Benefits of Maternity Employment Insurance

Having a baby can be a wonderful experience for parents and having maternity insurance through employment can help cut down the costs associated with pregnancy and childbirth. While there are other types of maternity insurance coverage available, such as individual plans or government assistance, employer-sponsored health insurance plans are the most ideal. You don't have to qualify for the coverage based on your health or income and your coverage will continue as long as the employer provides it and you remain their employee.

Automatic Maternity Coverage

• Maternity benefits are usually provided in group coverage and having insurance through employment means that you are automatically covered when you become pregnant. Many individual insurance policies do not have maternity coverage automatically included and you would have to pay an additional premium to add it as a rider to the policy if the insurer offers it. If you could not afford an individual policy, you could apply for maternity benefits through Medicaid, but you would have to meet income eligibility requirements to get the coverage. Group policies will cover your pregnancy even if you are already pregnant when you begin a new job. Individual policies consider pregnancy as a pre-existing condition and you will not be able to get health coverage while you are pregnant.

Pre-natal Benefits

• Going through a pregnancy can be expensive without having maternity insurance through employment. You will need to have monthly doctor visits to make sure you and your unborn baby are healthy and to catch any potential problems. Your doctor will discuss your health care, physical activity and nutrition, and will provide you with a schedule for visits that will increase as you get closer to your delivery date. Maternity benefits can cover the costs of these doctor visits, lab and diagnostic work and having insurance through employment means you may only have to pay a minimal co-pay for each visit.

Labor and Delivery Benefits

• Having maternity insurance through employment means that the costs of labor and delivery will be covered under the policy and depending on the coverage, you may only have to pay a deductible. Any charges associated with giving birth are typically included, such as the doctors and nurses, the delivery room, the nursery and the hospital room after your baby is born. The expenses related to any complications that arise during child birth may also be covered including having a Cesarean section. Many policies also cover care for your baby if a longer stay in the nursery is required because of health issues and your baby's first doctor visit.