Having a baby abroad: maternity cover explained for expats

What does maternity cover include?

Having a baby abroad is exciting, but it also raises practical questions: which hospital, which doctor, and who pays? Maternity cover is the part of an international health plan that pays for the costs of a pregnancy and birth. Depending on the plan, it can include:

• Prenatal care: consultations with an obstetrician, scans, blood tests and other routine checks.
• Delivery: a natural birth or a caesarean, with the hospital stay, the delivery room and the specialists' fees.
• Postnatal care: check-ups for the mother after the birth.
• The newborn's first days: some plans cover routine care for the baby just after birth under the mother's maternity benefit.

Maternity is often an option rather than a standard benefit, and it usually has its own limit per pregnancy. This limit can be much lower than the main limit of the plan, so check it against the typical cost of giving birth in the hospital you have in mind.

Why is there a waiting period for maternity cover?

Insurers do not want people to buy maternity cover only once a pregnancy is planned or confirmed, so most plans apply a waiting period: a period of time that must pass after the start of your policy (or of the maternity option) before maternity costs are covered. Its length and the way it is counted depend on the plan.

In practice, this means two things:

• If you are thinking of having a child in the next year or two, choose a plan with maternity cover now, not when you start trying.
• If you are already pregnant, a new plan will generally not cover this pregnancy. You can still insure yourself for other medical needs and plan maternity cover for the future.

Some insurers also set other conditions, for example that both parents are insured on the same policy, or that the mother has been covered for a minimum time. Read these conditions carefully before you choose.

Routine maternity vs pregnancy complications

Many plans make a difference between a normal pregnancy and complications. Routine care is paid from the maternity limit. Complications, such as an ectopic pregnancy or serious conditions that put the mother or baby at risk, may be covered under the hospital benefits of the plan, sometimes even without the maternity option.

What counts as a complication varies from one insurer to another. For example, some plans treat a medically necessary caesarean as a complication, while others include it in the maternity limit. If you have a choice between plans, this definition is worth comparing as closely as the price.

Also check the cover for your baby if he or she needs special care after birth. Neonatal intensive care for a premature baby can be very expensive, and the way it is covered (under the mother's maternity limit or under the baby's own policy) depends on the plan.

Is my newborn covered from birth?

Your baby needs his or her own place on the policy. Many international insurers make this easy: if you add the newborn within a set number of days after birth, they often accept the baby without medical questions, provided a parent has been insured for a minimum period. Miss the deadline and the baby may have to go through a full medical application, which can lead to exclusions.

A few points to check in advance:

• The deadline to add the baby and the documents needed (usually a birth certificate).
• Whether congenital conditions (health problems present at birth) are covered, and up to what limit.
• Whether outpatient care, vaccinations and child health checks are included for the baby, or need an option.

If you already have children, our guide to health insurance for expat families explains how to build a plan that works for everyone.

Where should you give birth: here, at home or elsewhere?

Expats often hesitate between giving birth in their country of residence, in their home country near family, or in a third country with a well-known maternity hospital. Your insurance should support that choice:

• Area of cover: the country where you give birth must be inside your area of cover. The cost of a birth varies a lot from one country to another, and plans that include the USA are significantly more expensive.
• Travel late in pregnancy: airlines often restrict flying in the last weeks of pregnancy. Check their rules and plan your trip early.
• Hospital and direct billing: check that your chosen hospital works with your insurer, so the bill can be settled directly.

A planned birth is also planned treatment, so most insurers ask for pre-authorisation: you tell them in advance where and when you expect to give birth. Our guide to pre-authorisation for planned treatment explains how to do it.

How to plan your maternity cover: a simple timeline

1. Before trying for a baby: choose an international health plan with maternity cover, note the waiting period and check any conditions for both parents.
2. Early in the pregnancy: tell your insurer, check the maternity limit and what is included for prenatal care.
3. A few months before the birth: choose the hospital, confirm it is in your insurer's network and request pre-authorisation for the delivery.
4. After the birth: add your baby to the policy within the deadline and keep all receipts for anything you paid yourself.
5. At renewal: review your cover for your growing family, including outpatient care for the baby.

Fertility treatment such as IVF is often excluded or only partly covered, so if it matters to you, check the policy wording before you choose.

Not sure which plans offer the maternity cover you need? Our advisors compare plans from 20+ insurers at no extra cost. Get your instant quote and receive a personalised comparison by e-mail in about 2 minutes.

Useful resource: World Health Organization: maternal health