Pregnancy and Supplemental Health Insurance
Planning for a baby is not just about buying cute baby clothes, charming cribs, and painting the little extra room in your home with pastel colors. Yes, it is more than that. You have to carry that baby in your stomach for nine months, and within those nine long months have regular check ups, medical procedures, and some medications. And sometimes a pregnancy may not be smooth. Some women develop complications making them high-risk pregnant women. Being ready for these unforeseen problems will help you protect your family from possible financial crisis due to extended hospitalization.
Some possible complications of pregnancy are :
- Fever. Any fever that is more than 39.5 degrees Celsius in the first trimester may be high-risk for miscarriage and congenital defects for the baby. It also increases the risk of pre-term labor in the later months of pregnancy.
- Complications that may require surgery may include appendicitis, ovarian cyst, or obstruction in the intestine. These complications may need emergency surgeries and will increase the danger of preterm labor or miscarriage.
- Ectopic pregnancy. This is due to the mis-implantation of the fertilized egg in the fallopian tube or in other tight locations (normally, it should be in the uterus), thus causing a blockage. Ectopic pregnancies must be terminated once diagnosed. Risk factors may include disorder of the fallopian tubes, PID (pelvic inflammatory disease), and unsuccessful tubal ligation. This complication may cause the tube to rupture as the fertilized egg grows and may cause abdominal infection that will require emergency surgery.
- Pre-eclampsia. This is an increase in blood pressure and the presence of protein in the urine or proteinuria. This complication may result to a number of health problems for the mother and the baby. Constant monitoring is needed for a mother with pre-eclampsia.
- Gestational Diabetes. This is a type of diabetes that is induced by pregnancy. Undiagnosed gestational diabetes may cause health problems for both the mother and the fetus. It may also cause death in the fetus and the development of type 2 diabetes on the mother after the pregnancy.
- Rh incompatibility. This happens when the mother has a different Rh factor from her fetus (i.e. mother is Rh-negative and the baby is Rh-positive). This would cause the mother’s body to react to the fetus as if it is a foreign body, and if undiagnosed, the succeeding pregnancy would result to a miscarriage. But if diagnosed early, the mother is given an injection of Rh antibodies within 7 months of pregnancy, within 3 days after the delivery of the baby, or after a miscarriage or abortion. Routine check ups are needed.
There are a number of possible complications out there and just staying healthy and precautious during pregnancy will not be enough. Getting supplemental health insurance is a wise choice for a well-planned pregnancy.
This would be the time to get a supplemental health insurance policy. This type of insurance is advisable for the expecting mother because some insurance companies do not accept pregnancy as a pre-existing condition and won’t pay for the medical expenses your pregnancy may incur. With supplemental health insurance, you can make sure that your pregnancy expenses and the delivery of your baby are covered and some companies would agree to cover medical costs of pregnancy complications. There are also companies that include coverage costs of high-risk pregnant women.
Supplemental health insurance policies are created to additionally pay for your wide-ranging medical coverage, but it should not be utilized to replace the traditional health plan. It is reasonably priced and it pays some degree of benefits, like, it pays for every additional day you are hospitalized and whether you are diagnosed with a certain disease that was caused by your pregnancy, such as gestational diabetes, Rh incompatibility, or placenta previa.
Other types of supplemental health insurance can be planned to pay the costs that were brought about by the therapeutic procedures of a certain disease or complication. Most applicants who are overqualified for Medicaid prefer this over the more expensive usual health insurance, though it has a limited coverage. There are also policies that even cover standard procedures that come with pregnancy such as clinical visits, check-ups, lab tests and examinations. It pays for a predetermined sum of money for each clinical visit or lab examination or procedure. These types of policies may come without deductibles, which would be a good advantage for those with a high deductible health insurance.
Lastly, carefully choose the right supplemental health insurance that can accommodate your needs as an expecting mother. Different insurance companies offer a wide range of options. And carefully reading through their offered choices, exceptions, and inclusions will give you a well-thought out judgment as to which supplemental health insurance is right for you.
