Arrival of a new born is a time of immense delight for the parents and the family. New born babies are delicate. Their first contact with the world is tough for them not only in the physical sense that they are exposed to elements but also because they come into contact with viruses and bacteria’s. This is the reason why new born babies has always been very high since dawn of human civilisation. With advancement in medical science, we have been able to bring this down significantly but challenges remain.

No matter how sanitised a hospital or a home is, there is simply not possible to have a completely cut off anti septic area for babies. Also due to rising age of parents at time of conception as well as deliveries, environmental factors, preexisting illnesses the incidence of congenital disease has also shot up. Its therefore no wonder that the Neo Natal wards & ICUs are some of the busiest places in a hospital. While one can and should take care to take care that the expenses needed to cover the cost of treatment in case of the baby falling sick is covered.

Traditionally health insurance plans in India have not covered new born from day one. Typically, new born are covered under the family floater plan along with the parents after 90 days.  In such policies You have to inform your Health insurance company about the addition of child along with required documentation mainly birth certificate and hospital discharge card. The health insurance company will accordingly add the child to your policy, recalculate the premium and issue you a new policy document mentioning the baby’s name.

For customers who have health insurance policies which they are satisfied with but want to cover their new born right from day 1 we recommend that they purchase additional maternity & new born babies health insurance plans from their existing health insurance company if possible, and if not then from another insurance company. Many of the best health insurance companies now offer stand alone maternity cover. These plans cover not only the expenses of maternity but also expenses prior to birth like checks ups etc, Caesarion procedures and any hospitalisation required by the new born. These health insurance policies also come with sublimit, waiting periods etc and therefore we advise our customers very strongly to understand the terms and conditions of the policy. In case they have a question, we are more than happy to answer the same for them.

For young couples who are planning a family we advise taking up a health insurance policy which covers maternity expense from day one. In past few years insurers have come up with plans which cover the baby from day one in their parents’ health insurance policy. These policies are more expensive as compared to the ones which don’t cover maternity expense but do provide a peace of mind. One exception this rule if the employer of one or both of the parents has a group insurance policy which covers their employees’ maternity expenses. In such a case we would advise the couple to go for a normal health insurance policy which does not cover pregnancy related expenses and save money. Or better still us that money to buy a bigger cover for themselves under their chosen health insurance policy.

You child is your bundle of joy and an integral part of your home and family. Be responsible and proactive and include her in your health insurance policy as soon as you can. We often see young parents neglecting to follow this basic step. As Benjamin Franklin once famously quipped, you may delay, but the time will not and someday be not a day in the calendar. So please take our advice and cover yourself and your child today.