Everything You Need to Know About Maternity Benefits

Offering maternity benefits to your employees can go a long way to engender employee trust and loyalty. For a while, it was pretty expensive and not a lot of businesses thought they’d be able to include maternity in their overall benefits package. However, thanks to the Affordable Care Act, healthcare for pregnant women has been expanded to include a wide range of services that weren’t previously covered and are now included in every qualified health plan

Here are the three biggest improvements and why they’re important:

1. Pregnancy is no longer considered a pre-existing condition

Before the Affordable Care Act (commonly abbreviated as ACA), if you become pregnant before your insurance benefits started, it would not have been covered under the plan. Now, you are guaranteed coverage no matter when your insurance benefits start. So, if you switch jobs and insurance plans, you’re still covered no matter what.

2. Outpatient Services are now covered

Nothing should get in the way of your pre and post-natal care, especially the fear of out-of-pocket costs. Prior to the Affordable Care Act, only about 12% of businesses offered maternity benefits, and the coverage they offered wasn’t as comprehensive as it is now. All qualified health insurance plans are required to cover outpatient services. This includes pre and post-natal doctors visits, gestational diabetes screenings, lab studies, and any prescriptions you may need. This helps the patient cut down on costs before and after her pregnancy while still getting the care you need.

3. Newborn baby care

Now that you’ve had your baby, getter a care schedule set is extremely important. After your baby is born, they’re eligible to be included on your health plan and will be covered for “Well Baby” visits. Your doctor will help you devise a schedule of services and visits under the new coverage mandates that keep you up to date and on track. The mandates cover health screenings, immunizations, and vision and health screenings.This helps you get the most out of your insurance benefits and care for your new bundle of joy.

If you’re looking to provide better health insurance options for your employees, including maternity benefits, call one of our experienced, licensed agents today!