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Pregnancy Insurance in India

India has a number of insurers--a few government and many private players. But none of them offers individual coverage for pregnancies. Female employees are entitled to maternity benefits, but when it comes to pregnancy insurance, the chances of obtaining it are dim. Insurance is usually meant for unexpected risk, and pregnancy is not regarded as such a risk.

  1. Group Pregnancy Insurance Coverage

    • A number of companies in India offer pregnancy insurance under their group coverage. Nearly 73 percent of pharmaceutical, manufacturing and IT companies provide group coverage that includes maternity insurance benefits. In fiscal year 2007-08, nearly 450 group policies were sold by insurance company Cholamandalam General Insurance. Out of those, 65 to 70 percent included maternity benefits. IT companies are the major buyers of group policies with maternity insurance.

    What Pregnancy Insurance Covers

    • Maternity insurance available as part of group coverage stipulates that at least 100 employees be covered in the group. Pregnancy insurances cover all pregnancy-related hospitalization costs. The hospital where the insured employee can get treatment depends on her employer's group policy. The group pregnancy insurance covers costs of surgery, pre- and post-natal care, and treatment of any complication arising due to the pregnancy.

    Exclusions

    • Normally, neither medical checkups during pregnancy nor expenses incurred on medicines are covered under pregnancy insurance in India. Termination of pregnancy within the first 12 weeks is also excluded from insurance coverage. Pregnancies within nine months of taking the maternity insurance policy also are not covered.

    Stipulations in Pregnancy Insurance

    • Pregnancy insurance stipulations vary from insurer to insurer. Some insurers may require the insured to inform them immediately of hospitalization for delivery or any pregnancy-related reason. Failure to comply with simple formalities could jeopardize a person's insurance benefits.

    Pregnancy Insurance Providers

    • There are a number of pregnancy insurance providers in India, Apollo DKV and Star Health being the major ones. ICICI is more liberal with its maternity insurance, as it covers prenatal tests and medication expenses. United India Insurance meets hospitalization and in-patient care expenses to a certain limit.

    State Insurance Scheme

    • Female employees working with the government get maternity insurance coverage under the Employees' State Insurance Scheme (ESI). Under this scheme, an employee contributes 1.75 percent and the employer contributes 4.75 percent of the wages earned every month. In times of pregnancy, the employee becomes eligible for 12 weeks of confinement as well as for miscarriages and any complication arising out of pregnancy.

      Clearly, pregnancy insurance in India favors employed women, as women who stay at home have been ignored by insurers in India.

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