Waiting Period in Maternity Health Insurance

What is a Maternity Insurance Waiting Period?

The waiting period in maternity insurance refers to the time period during which you cannot file any claims for pregnancy and childbirth-related expenses, including delivery expenses and pre-natal & post-natal expenses. Once the waiting period ends, you can avail pregnancy coverage under your policy. The insurance company will reject any maternity claim raised during the waiting period.

The waiting period for maternity insurance begins from day 1 of the policy. However, the duration of the waiting period may vary from one insurance plan to another. In India, the lowest waiting period for maternity insurance is 3 months.

Types of Waiting Periods in Maternity Health Insurance Plans

Maternity insurance plans come with four types of waiting periods. They are:

• Maternity Coverage Waiting Period – Usually, maternity insurance plans offer coverage for maternity expenses after a waiting period of 3 months to 6 years. The exact waiting period may vary from one plan to another.
• Initial Waiting Period – All health insurance plans with maternity cover come with an initial waiting period of 30 days. During this period, no claims will be entertained by the insurance company except those resulting from accidental injuries.
• Pre-existing Diseases Waiting Period – Pregnancy insurance plans come with 1 to 3 years of waiting period for pre-existing diseases, such as PCOD/PCOS, ovarian cyst, cervical cancer, etc. If you have already been diagnosed with any disease, you cannot claim its medical expenses during this period.
• Specific Diseases/Procedures Waiting Period – Certain diseases and procedures, such as laparoscopy for ovarian cysts, are covered under maternity health insurance plans after a waiting period of up to 2 years. The list of these specific diseases and procedures will be mentioned in the policy document offered by the insurance company.

How Does Waiting Period Work in Maternity Health Insurance?

When you buy a maternity health insurance policy, the applicable waiting period commences from the policy start date. The policy needs to be renewed every year without any gap. As soon as the waiting period is over, the maternity coverage begins, and you become eligible to raise a claim.

Thus, a maternity insurance policy should be bought in advance and not right before or during pregnancy. If you plan to start a family in the next few years, you must purchase a pregnancy insurance policy today. By doing so, your waiting period for maternity insurance will be over by the time you get pregnant.

Are There Any Maternity Insurance Plans with No Waiting Period?

Unfortunately, NO.

Maternity insurance plans with no waiting period are not available in India. At present, there is no maternity insurance policy without waiting period. All health insurance plans with pregnancy cover come with a waiting period of 3 months to 6 years. Even regular health insurance plans do not offer maternity insurance with zero waiting period.

Therefore, couples and women who plan to start a family in the coming years are advised to buy a pregnancy insurance policy years in advance to finish their waiting period by the time they get pregnant.

Can Pregnant Women Buy Maternity Health Insurance Without Waiting Period?

Yes.

Pregnant women can buy maternity insurance with no waiting period. This is possible because a couple of pregnancy health insurance plans, such as Star Women Care Insurance and Aditya Birla ActivOne Maternity, offer coverage to pregnant women. Thus, if you buy one of these plans, you can claim your maternity cover without waiting period even if you are pregnant.

However, you have to fulfil specific conditions to access these maternity insurance without waiting period. For example, the Star Women Care Insurance policy requires pregnant women to submit scans between their 12th and 20th week of pregnancy. Similarly, the Aditya Birla Activ One plan offers maternity coverage to pregnant women only if they have a policy tenure of 3 years.

People also Read: Can You Get Maternity Insurance If Already Pregnant?

Can Maternity Insurance Waiting Period Be Reduced?

Yes.

Several maternity insurance plans provide the option of reducing the waiting period with the help of riders. You can buy riders, such as PED waiting period reduction, to reduce your waiting period for maternity insurance. However, these riders are available only on the payment of an additional premium amount.

For example, suppose the pre-existing diseases waiting period under a maternity insurance plan is 3 years. If you buy a PED waiting period reduction rider, the waiting period can be reduced from 3 years to just 2 years.

However, not every maternity health insurance plan may offer this option of reducing your waiting period.