Women who are pregnant or who are trying to conceive need to have maternity health insurance to help cover expenses. Having a baby is very expensive and can cost up to $10,000 without maternity health insurance. This kind of health insurance will help cover expenses for prenatal care, ultrasounds and the doctor and fees for the hospital stay when it is time for the baby to be delivered. It will also help cover expense for complications such as premature births and cesarean sections.
If you are working you may be able to get maternity health insurance through your employer. This is the easiest and best way to obtain maternity insurance. If the woman is an unmarried student she may still be able to be covered under her parent’s insurance policy. Married women are normally covered under their husband’s insurance policy unless the woman is working and has her own health insurance through her employer. Women can also purchase individual maternity health insurance on their own.
If you already have health insurance coverage you need to make sure that maternity care is also covered in your policy. Some health insurance policies do not cover maternity care. You may have the option to add maternity health insurance coverage to your existing policy if you do not have it already. Adding maternity care after conception may be more expensive than adding it to your policy before you become pregnant. If you are already pregnant and shopping for maternity health insurance it may be considered a pre-existing condition that will not be covered. It is best to discuss this aspect with an insurance agent when you are shopping for maternity health insurance.
Depending on what state you live in, you may be able to get an individual HSA (health savings account) major medical plan with a maternity rider. This type of insurance plan allows for tax free payments to a health savings account that can be used to meet your deductible. Planning ahead is your best option when considering the subject of purchasing maternity health insurance. It is going to be less expensive to obtain it before pregnancy than after. It is a good idea to do some comparison shopping and weigh all of your options to get the best price for the coverage you need. So plan ahead.
If you are already expecting and do not have maternity insurance there is a federal and state children’s health insurance plan (CHIP) that covers pregnant women. You can check that to see if you qualify for it. Some states will only have limited maternity coverage. To qualify for this type insurance you must meet certain guidelines and be in the low to moderate income bracket. With this kind of maternity insurance you will not have the freedom to go to any doctor but will have to go ones that participate in the public health insurance program.
If you are shopping for maternity health insurance you can go to a number of websites online where you can get quotes from different insurance providers. When you purchase health insurance with a maternity rider make sure you talk over the details with your insurance agent. You should know if the policy will cover pregnancy and if you can purchase the insurance after you are pregnant. You should also find out if there is a different deductible for maternity benefits. You should ask about what percentage of the expenses will be paid after you have met the deductible as well. Having a baby is a joyous, yet expensive, event. Preparing for the expense before hand and know what to expect your maternity health insurance coverage to pay for can take the worry and stress out of the picture for you.
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