A Guide To Maternity Insurance For Mums-To-Be (And Panicky Dads-To-Be)

Maternity insurance can help to protect the health and financial needs of both mother and child, should any complication arise. 

If you’re a Mum-to-be (or a concerned, loving husband), here’s what you need to know about maternity insurance. 

Maternity insurance (also known as pregnancy insurance or prenatal insurance) is a single-premium insurance that provides coverage for both the mother and the baby during the course of the pregnancy – and even shortly after birth. This coverage comes in the form of a lump sum payout or daily hospital cash to offset additional medical costs.

While maternity insurance will not cover the cost of your delivery or hospitalisation bills, it does provide additional coverage specifically for pregnancy complications or congenital illnesses the newborn might have. Examples of congenital illnesses include Cerebral Palsy, Down’s Syndrome and congenital deafness. 

Maternity insurance lasts the entirety of your pregnancy and continues for 30 days after childbirth. The coverage provided for the newborn could last longer, depending on the plan you purchase. 

The cost of maternity insurance can range from S$300 to S$1,600, depending on the coverage offered, as well as the age of the mother — the younger you are, the lower the premiums. 

You should purchase your maternity insurance as early as possible, so that the plan can help to protect against any complications that might arise throughout the course of the pregnancy. 

The earliest you can purchase maternity insurance is typically the 13th week of your pregnancy. The 13-week mark is the end of the first trimester – when the pregnancy is more stable – as up to 80% of miscarriages occur in the first trimester. This is also the time when couples announce the happy news to their friends and family! 

There is also an upper band to this limit. You can purchase maternity insurance up until the 35th to 40th week of pregnancy, depending on the insurer. Keep in mind that age is also an eligibility criteria, with insurers requiring the mother to be between the ages of 18 and 45. 

Another reason to purchase maternity insurance sooner rather than later: you pay the same premiums whether you apply for the insurance at the 13-week mark or towards the tail end of the pregnancy.

And unlike regular health insurance, there's no waiting period for maternity insurance.

Before we get into the nitty-gritty of maternity insurance plans and what they cover, you should first get a better understanding of what MediShield Life and our Integrated Shield Plans provide. 

#1: What does MediShield Life cover for pregnant women? 

MediShield Life is a basic health insurance plan all Singaporeans and PRs have. It helps pay for large hospital bills and selected outpatient treatments that may be costly. All Singapore Citizen babies are automatically covered by MediShield Life, for life (no pun intended), including those with congenital and neonatal conditions.

When it comes to pregnancy-related coverage, should you encounter complications, MediShield Life helps to defray these unexpected expenses. It covers inpatient treatments for serious pregnancy and delivery-related complications, including eclampsia, postpartum haemorrhage and more. 

Here’s the list of serious pregnancy and delivery-related complications covered by MediShield Life for inpatient treatment. 

#2: What do Integrated Shield Plans (IP) cover for pregnant women? 

Your IP also provides coverage for pregnancy complications. However, this coverage only applies if it is a listed pregnancy complication condition, such as pre-eclampsia and eclampsia. Your IP also does not cover the newborn and you can only apply for insurance for your baby when they are born. 

With MediShield Life and IPs providing a degree of coverage, it begs the question: do you need maternity insurance? 

It can be seen as an additional insurance that supplements your existing health and life insurance policies. 

Like what was mentioned earlier, maternity insurance covers you for pregnancy complications or congenital illnesses. More importantly, maternity insurance can help to guarantee insurance coverage for your newborn. This means that your baby can get an insurance plan with the same insurer, without a medical check-up required, provided the plan is purchased within the first 90 days of birth. 

This is particularly important if your child is born with health conditions, which could lead to them being rejected for insurance plans in the future. On the flip side, if your baby is perfectly healthy, you can easily purchase insurance plans for them in the future, subject to medical underwriting. 

Don't leave your little one's future unprotected! Secure your child's health and well-being by comparing the best integrated shield plans on in the market to find the best plan that suits their needs. 

Here’s what you can expect to find when looking for a maternity insurance plan, though the coverage varies depending on the insurer. 

Coverage provided for the mother:

• Pregnancy complications: Complications that arise from the pregnancy, such as pre-eclampsia and eclampsia 
• Death or total & permanent disability benefit (TPD): Lump sum payout upon death or TPD
• Hospitalisation benefit: Daily cash benefit for each day you are hospitalised due to pregnancy complications

Some insurance plans also offer additional benefits for the expecting mother, such as mental wellness benefits like psychotherapy treatment. It could also cover components such as childbirth medical negligence.

Coverage provided for the baby:

• Congenital illnesses (the number of congenital illnesses covered differs depending on the insurance plan)
• Death benefit: Lump sum payout upon death
• Hospitalisation benefit: Daily cash benefit for each day the baby is hospitalised due to congenital illnesses
• Outpatient phototherapy benefit due to severe neonatal jaundice: Cash benefit for each day the phototherapy machine is rented

Exclusions to take note of: Some policies do not cover pregnancies as a result of In-Vitro Fertilisation (IVF) or other Assisted Conception Procedures. If you have used IVF to conceive, you can specifically look for plans that do not exclude IVF, such as the Singlife MyMaternityPlan and Manulife ReadyMummy.

While maternity insurance plans do provide coverage for twins, some maternity insurance plans exclude mothers that are expecting more than two foetuses, such as triplets or quadruplets. From an insurer standpoint, these pregnancies could carry higher risk and are hence excluded. Again, there are still plans in the market that still provide coverage for these special bundles of joy. 

There are two types of maternity insurance plans: standalone maternity insurance plans and maternity insurance that is coupled with an investment-linked plan. 

This article will only look at standalone maternity insurance plans, for pregnancy-related complications and congenital illnesses.

Here are some of the best maternity insurance plans for your decision-making. 

*Premiums are illustrated based on a 30 year old non-smoking pregnant mother

This plan covers as many as 10 pregnancy complications and 23 congenital illnesses.

Singlife MyMaternityPlan stands out for its coverages that plug the areas where other maternity insurance plans lack. Singlife MyMaternityPlan covers pregnancies including those that come about as a result of IVF, Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection (ICSI), Intrauterine Insemination (IUI) and Intracervical Insemination (ICI). It also covers as many as four babies in a single pregnancy, even for IVF cases.

Uniquely, it also provides coverage for stem cell transplant surgery as well as the developmental delay of the child. Should you purchase a new whole life plan for your baby within 90 days from birth, a health check-up will not be required.

However, there is a catch to this plan. You (or your spouse) will need to sign up for one of Singlife's other insurance plans to be eligible to purchase this policy. Eligible plans include savings, critical illness, health, life, protection and retirement plans. 

When can you apply: The expecting mother has to be within 13th to 36th week of pregnancy at the time of application.

Premium (for 30 year old mother): S$638 for S$10,000 sum assured.

💡 Did you know that Singlife also offers a CareShield Standard and Plus insurance plan? Under these plans, you can get additional coverage for the following:

- S$200 to S$5,000 more payouts for severe disability, on top of basic government coverage
- Get waiver reliefs for mild disability diagnosis
- Additional payouts to provide caregiving to children under 22 if you're severely disabled
- Increased payouts for parenthood

This plan covers the mother for 18 types of pregnancy and childbirth complications while the newborn is covered for 26 congenital illnesses. Both mother and child are covered for up to S$10,000 benefit for pregnancy complications or congenital illnesses respectively. This plan also offers S$200 hospital care benefit (intensive care unit or high dependency unit) per day for up to a maximum of 30 days. 

With the purchase of this maternity insurance plan, you also enjoy the Guaranteed Insurability Benefit (GIB) option to purchase a regular premium whole life plan, endowment plan or investment-linked plan for either yourself and/or your newborn within 90 days of the child’s birth, without the need for medical underwriting. 

Do note that pregnancy as a result of IVF is covered, and Pregnancy and Childbirth complications benefit is only payable once regardless of the number of foetuses. Also, GMC 2 plan shall cover up to 2 children separately. 

When can you apply: The expecting mother has to be within her 13th to 36th week of pregnancy.

Premium (for age 30 next birthday): S$860 for S$10,000 sum assured. For a lower premium of S$478 you enjoy S$5,000 coverage instead.

Whether you’re ready to be a mummy or not, you can purchase the Manulife ReadyMummy plan to enjoy coverage for 14 pregnancy complications, including miscarriage due to accident. It also covers the newborn for 24 congenital illnesses.

Manulife ReadyMummy shines bright with their support for mental wellness. Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) and other mental health illnesses should not be overlooked. Manulife ReadyMummy looks after the mum’s mental wellness by providing coverage for psychotherapy treatments at 10% of the sum insured.

Not everyone can conceive easily and there are more couples turning to medical help to conceive. Manulife ReadyMummy covers pregnancies by Assisted Conception Procedures such as IVF, Intrauterine Insemination (IUI) and Intracervical Insemination (ICI). This does come with an additional premium, although it is a small price to pay should complications arise.

With the purchase of Manulife ReadyMummy, you also enjoy the option to purchase any eligible plan(s) offered by Manulife within 90 days from the birth of the child with no health questions asked. 

This plan covers up to two biological children born from a single pregnancy; and only one biological child from assisted reproduction techniques without complications. 

When can you apply: From as early as 13 weeks into the pregnancy. 

If you’re a young mum, the NTUC Income Maternity 360 offers the lowest minimum age requirement of 17 years. Mothers above 44 years will unfortunately not be eligible. 

It also boasts affordable premiums with comprehensive coverage including coverage for 10 pregnancy complications, 23 congenital illnesses and hospitalisation care benefit at 1% of sum assured per day. 

The coverage for the mother usually ends 30 days after the birth of the child. With NTUC Income Maternity 360, both mother and baby get three years of comprehensive maternity insurance. The policy will be terminated at the end of the third policy year.

You can also purchase a new policy with Income after the birth of your child by completing a simplified health declaration. 

When can you apply: When the insured mother is between 13 and 35 weeks pregnant.

Premium (for 30 year old mother): S$390.55 for a sum assured of S$5,000

💡 Pro-tip: You can consider NTUC Income's PA Secure insurance plan if you want enhanced optional benefit coverage for any of your future child's hospitalisation or MC expenses at only S$18.17 per year.

Besides maternity insurance, you should also be considering baby insurance once your newborn is ready to greet the world. 

If you need a bit more hand-holding during the course of your pregnancy, you can refer to this week by week guide by the department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology from KK Women's and Children's Hospital that follows you from week 1 to week 40 of your pregnancy.

Don't leave your little one's future unprotected! Secure your child's health and well-being by comparing the best integrated shield plans on in the market to find the best plan that suits their needs. 

Protected up to specified limits by SDIC.

Note: This is only product information provided. You may wish to seek advice from a qualified adviser before buying the product. If you choose not to seek advice from a qualified adviser, you should consider whether the product is suitable for you. Buying an insurance product that are not suitable for you may impact your ability to finance your future healthcare needs.

If you decide that the policy is not suitable after purchasing the policy, you may terminate the policy in accordance with the free-look provision, if any, and the insurer may recover from you any expense incurred by the insurer in underwriting the policy.