means that the insured must be covered under the particular company’s mediclaim policy for a minimum continuous period of 2/4 years before maternity benefits can be claimed.  Most companies provide the maternity benefit for the first 2 children.

Under these policies the pre natal and post natal hospitalisation charges and expenses arising out of complications from pregnancy will be covered.  Some of the insurers specify the limit up to which expenses would be paid for normal delivery and caesarian delivery, for e.g. Rs 15000/ for normal delivery and Rs 25000/ for caesarian delivery. Some of the insurers offer the additional benefit of covering the new born baby without additional premium from the time of birth till the next renewal. Certain insurers also cover the first year vaccination costs incurred for the new born. Select insurers cover the cost of extra nutritional requirements too.

The premium that is charged for maternity cover depends on the age. However while considering your individual health plan, read the terms and conditions carefully and try to learn whether there are any hidden charges that you may incur like co-pay or deductible.

Congratulations to the mom to be and a happy motherhood!