Health Insurance for Expecting Moms: What Should You Know

This is important. Because if you are planning on becoming pregnant, you will incur medical costs for doctor visits, lab work, ultra sounds, a hospital stay and delivery just for starters. The delivery alone could cost anywhere from $9,000 - $17,000 if it's routine and depending on your location. It can go up to $25,000 or more if there are complications. Having a preemie could set you back $200,000 for neonatal care. With a maternity insurance policy in place, however, out of pocket expenses will only be a fraction of these amounts, ranging from about $500 to somewhere around $3,000. Since many pregnancies do not go smoothly, it makes sense and can give you peace of mind to have a maternity insurance policy in place.

A maternity health insurance policy is simply another form of health insurance that will cover the bulk of the prenatal doctor visits, lab tests, ultrasounds, hospital and delivery costs so your share of the daunting costs of having a baby will only be a small fraction of the total. The time to find a good policy and purchase a maternity health insurance plan is before becoming pregnant. Your or your husband's health care plan at work may not include maternity care so check into it or ask your HR manager. If it does not, see if you can get a rider, which is an addendum to your existing policy to cover your pregnancy and delivery, or get busy and find a supplemental policy offering maternity health coverage. Keep in mind; some of these policies require a waiting period of months to a year before conception so do this well before getting pregnant. It is more expensive to buy maternity insurance after you are already pregnant, if that option is even available where you live. If both your policies extend to maternity care, you will be at an added advantage because you may have more than one policy for coverage.

Maternity health insurance policies differ on a state-by-state basis so where you live will be another consideration for the kind of coverage available to you. Find out what specific policies offer in your state when selecting the policy that is best for you. Women who find themselves pregnant without this vital coverage often take measures to save money by skipping essential prenatal doctor visits during that crucial first trimester, going without essential tests and even missing out on important medications and other vital measures of prenatal care, putting themselves and their babies at risk of even more expensive health problems and complications down the road.

When looking into a maternity health insurance policy or rider, consider what benefits it offers and what you will need so you can opt for the widest coverage you can get. Some basics to consider are prenatal doctor visits, prescriptions, deductibles for you and the baby, lab work and tests, ultrasounds and length of hospital stay as well as coverage for cesarean versus vaginal delivery. Find a policy that covers these as well as any costs from unanticipated complications for best possible coverage. If you are in a group insurance PPO or HMO, check out the list of obstetricians and pediatricians to be sure the one you want is covered or you might find yourself in the market for a new doctor.

Unmarried mothers-to-be can sometimes be added to the insurance policy of the baby's father if his insurance carrier covers maternity care and children of unwed couples. Pregnant teens may be covered by their parents' insurance policies with certain restrictions. Other sources for financial help during pregnancy include Medicaid, Supplemental Security Income, as well as Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) for help with groceries for low-income expectant moms.

The time to consider a comprehensive maternity health insurance policy is before becoming pregnant. The policy will pay for the bulk of your pregnancy and delivery costs, so you will have money for diapers, formula and baby food after the baby arrives.