Maternity Insurance in Singapore: Everything You Need To Know
In Singapore, maternity insurance is a type of term insurance that gives you some sort of a financial buffer in the situation you experience any complications during your pregnancy. Most maternity insurance plans also provide coverage of congenital disorders for your baby, as for the variety of hospital care benefits such as daily hospital allowance during your hospital stay, it’ll vary according to the type of policy you purchase.
Maternity insurance is great to have although it is not as essential as medical, hospitalisation insurance or life insurance. As a mother-to-be, if you have already got yourself and your loved ones covered with these basic needs, perhaps maternity insurance is the next type of insurance that you might want to consider.
What Is A Maternity Insurance Plan?
A maternity insurance policy is often a single-premium insurance which complements your regular medical insurance coverage and is specially designed to offer a lump sum payout or daily hospital allowance in the event that you experience pregnancy complications or your newborn gets diagnosed with any congenital illnesses.
Is it necessary and how does it help me?
When should I get a maternity insurance plan?
If it is convenient and affordable for you, it’ll be good to get your maternity insurance as soon as you’ve reached the 13th week of your pregnancy whereby the pregnancy is more stable (according to data from SingHealth’s website, the government-backed network of public hospitals and clinics, up to 80% of miscarriages occur in the first trimester).
What Does Maternity Insurance Cover?
From regular pre-natal and post-natal consultations, to complications of pregnancy and childbirth, maternity insurance typically has much more comprehensive coverage than insurance like prenatal insurance which only provides financial cushion in the event of any complications during your pregnancy and not after your pregnancy. Most maternity insurance plans cover the following but is not restricted to the below mentioned:
Doctor consultations
These sessions can include regular prenatal check-ups or specialist visits to monitor the health of the mother and the development of the baby during pregnancy and often involve physical examinations, ultrasound scans, and discussions about the pregnancy progress.
Pre and post-natal treatments
There are many tests as well as treatment procedures required for pre and post-natal such as blood tests, urine tests, genetic screenings, and other diagnostic tests to evaluate progress of a pregnancy, detect any potential risks or complications. All these can be covered in a maternity insurance plan, together with the prescribed medication.
Medically prescribed Caesarian section
When natural delivery may not be possible at times, medically prescribed caesarian section (C-section) deemed medically necessary by a healthcare professional is usually needed.
In this case, for a C-section to be considered medically necessary and eligible for coverage by most insurance companies, the prerequisites include medical complications experienced by the mother or fetus, pre-existing conditions, previous C-section done on the mother.
Normal delivery
Coverage for normal/vaginal delivery usually include hospital charges, delivery room fees, obstetrician fees, cost of anesthesia such as an epidural, and postnatal care.
Complications of pregnancy and childbirth
There are some more commonly known complications of pregnancy and childbirth which are mostly covered in many maternity plans such as stillbirth, amniotic fluid embolism, pre-eclampsia, just to name a few.
However, some policies do not cover complications of pregnancies as a result of In-Vitro Fertilisation (IVF) or other Assisted Conception Procedures.
Hospital, birthing centre, or home delivery costs
Depending on where you decide to deliver your baby or whichever situation your pregnancy condition determines, the fees involved in the certified nurse-midwife or attending healthcare professional’s services, medical supplies used, etc., can be covered in your plan. However, in Singapore, hospital delivery is the most common.
Care of newborn children and congenital birth defects
After you’ve given birth, there are medical expenses such as paediatrician fees, laboratory tests, screenings, and more, related to the care of your newborn immediately after birth and during the early stages of his/her life. Maternity plans typically cover these aspects.
There are also more than 15 congenital birth defects that are often covered, of which we will go into detail later below. Do note that some policies do not cover congenital birth defects as a result of In-Vitro Fertilisation (IVF) or other Assisted Conception Procedures.
Best Health Insurance With Maternity Coverage
Maternity benefits are available as an add-on option for FWD’s International Health Insurance plan. Their plans are highly customisable with an annual limit ranging from $100,000 to $3 million, and the flexibility of adjusting your deductible to be anywhere from $0 to $10,000.
Maternity coverage includes claimable benefits for pre-natal and post-natal check-ups, treatments and medicines and recognized supplements, as well as newborn care benefits like hospitalization and day-care treatments of a newborn, for up to 60 days from birth.
Featuring 3 levels of coverage, Lifeline insurance’s Classic and Gold levels entitles you to maternity benefits only after 10 months’ membership. However, their most basic level - Essential, does include newborn care coverage just like the Classic and Gold levels.
Their plans provide an annual maximum ranging from S$4,450,000 to unlimited (depending on which level you pick), covering hospital treatment in a private room (be it day surgery, emergency or planned visit) as well as all surgery, eligible cancer treatments, mental health treatments, advanced imaging and more.
There are 2 types of maternity plans namely Bloom Plus and Bloom, which can be added on to their 2 core plans: Care Pro and Care Plus. Care Pro is the higher tier plan which offers an annual claim limit of more than S$5 million while Care Plus offers about S$4 million of maximum coverage per year.
The maternity coverage will include routine maternity care and certain complications of childbirth, depending on which maternity plan you choose. The usual expenses required for pregnancy and childbirth such as hospital charges, specialist fees, pre-natal and post-natal care, midwife fees (during labour only) and newborn care are covered in both plans.
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Best Pregnancy Insurance In Singapore
| Insurance policy | Estimated premium | Key benefits |
|---|---|---|
| Great Eastern Flexi Maternity Cover | From $869 (applicable to sum assured of S$10,000) |
|
| Income Maternity 360 | From $391 (applicable to sum assured of S$5,000) |
|
| AIA Mum2Baby | Available only upon request |
|
| Singlife MyMaternityPlan | From $638 (applicable to sum assured of S$10,000) |
|
| Manulife ReadyMummy | Available only upon request |
|
| Prudential PRUFirst Promise | Available only upon request |
|
| *Figures are subject to changes as per the insurance company’s discretion. All information was updated at the time of writing on 26 May 2023. |
Best Maternity Insurance Plan For IVF Pregnancies
| Insurance policy | Estimated premium | Key benefits |
|---|---|---|
| Singlife MyMaternityPlan | From $638 (applicable to sum assured of S$10,000) |
|
| AIA Mum2Baby | Available only upon request |
|
| Manulife ReadyMummy | Available only upon request |
|
| Prudential PRUFirst Promise | Available only upon request |
|
| *Figures are subject to changes as per the insurance company’s discretion. All information was updated at the time of writing on 26 May 2023. |
Conditions Covered For Pregnant Mothers And Newborns
Additional coverage for pregnant mothers and their newborns may vary from insurer to insurer, but the primary aspects of coverage will often feature claim benefits for:
Mother
- Stillbirth
- Amniotic Fluid Embolism
- Pre-Eclampsia/ Eclampsia
- Fatty Liver of Pregnancy
- Abruptio Placentae
- Disseminated Intravascular Coagulation
- Placenta Increta/Percreta
- Postpartum Haemorrhage requiring Hysterectomy
Newborn
- Anal Atresia
- Transposition of Great Vessel
- Cleft Palate/ Cleft Lip
- Congenital Cataract
- Truncus Arteriosus
- Cerebral Palsy
- Congenital deafness
- Atrial Septal Defect
- Clubfoot
- Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia
- Ventricular Septal Defect
- Congenital dislocation of hip
- Infantile Hydrocephalus
- Spina Bifida
- Retinopathy of Prematurity
- Tetralogy Fallot
- Absence of two limbs
- Down’s Syndrome
Does Insurance Cover Pregnancy In Singapore?
Not all insurance covers pregnancies in Singapore as pregnancy is not as essential as other types of insurance like health insurance or personal accident insurance. It also depends on the range and type of plans offered by each insurer, and also personal choices of those who wish to be insured at different stages of life.
Standalone vs add-on option
When you’re choosing between plans that cover pregnancy, it is also important to consider whether a standalone maternity plan is more suitable for you and your baby or an add-on maternity coverage component for your existing health insurance plan may work better for you and your little one.
More straightforward plans like Singlife Maternity Care (Previously know as MyMaternityPlan) and Income Maternity 360 are more wallet-friendly and probably adequate enough if you’re totally focusing on just insuring the mother and newborn.
On the other hand, if you’re considering a plan that can help you grow your savings on top of a pregnancy insurance, plans like AIA Mum2Baby can help you do that. AIA Mum2Baby comprise a base plan, AIA Pro Lifetime Protector (II) ("PLP (II)") and a pre-natal rider, AIA Baby Protector (II). Thus, the maternity coverage component is part of this bigger plan which also functions like an investment-linked plan due to the PLP (II) component.
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