Parenthood is perhaps one of the most significant transitions in one’s life bringing emotional, financial, and physical challenges. If you’re a couple planning to extend your family, then the cost related to pregnancy in Dubai, including prenatal and postnatal care, can be anywhere between AED 20,000 to AED 30,000 (depending on the type of delivery). A comprehensive maternity insurance policy will cover the end-to-end costs of your pregnancy and delivery including everything from routine tests, ultrasounds, medical consultations, and hospitalisation.
While the cost of healthcare is exorbitant globally, residents in Dubai were earlier finding it difficult to search for an affordable maternity plan. ‌Thankully, then came the Dubai Health Insurance’s Law No. 11 of 2013, all parts of which came into effect by the end of June 2016. This DHA reform made it mandatory for all the employers to provide health insurance with maternity benefits to all UAE residents. This also included employees’ dependents so it relatively became easier for UAE residents to get good maternity benefits.
There are different maternity benefits provided by each health insurance policy. Thus, it’s crucial for you to be aware of these benefits while getting your policy.
Pre-natal care
Prenatal care means regular check-ups at the gynecologist/obstetrician before childbirth to ensure the good health of the mother and the baby throughout the prenatal period. Before the DHA reform, insurance companies would only cover a few doctor visits, tests, and scans. Now every health insurance plan with maternity benefits should cover eight prenatal appointments with the gynecologist, and three prenatal scans, also including any basic blood tests, with a maximum co-payment rate of 10 per cent.
Hospital Stay & Childbirth
Insurers cover most of the costs associated with a hospital stay, childbirth procedures, and the costs that accompany such services. The DHA requires coverage of up to AED 7,000 for normal delivery and AED 10,000 for medically necessary C-sections, including a 10 per cent co-payment. This delivery cost may vary depending on the hospitals, ranging from AED 2,000 to AED 14,000 without any complications. Thus, it is important to know the hospital’s costs while considering which health insurance policy to buy, and what can give you the most coverage.
Neo-natal care
Another type of maternity insurance benefit is newborn care. According to the DHA’s reform, medical insurance companies need to provide cover for infants for the first 30 days after they are born. Some premium policies even extend the coverage period to 3 months after birth. This form of cover is in the instance of complications arising for the baby following the birth.
Moratorium or Waiting period
While the DHA hasn’t set any regulations concerning the waiting periods, insurance companies call for a wait of anywhere between 6 to 12 months before a claim can be made on an existing maternity cover. While the competition in the insurance industry is growing, many companies have chosen to skip the waiting period. This makes instant claims possible. But, this needs to be made sure that claim would be granted if the insured is not pregnant at the time of applying the policy.
Additionally, do not forget that health insurance maternity cover comes with certain conditions as well, like maternity cover is provided up to a certain age limit which is clearly mentioned in the policy. Also, voluntary termination of pregnancy, multiple births, and voluntary C-section are generally excluded from the cover.
