Does your insurance include the newborn baby directly after the delivery or not?

A

AstaHK

Registered User
Hi everyone,

I heard from other pregnant ladies that the newborn baby may not be covered by many of the maternity insurances. The actual delivery costs and the the medical expenses for the woman is covered but as soon as the baby is born he/she needs an approved health declaration before the insurance companies covers medical expenses for the baby.

I understand that the insurance companies needs to approve a specific insurance for the baby long term but what if the baby needs immediate medical care and you have delivered at a private hospital?

You won't have time to sort this paper work out that fast and the insurance company could always refuse to cover the baby if it turns out it needs extra medical care.

I thought that the baby would be covered by the same insurance as me for at least a couple of weeks after the delivery to allow time to sort the paper work out.

Anyone with experience from this issue; yourself being covered by insurance and delivering at a private hospital but no coverage for the newborn baby?
 
We were with William Russell and baby was covered for the first 28 days. I think they've capped it, but it was 100% before.
 
With my insurance, provided we notified them of the baby's details within a set time frame (I think 30 days after birth?) then the baby was covered from birth. BUT this was through my work insurance who automatically started paying premiums for the baby once approved. If you are meaning that you only have maternity cover for yourself then although they may provide cover for the baby from birth (once notified) this will of course be dependent on you starting to pay the premiums for the baby's insurance.

I also got into an argument with the insurance company as they tried to deduct a % of the claims for the baby for treatments in the hospital (ie: in the first 3 days after she was born) as we hadn't sought a treatment guarantee before her birth (um - she was early and my cover didn't cover maternity anyway) or notified them within 24 hours of her birth!! Ridiculous - the last thing you are thinking about 24 hours after giving birth is whether you need to be calling your insurance company to check cover - but you should bear that in mind if you are with a cr@p insurance company like we are with (I'll PM you the name if you are interested).
 
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Thank you for sharing your experiences.

My husband's employer is paying for all of our insurances and they will happily pay the insurance for the baby too, so they are really trying to do the right thing. It's just that their insurance company won't cover the baby until they have approved a health declaration which makes it a catch 22... both we and the employer wants the baby to be covered from the moment it is born, but the insurance company doesn't offer that product and wants the baby to be born first and then decide if they want to cover the baby.

We now understand that other insurance companies also demand health declarations/approvals but the difference being that the baby is at least covered for a shorter period of time directly after birth.

If I deliver at Matilda, as planned, and the baby is not covered from birth but would be in need of some extra medical care would Matilda refuse to treat the baby, transfer the baby to public hospital or treat the baby anyway and claim us for the money?

Anyone knows?
 
I think Matilda would ask you whether you wanted to have the baby treated at Matilda and pay the extra money, or have the baby transferred elsewhere. So it would be up to you - this is what happened to me.
 
I was under the company's insurance plan. When I checked out of Matilda, i asked them to split the bill and charge all my baby's expenses (e.g. jaundice light therapy) to her name. After my discharge, i notified my company and the insurance company of her birth and they sent me her insurance card which had an effective date from the day of her birth. Upon which, I submitted my claims and they have all been reimbursed. Hope this helps.

Matilda would typically lump all the charges under your name and if you have an insurance card, they will call up the insurance company to check your coverage amount, and you will have to pay the difference (if any).
 
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Thanks, that was what I wanted to know more about. It seems it will work out ok, one way or the other, in the end. As long as the baby gets the care it needs we will solve the financial issues. We will have a chat to Matilda about our options.

Thank you guys! :)
 
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