About Health Insurance Plans That Cover Maternity

Although pregnancy is an exciting and incredible adventure, the journey is often riddled with bouts of anxiety and worry. Fortunately, some of this worry can be alleviated by a health insurance plan that covers maternity costs.

Medicaid Maternity Coverage

• The U.S. government funds Medicaid, a state-run program for low-income families. Although each state sets their own qualification rules, many low-income, pregnant women can obtain coverage if they are considered "categorically needy" or "medically needy." Medicaid maternity coverage generally covers the cost of all care related to the pregnancy, delivery and complications up to 60 days after the birth.

Group Policies

• Fortunately, a group health insurance plan cannot categorize pregnancy a pre-existing condition. Although individuals might be subjected to a waiting period, they can join a group health insurance plan during pregnancy. As with individual insurance plans, the coverage offered by each group health insurance provider varies from one plan to another.

Individual Policies

• While some individual health insurance plans offer full pregnancy coverage, other plans offer very little. Typically, purchasers must choose optional maternity coverage and pay an additional fee. Unfortunately, most individual insurance providers consider pregnancy a pre-existing condition. In most cases, an insurance plan will not cover a pregnancy if an individual joined the plan after becoming pregnant.