A newborn baby’s birth is one of life’s most cherished moments. As much as it brings immense happiness, it also comes with a great deal of responsibility. To ensure your child is safe and to protect yourself against unexpected drainage of funds in case of a medical emergency, a parent can make an intelligent decision to secure the newborn baby and the family with the best health insurance. Health insurance plans have a minimum entry age, usually 90 days. However, an emergency could arise before this stipulated time, especially if it’s a complicated delivery. But, you can include the child in a family floater plan or a women-specific policy.
Before making a choice, let’s consider the factors to consider when buying health insurance for a newborn.
Premium Amount
After you submit the proposal and relevant documents, the insurer will verify those and calculate the premium amount. The insurer may issue a health insurance plan that provides coverage for newborn babies within the existing family policy without extra charges. However, there might be others who would charge an additional amount. So, compare health insurance policies and pick one that covers your baby.
Coverage
Insurance companies typically provide cover post 90 days from birth. It would help to evaluate a policy that offers coverage at the earliest, in case the newborn baby is diagnosed with any medical condition that requires treatment.
Exclusions/Terms of Conditions
It is advisable to review the terms and conditions of the insurance policy carefully to avoid any hassles in future, as every insurance policy has its section of exclusions.
Payment Clauses
Some health insurance policies might offer a low amount of premium. However, there could be a co-payment clause, meaning that the parents might have to pay a certain amount when they raise a claim. So, it’s wise to read the policy documents carefully before you buy health insurance.
Option to Customise
It is recommended to select a policy that allows you to customise it as per your needs. You can do this with health insurance riders besides your basic plan. But, there’s a plethora of health insurance policies available in the market that provide coverage to a newborn in the primary policy. Some reliable ones are mentioned below for you to buy health insurance that will protect the mother and the newborn.
Popular Health Plans for New Born Baby
Bajaj Allianz — Health Care Supreme Plan
This plan covers the delivery and related expenses such as cesarean section, pre-natal and post-natal hospitalisation, and mandatory vaccinations of the newborn baby up to 90 days from the date of birth.
Max Bupa Heartbeat Platinum
The duration of the coverage is from the delivery date to the end of the policy year and includes two deliveries in this period. It is unique because it provides separate coverage for the newborn up to the insured sum. Further, it covers maternity benefits and vaccinations till the baby is one year old.
Care Joy Maternity Health Insurance
Joy Plan by Care Health Insurance (former Religare) is an exclusively designed maternity-oriented medical insurance plan in 2 variants: Joy Today and Joy Tomorrow. It has a low waiting period, extends coverage to a newborn baby, and has family floater health insurance to protect the whole family.
ICICI Lombard Complete Health Insurance Policy
It is a comprehensive policy that offers total family health coverage during planned or emergency hospitalisations and treatments. Health insurance benefits of this plan include a flexible policy term, premium payments, riders, treatment coverage and wide hospital networks, among many others.
HDFC Ergo Easy Health Insurance Policy
This indemnity-based medical insurance policy covers you and your family in case of an illness, injury, or disease. The policy comes in three variants — Standard, Exclusive, and Premium; coverage for the newborn baby is available in the Exclusive and Premium variants.
Tata AIG Medicare Premier Plan
If you are looking for a progressive policy that provides optimum safety, Tata AIG MediCare Premier is an appropriate option. It offers a range of benefits, and the sum insured amounts can be as low as INR 5 lakhs or as high as INR 50 lakhs.
Digit Health Insurance with Maternity Cover
With the Digit Health Plus policy, a woman gets complete coverage against expenses incurred in delivery, including the expenditure related to normal and caesarean. The policy also helps her by covering the newborn’s medical expenses up to 90 days from birth.
Conclusion
Along with the mother, the newborn baby requires extra medical care and attention, especially in the first few months, when both are vulnerable. The baby will need regular medical check-ups, treatments, and mandatory vaccinations at least in the first year. You cannot leave these things to chance, and the family must focus on the mother and baby’s well-being instead of worrying about finances. So, it’s best to safeguard the entire family with a comprehensive health insurance policy that covers all the aspects of a newborn’s healthcare. Choosing the best health insurance policy can be a saviour for the newborn baby and the family.
