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How to Get the Maximum Benefits from Maternity Health Cover?

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Managing the costs associated with prenatal care, childbirth, and postnatal support can hit your finances hard. Maternity health insurance plays a critical role in providing comprehensive medical support and financial security during the beautiful and transformative journey of pregnancy. It is designed to protect both the mother and the baby, ensuring access to quality healthcare services. However, to fully maximise the benefits of maternity health coverage, it is necessary to comprehend its intricacies and make informed choices. Let’s explore valuable tips and considerations that can help expectant parents navigate their maternity health coverage effectively, ensuring they receive the maximum benefits.

Tips to get Maximum Benefits from Maternity Health Coverage

Here are some tips to help you get maximum benefits from maternity health insurance.

• Buy maternity insurance early

Maternity health insurance comes with a waiting period of 2-4 years, depending on the health insurance provider. So, if you are married or going to get married and plan to start a family in the next 2 years, the ideal time to opt for maternity insurance is now. When you buy it early, you can complete the waiting period in time and avail of maximum benefits.

• Understand your health insurance plan

When you are buying maternity insurance, research the plans provided by different insurance providers — benefits, coverage, exclusions, premium amount, claim settlement ratio, and of course, the reputation of the company. Read the terms and conditions of the best health insurance plan to understand it well in order to make the most of the benefits.

• Check sum insured

This is the maximum amount your insurer will pay for maternity-related expenses. In urban cities, the average cost of a normal delivery in private hospitals ranges between Rs 45,000 and Rs 75,000, and a C-section would cost around Rs 80,000 - Rs 2 lakh. Before buying maternity health insurance, check if the sum insured is adequate to avoid any out-of-pocket expenses.

• Benefits

Compare the benefits offered by different plans and choose the health insurance that best meets most of your needs. Check if there’s coverage for fertility-related issues, C-section delivery, room rent, whether the plan offers a cashless facility, etc. What’s the point of having maternity health coverage when you can’t use it to the maximum?

• Keep an eye on added benefits

Sometimes, your insurance provider may offer added benefits like free annual health check-ups, discounts/coupons on fitness classes, free apps to track your health records, etc. For updates on new offers and benefits, check the insurer’s website regularly and utilise them fully so you don’t have to spend from your pocket for the services.

• Use network hospitals

Whether it’s a planned hospitalisation or an emergency, choose a network hospital so that you can avail of cashless hospitalisation benefits. In a non-network hospital, you have to pay the medical expenses upfront and go through the process of filing a reimbursement claim after discharge from the hospital. After the insurer verifies all the documents and bills, it will be approved as per the policy terms and conditions. To make the most of the cashless benefit, you have to get admitted to a network hospital for delivery, wherein the insurance provider will settle the bills directly with your chosen hospital.

• Avail tax benefits

You are eligible for tax benefits for the premium paid towards maternity health insurance under Section 80D of the Income Tax Act.

Conclusion

Even if you are secured with the best health insurance, maternity care is quite expensive, especially in private hospitals. Having maternity health insurance will reduce your financial burden as it takes care of all expenses related to the child – from pre- and post-hospitalisation expenses, delivery charges, complications during delivery, etc. The baby is also covered up to 90 days from birth. Hope the above tips help you get maximum benefits from your maternity insurance. It is also advisable to check your policy coverage regularly or request the health insurance provider for any changes in the policy so that you don’t miss out on any of the benefits.

Disclaimer : The above information is for illustrative purpose only. For more details, please refer to policy wordings and prospectus before concluding the sales

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• 4 Mistakes to Avoid While Buying Maternity Insurance

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