There are so many things to think about when planning for a child, from child proofing your home, making sure you have read all the relevant literature to buying all the essential clothes and paraphernalia. But the most important thing to think about when preparing for a baby is you and your child’s health. Health insurance should never be treated as an afterthought so to help navigate you through the world of private cover, here are some pointers:
Reasons for Private Cover
There are many reasons to go for private cover, these include:
- For birth and after care services, private health care is actually the most affordable option, especially if there are complications
- You have the power to choose your obstetrician
- Private hospitals have much lower rates of newborn resuscitation or admission to intensive care
- The ratios of neonatal death rates are as follows: public hospitals – 3:1000 and 1:1000 –private hospitals
- The rate of severe perinea tearing is much lower in private hospitals
Waiting Periods
Many health insurance policies have waiting periods, this means your health may not be covered for some time after you have started paying your premiums. With this in mind, it is important to take out insurance the moment you start planning on having children.
If you and/or your partner already have health insurance, now would also be the best time to get in touch with your policy provider and ensure you are covered for all pregnancy and birth related services as well as enquiring about adding your newborn to the family policy.
Getting the Right Cover
All private health funds should cover the following basic needs:
- Doctors’ and obstetricians’ fees
- Hospital accommodation
- Labour ward costs
Some additions to the basic points you may want to consider are:
- Pre-natal class fees
- Ultra-sound costs
- Post-natal check-up fees for you and your baby
The additional points will most likely come with an additional charge. To get the best deal always make sure you compare private health insurance. You should also make sure there is no gap in the cost of your treatment. This could mean making a co-payment and paying an excess for treatments that are supposedly covered under your policy. Some insurers may seem a little cagey about information on co-payments or excess so make sure you check with an online health insurance advice centre like Choosi, for accurate information.
