Saturday, November 30, 2013

Maternity and Insurance Coverage Defined


Life has many surprises, some good and some not so much. Usually, one of the most exciting and precious times in a lady's life is to find out that she is pregnant. After all, giving birth is one of the greatest gifts blessed to a woman. With a new life growing inside of her, every soon-to-be-mother gains an almost automatic protective instinct for her new child. New mothers also want to keep their new child safe with many new practices, including a good diet, the right medications, and finding the right doctor for on-going doctor visits. These medical expenses require the right maternity health coverage. Maternity insurance is an important part of a health plan.

What is Health Insurance?

Health insurance is a type of financial instrument used to help pay the costs involved for health services in such a way to protect the financial interests of persons that are covered by the insurance policy. The comprehensive definition of health insurance cannot be explained fully in a few words. In short, a health plan can be explained accordingly:

An insurance company offers an insurance plan to a person with defined coverages. This plan is sold to a person for a premium. The insured person is required to make payments, usually on a monthly basis, to the insurance company. This premium that is received by the insurance company is invested into low risk ventures, that have guaranteed returns. This makes sure that the insurance company grows in value. In return for premiums paid, the insured person can then make a claim for compensation of personal losses in the event of a medical expenditure. The insurance company covers (financially) the policy holder for any loss that has been incurred, with respect to the definition of benefits within the insurance policy. The definition within the insurance plan that determines the amount in which the policy holder is compensated is defined as the coverage of the insurance policy. For example, expenditure for a hospital visit because of an accident, is covered by accident insurance. In the same way, health plans with a maternity benefit, cover a portion, as defined within the insurance policy, the health of a mother and here child during pregnancy. The premium for such policies can be fairly expensive.

Health Insurance Plans with Maternity Coverage

Insurance companies offer many different types of policies. Maternity coverage is typically an added benefit, or rider, that requires an additional premium that is added to a typical health insurance policy. Maternity insurance coverage pays for many of the medical bills that are incurred during a pregnancy. Some maternity insurance plans pay for prenatal care where some do not. All maternity plans have some very specific terms and conditions. It is important to make sure you are aware of the defined maternity benefits that a maternity plan offers. Usually, health insurance covers many of the unexpected expenses that are incurred, for example, unexpected medications or hospitalization charges. Most maternity insurance plans, however, do not cover usual expenses, such as prenatal vitamins or regular checks-ups, unless otherwise defined by the coverage outlined in the maternity insurance policy. Typically, the more a maternity insurance plan covers, the higher the premium. The broader the coverage, the lower the premium.

Maternity insurance coverage, or a rider for maternity coverage on an existing health insurance plan, are not typically available after you become pregnant. Sometime, once you acquire maternity insurance, there is a waiting period before benefits will be paid for a pregnancy. If you cannot attain maternity insurance because you are already pregnant, you usually have the option to add a new-born to an existing insurance policy or you may start a new insurance plan for yourself and your new baby. Insurance policy benefit extensions and extra coverage depends on the terms of your current insurance policy. In the event that your current insurance plan does not offer maternity insurance coverage or if you are currently uninsured and cannot acquire maternity insurance, there are a multitude of maternity programs offered by your state or the United States federal government, such as Medicaid and WIC and child and family services.

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