How Much Sum Insured in Health Insurance is Needed for a Young Couple Planning a Baby?

Posted on: Jun 6, 2025 | 3 mins | Written by: HDFC ERGO Team

How Much Sum Insured in Health Insurance is Needed for a Young Couple Planning a Baby?

Are you a young couple planning to embrace parenthood soon? Getting comprehensive medical insurance coverage for the mother and the newborn is crucial for their health and well-being. You can buy medical insurance for your newborn by opting for either a family health insurance plan or a maternity policy that provides newborn coverage. In this article, we will discuss ideal plans for young couples planning a baby, how much sum insured they need, why they should buy a maternity insurance plan, and more.

Family Floater Health Plans

A family floater plan can be an ideal choice for young couples and families. Such an insurance plan covers the whole family, including your spouse, kids, and parents, under one plan and sum insured. One primary benefit is that any member can use the sum insured for medical treatment as the need arises. Hence, it is more adaptable and provides better coverage.

Maternity Insurance

A maternity health insurance is designed to cover pregnancy-related and childbirth expenses and is ideal for those planning to start a family soon. It provides coverage for check-ups, ultrasounds, hospitalisation costs for delivery, including caesarean or normal, vaccination costs and congenital birth defects. Here is why a maternity insurance plan is essential:

• As soon as you plan to conceive, get a policy to deal with the waiting period criteria.

• Buy maternity insurance before getting pregnant, as existing pregnancies are not covered.

• Opt for plans integrating maternity and general health insurance to maximise benefits.

• Besides your employer-provided maternity benefits, get separate maternity insurance for wholesome benefits and security.

A maternity insurance plan can be considered by a young couple before embarking on their journey of parenthood with the following perks:

1. Cashless hospitalisation:

Under this maternity insurance, the insurer will settle your hospital bills directly with the hospital.

2. Day Care Treatment:

Daycare treatments are included in maternity insurance.

3. Inpatient Care:

It ensures complete in-patient care in case of any complications during pregnancy.

4. Pre-hospitalisation and Post-hospitalisation:

Insurance offers coverage even 30 days before hospitalisation as well as expenses incurred after discharge for up to 60 days.

5. Tax Exemption:

With maternity insurance, you get tax benefits on the payable premium under the Income Tax Act 1961.

How Much Sum Insured Should a Young Couple Choose

Let us discuss how to select your ideal sum insured if you are a young couple.

• It is recommended to have a sum insured that is around 30-50% of your annual salary.

• Aspects like whether you reside in a metro city or a Tier-2 city, your medical profile, and plans for kids should guide your choice.

• Regularly reassessing your policy during renewal helps align your coverage with changing needs as a growing family.

How to Get Medical Insurance Online

Here is how to buy medical insurance online:

Step 1: Open your insurer’s website

Step 2: Go to ‘Request a quote’

Step 3: Select the plan suggested in the options

Step 4: Type in your details, including age, mobile number, and tenure.

Step 5: Select the sum insured

Step 6: Get the details about your premium and complete the payment through the insurer’s secure payment gateway. The policy documents containing your policy number and e-card will be sent to your registered email.

Conclusion

Buying health insurance with maternity cover for a would-be mother and a newborn baby is important to ensure adequate coverage and safeguard their health and well-being. It is to be noted that health insurance policies have a waiting period before they start providing coverage. Therefore, get a health insurance policy with an adequate sum insured before you conceive. Compare policies before deciding to buy medical insurance online.

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

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