Last Updated on 26/02/2022 by Deepak Singla
Pregnancy is a special part of every mother’s life. Imagine having to stress over finances during this period! This is the time where you need to be taken care of in the best way possible. And to ensure the same, health insurance companies in India provide you with the best maternity insurance plans.
Some individual and family health insurance plans offer it as an add-on as well. One thing to take care of while buying a maternity health insurance plan in India is its waiting period. The lesser the waiting period, the better it is for you.
Women who don’t already have a maternity cover add-on, often think of getting one as soon as they decide to embrace motherhood. Now, a policy with a lengthy waiting period might not serve the purpose you bought it for.
So, if you are planning parenthood shortly or would become parents soon enough, then it’s better to check out the waiting period of the policy. You won’t find maternity insurance with zero waiting period. However, there certainly are some plans with shorter waiting periods.
Out of the several pregnancy health insurance plans in India, it could become difficult for you to choose one. But there is nothing to worry about because we have done the homework on your behalf. After comparing hundreds of maternity covers, we have shortlisted the 5 best maternity health insurance plans having the least waiting periods.
What is a Maternity/ Pregnancy Insurance?
Maternity health insurance is a type of insurance plan which covers all medical expenses incurred during pregnancy. It includes prenatal check-up costs, hospitalization costs during pregnancy, post-natal costs, etc. Some pregnancy health insurance plans also cover all expenses of the newborn baby for a specific time.
Certain health insurance companies in India offer maternity health insurance as a stand-alone insurance. On the other hand, some of the best family health insurance plans or even the individual ones offer health insurance for pregnant lady as an additional rider.
What are the Basic Inclusions and Exclusions of a Maternity Health Insurance?
| Inclusions | Exclusions |
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List of the 5 Best Maternity Insurance Plans in India
| Sl. No. | Maternity Insurance Plans | Waiting Period | Coverage | Approximate Premium (INR) |
| 1. | Care Health Joy Today | 9 months | 2 deliveries or terminations
Newborn baby cover |
INR 17,000 |
| 2. | SBI Arogya Premier | 9 months | 2 deliveries
Newborn baby cover |
INR 14,500 |
| 3. | Bharti AXA Smart Super Health Insurance | 9 months | 2 deliveries or terminations | N/A |
| 4. | Max Bupa Heartbeat Gold | 2 years | 2 deliveries or terminations
Newborn baby cover Vaccinations for the first year |
INR 11,000 |
| 5. | HDFC Ergo Health Suraksha Insurance Gold | 4 years | 2 deliveries
Newborn baby cover Vaccinations |
INR 20,000 |
Care Health Joy Today Health Insurance Plan
Care Health Joy is one of the best maternity insurance plans in India. This plan is perfect for people who are about to have a baby. The waiting period to avail of the maternity benefit is 9 months only with the Joy Today policy.
Key Features and Benefits:
- Sum insured for the pregnancy cover lies in the range of INR 3 lakhs to INR 5 lakhs
- Waiting period is of 9 months.
- Daycare treatment’s expenses are covered
- Expenses for pre-natal and post-natal care are covered
- Newborn baby coverage for up to 90 days from DOB.
- Cashless treatment at 4700+ network hospitals.
- Pre and post hospitalization cover for 30 and 60 days
- 100% bonus of the sum insured if no claims are made during the tenure of 3 years.
Highlights:
| Sum Insured | INR 3 lakhs or INR 5 lakhs |
| Waiting Period | 9 months |
| Entry Age | 18 to 65 years |
| Newborn baby cover | Available |
SBI Arogya Premier
SBI Arogya Premier Plan is an insurance policy that provides maternity benefits as well in addition to other health coverage. It will cover all maternity-related costs after a waiting period of 9 months only. The pregnancy cover provides other benefits for the child too.
Key Features and Benefits:
- Automatic sum restoration if it gets exhausted in a year.
- Pre-entrance health check-up not needed till the age of 55
- Air ambulance costs covered
- Sum insured gets increased by 10% for every claim-free year.
Highlights:
| Sum Insured | INR 10 lakhs to INR 30 lakhs |
| Waiting Period | 9 months |
| Entry Age | 18 to 65 years |
| Newborn baby cover | N/A |
Bharti AXA Smart Super Health Insurance
Bharti AXA Smart Super is a general health insurance policy that also has an optional maternity health insurance add-on. With this plan, you can choose to get a pregnancy cover of either 3 lakhs, 4 lakhs, 5 lakhs, or INR 7.5 lakhs.
Key Features and Benefits:
- Maternity insurance cover for 2 deliveries and 2 terminations is provided
- Newborn baby coverage of INR 50,000 for 90 days after the birth
- A short waiting period of 9 months
- Three variants available: Value plan, Classic plan, and Uber plan.
Highlights:
| Sum Insured | INR 3 lakhs or INR 5 lakhs |
| Waiting Period | 9 months |
| Entry Age | 18 to 65 years |
| Newborn baby cover | Available |
Max Bupa Heartbeat Gold
Max Bupa Heartbeat Gold plan is a pregnancy health insurance plan that covers the newborn baby’s expenses too. Moreover, it will cover the vaccinations of the baby for the first year.
Key Benefits and Features
- No age limits for entry into the plan
- Cover for up to 2 deliveries
- Waiting period is just 9 months
- Sum insured ranges from 5 lakhs to 1 crore.
- Cover for daycare procedures
Highlights:
| Sum Insured | Up to INR 50 lakhs |
| Waiting Period | 24 months |
| Entry Age | 18 to 65 years |
| Newborn baby cover | Available |
HDFC Ergo Health Suraksha Insurance Gold
HDFC Ergo Health Suraksha Gold policy provides maternity cover after a waiting period of 4 years. Newborn baby expenses are also covered. You can get insured for a sum in the range of INR 3 lakhs to INR 10 lakhs.
Key Benefits:
- Lifetime renewability
- No sub-limits imposed on room rent, doctor’s charges, etc.
- Covers in-patient hospitalization
- Covers pre and post hospitalization
- Newborn baby coverage for 90 days after birth
- The premium cost is affordable for the common man
Highlights:
| Waiting Period | 48 months |
| Entry Age | 18 to 65 years |
| Newborn baby cover | Available |
| Network hospitals | 6000 |
When is the Right Time to Buy a Maternity Insurance?
You need to plan well ahead of time before purchasing a maternity insurance. Most of the maternity health insurance plans come with a waiting period ranging from 9 months to 4 years. So, make sure that you are planning a child in that time range.
Moreover, you need to keep in mind that most of the health insurance companies in India do not offer pregnancy covers to women who are already pregnant. Many insurers also have an age cap for maternity covers.
Hence, it must be clear to you that you should buy maternity insurance way before you plan a child. You could also get a maternity rider while buying a health insurance plan.
Endnotes
Maternity insurance cover is a great rider provided with the best family health insurance plans in India and individual health policies. As mentioned earlier, it is available as a stand-alone policy too. It reduces your stress largely during motherhood. So, you need to make sure that the policy you take up is good enough to serve its purpose.
Increasing medical inflation makes getting a pregnancy cover in addition to other health covers, an absolute necessity. For women who are soon to embrace motherhood, a plan with a lower waiting period is preferred.
Hopefully, you would have found the right maternity insurance in this article. Let us know your remarks below in the comments!
