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Is maternity coverage necessary? ?

My husband and I are self-employed, and are trying to decide on a health insurance plan. We're not planning on kids for a few years, but want to be covered if there's ever a surprise! We really just want major medical, but are not sure where maternity falls in...many of the plans we're looking for don't offer it. Without maternity coverage, what does insurance pay? Anything over the deductible? Thanks!

Public Comments

1. Without maternity coverage, you would only be covered in an emergency. Routine prenatal check ups and normal delivery will not be covered. Maternity coverage is not offered as part of a major plan. It's offered as a rider, you pay a premium for it. I would contact an independent broker to help you, as navigating health insurance can be tricky. If you do decide purchase a maternity rider, you cannot become pregnant for 12 to18 months depending on the company. If you do, you will not be covered. My advice is sit down with someone don't try and do this over the internet or on the phone. Good Luck!
2. If you do not purchase a maternity policy prior to getting pregnant and completing the waiting period, then you will have no coverage for a pregnancy. Zero. Zip. Zilch.* This doesn't mean that maternity coverage is "necessary." Only you can decide the level of risk you're willing to take, given that you aren't currently trying to become pregnant. You can choose to take the financial risk of having to pay out of your own pocket for maternity/pregnancy care/delivery expenses, if you become pregnant by accident. I personally refused to go without maternity coverage when I was of childbearing age and sexually active. (Good thing, because both of my children were "surprises." lol) However, some people are okay with skipping maternity coverage and setting aside money to pay out of pocket "just in case." At least 5 times a week, someone comes here to Yahoo answers panicking because they are pregnant and have no maternity coverage. You may want to browse through some of those old questions to get an idea of what you might be getting yourself into. Again...a maternity rider is not "necessary." But if you choose to go without a maternity policy, then you need to be aware that it will be impossible to purchase private coverage for a pregnancy after you're already pregnant. Which is fine, as long as you are prepared to pay for the expenses out of your pocket. * Certain medical complications of pregnancy may be covered, but no prenatal care or labor/delivery. And contrary to semi-popular belief, a c-section isn't automatically considered a "complication of pregnancy."
3. It's necessary if you become pregnant otherwise you can kiss $5-$10,000 goodbye.
4. I have met the similiar problem before -- still a little bit annoy,here http://www.healthinsurance-onlinetips.info/health-insurance-for-free.htm is a good resource that help me out.