Prenatal Health Coverage

When a woman becomes pregnant, she takes on the responsibility of not only caring for her own health but also for the health of her child. Prenatal care refers to the medical testing, treatment and routine education that pregnant women go through to give their children the best chances of a healthy start to life.

Significance

• Prenatal health coverage is important for several reasons. Prenatal medicine contributes not only to the health of the pregnant woman but also the health and development of her child. Without adequate prenatal care, children become more likely to experience a range of health problems long into their futures. Prenatal care is also expensive, which is why women need access to health insurance that pays for some or all of the cost. The amount of time a woman receives prenatal care can begin before conception and despite its name, the treatment continues for several months after a child is born, extending the cost.

Health Insurance Coverage

• Most health insurance plans include provisions for paying for prenatal care. This includes most individual health plans as well as group insurance through an employer. Prenatal care often incurs the same limitations and costs as other forms of medical treatment under your insurance plan, including co-payments, deductibles and prescription drug expenses. Some health insurance plans make special provisions for prenatal care, such as a different fee schedule. Other plans, such as high-deductible individual health insurance programs, may not offer any special coverage but allow the cost of prenatal care to contribute to the mother's deductible payment.

Additional Sources

• For pregnant women who lack traditional health insurance, there are several options for getting low-cost access to prenatal care. The federal government's Medicaid program is intended for low-income families and individuals; it includes a higher income bracket for pregnant women, which means they can qualify for care even if they earn too much to qualify for the program's low-cost health care prior to becoming pregnant. State programs for low-income families also offer prenatal care as part of their missions to preserve the public health.

Coverage

• Prenatal health coverage, whatever the source, includes a number of different specific procedures and treatments. Sonograms, which allow doctors to examine images of the mother's womb and the developing child, are one such procedure. Regular exams by a gynecologist, prenatal vitamins and special exams made in the event of any abnormalities are also covered. Finally, prenatal health coverage pays for inpatient services that include hospital and physician fees surrounding the birth.