Top Maternity Insurance Plans for Expats
The best insurance plan for pregnancy as an expat is one that covers prenatal visits, childbirth, postnatal care, and newborn health services across international borders. Top global providers offering comprehensive maternity coverage for expats include VUMI, Allianz, Cigna, and AXA.
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Choosing maternity insurance early is essential if you’re planning to grow your family abroad. These plans offer financial protection and access to quality healthcare in your host country, making your pregnancy journey smoother and more secure no matter where you are.
We will discuss the best maternity insurance plans for expecting global travelers and explain the main coverage benefits of maternity plans. We will also share the key considerations pregnant women abroad should consider.
Keep reading to learn all about the best international insurance plans for pregnancy!
Why Maternity Insurance Matters for Expats
Expats living abroad should consider pregnancy or maternity insurance to help with the medical bills accumulated during this time. Pregnancy care and childbirth can be expensive, and expecting mothers may spend a lot of time in clinics and hospitals, especially if they have a high-risk pregnancy.
Maternity insurance will help mitigate the financial stress of these medical bills. Additionally, expats should consider purchasing international health insurance plans with maternity coverage. These international plans offer global portability, covering expecting expats wherever they go abroad.
Key Benefits of Maternity Insurance
Maternity insurance offers many benefits for pregnant expats, from prenatal care to postnatal care for mother and baby. Benefits will vary depending on plan and provider, but many of the plans share similar core benefits.
A more comprehensive list of maternity insurance benefits includes:
- Prenatal and Postnatal Care
- Labor and Delivery Coverage
- Medically Prescribed C-Sections
- Congenital Defect Coverage
- Newborn Care Coverage
- Hospitalization Coverage for Newborns
Extra Benefits to Boost Pregnancy Coverage
Other optional benefits that may be added to maternity insurance plans to supplement and extend coverage, such as fertility treatment coverage. Some other optional maternity benefits are listed below:
- Prenatal Yoga
- Fertility Treatment Coverage
- Lactation Consultations and Support
- Postpartum Counseling
Availability of these benefits depends on the plan and provider.
Best Maternity Insurance Providers for Expats
Some of the top maternity insurance plans for expats are provided by leading international health insurance providers like VUMI, Cigna Global, Allianz, and AXA. These providers offer comprehensive maternity coverage for expats and global travelers across the world.
Maternity coverage is often available as an addition to standing international health insurance policies as a rider to further customize coverage. Maternity insurance may also be offered as a standalone policy.
We will break down the different plans offered by each provider and discuss their benefits.
VUMI Maternity Insurance Highlights
VUMI offers maternity coverage in addition to their international health insurance policies, available in their Global Flex VIP plans. These plans have varying coverage limits for maternity coverage, with three main categories: Total, Ultra, and Superior.
The maternity benefits offered by VUMI are maternity routine care, pregnancy and childbirth complications, and newborn coverage.
Their plans come in three different choices with differing deductibles and copayments options.
An additional benefit of the Global Flex VIP Ultra plan is fertility treatment coverage for up to USD $10,000 per lifetime and up to USD $2,500 per attempt.
The waiting period for VUMI maternity coverage is 12 months.
Maternity Coverage with Allianz
Allianz provides international maternity coverage through their Bloom and Bloom Plus plans, which can be purchased as an additional rider to their Care Pro or Care Plus plans.
Maternity benefits included in Allianz’s plans are routine maternity care and childbirth complications coverage. Additional benefits such as pregnancy yoga, breastfeeding support, and postnatal counseling services are also available.
The waiting period for Allianz maternity coverage is 10 to 18 months.
AXA’s Maternity Insurance Options
AXA offers international maternity insurance coverage through their Prestige and Prestige Plus plans. For small businesses, maternity insurance can be purchased as an upgrade to their Comprehensive plans.
Maternity benefits available through their plans include routine maternity care and pregnancy and childbirth complications. Another benefit of choosing a maternity plan with AXA includes resources like phone access to a team of midwives.
The waiting period for AXA maternity coverage is 18 months.
Cigna’s Maternity Benefits for Expats
The largest international health insurer worldwide, Cigna Global provides maternity coverage through their Gold and Platinum plans. They offer standard maternity benefits such as routine maternity care and pregnancy and childbirth complications.
Other attractive benefits covered under their plans include fertility treatments (only available in their Platinum plan) and home birth coverage.
The waiting period for Cigna Global maternity coverage is 24 months.
Tips to Choose the Right Maternity Insurance
The process of choosing the best maternity plan for you can be made easier by considering your desired level of coverage, your budget, your geographic location, and your preferred length of waiting period. By considering these factors, you will be able to determine which plan is right for you.
1. What is Your Desired Level of Coverage?
Determining your desired level of coverage will allow you to narrow down your choices of insurance plans immediately. Are you generally a healthy person who doesn’t plan on needing much extra care during your pregnancy? If so, you may only need a basic level of maternity coverage.
Perhaps you want high coverage for peace of mind or additional benefits such as postpartum counseling. If so, you can find more comprehensive maternity insurance plans with these supplementary benefits.
2. What is Your Budget?
Your budget will largely determine your choice of maternity insurance, as you will not want to pick any plan that you cannot afford. Choose a plan that makes financial sense for you and your family, but don’t choose a plan that won’t adequately cover your needs just to save money.
You should appropriately weigh the cost and benefits of choosing a more basic level of coverage versus a comprehensive plan. For help with this analysis, you can always seek unbiased advice from an insurance broker like Pacific Prime.
3. Where Do You Want Coverage?
As an expat, you will likely want an international health insurance plan with maternity coverage so you are covered on all your global travels. Most international insurance providers allow you to further customize your plan by choosing the geographic coverage of your plan.
Will you need coverage in only a certain region? Will you need coverage in the U.S.? By opting for a plan that excludes countries with expensive healthcare like the United States, you can help lower your premiums.
4. How Long Are You Willing to Wait?
Maternity insurance waiting periods vary from 12 to 24 months in length, leaving you to determine how long you are willing to wait to begin growing your family. All international maternity insurance plans come with waiting periods, so you cannot avoid this consideration.
If you don’t wait the full period before becoming pregnant, you will not be covered by your maternity insurance. This can allow you to lose out on very important coverage and financial support, leaving you to pay the medical bills out of pocket.
Additional Tips for Expecting Expats
Other items to consider when trying to conceive as an expat include researching cultural birth practices and cultural norms in the country you reside in, creating a birth plan, and the logistics of securing a birth certificate. We will discuss these factors in further detail below.
- Research Cultural Birth Practices: The customs and practices around birth differ in each country, so take the time to research and understand what they are in your own host country. An example of this is in the UAE, some hospitals do not allow partners in the delivery room with the mother.
- Create a Birth Plan: A birth plan is a written document that outlines the preferred method of your labor and delivery. You may wish to outline your preferred birth environment, pain management, and other preferences. Having a birth plan is especially vital in countries with varying cultural norms.
- Understand the Logistics of a Birth Certificate: Countries may vary on how they issue birth certificates, so you must research how you can acquire one in your host country. Some countries may only issue one if the parents are married, which can be a serious potential issue.
If you are a U.S. citizen living abroad, you can ensure your child is also a U.S. citizen by applying for a Consular Report of Birth Abroad(CRBA) at your nearest U.S. embassy or consulate. They will also give your child a U.S. passport and a social security number.
Frequently Asked Questions:
Which insurance plan is best for pregnant expats?
Maternity insurance is an insurance plan designed specifically for pregnant women and is available through top insurance providers like Cigna Global and Allianz. The right maternity insurance plan will vary for everyone, depending on factors like your preferred level of coverage.
Is a low or high-deductible plan better for pregnant expats?
If you want to avoid paying more out of pocket for maternity healthcare services, a low deductible plan will be better for you. A high deductible plan will likely cause pregnant expats to pay more out of pocket, as it will take them a while to meet their deductible.
Conclusion:
The best insurance plan for pregnancy as an expat will depend on different factors like your specific needs, budget, location, and more. By considering your unique needs and preferences, you will be able to determine which plan will suit you best during this exciting time of your life.
Ready to begin comparing maternity insurance plans? The insurance experts at Pacific Prime have you covered. With over 20 years of experience in servicing expats across the globe, we have the knowledge and resources available to find you an insurance plan that works for you.
As an insurance broker, we are not tied to one specific insurance provider like an agent. This gives us the unique ability to share unbiased advice and help you shop and compare multiple plans at once. You can even compare plans on your own with our free online tool!
Have more questions? Reach out to us today online.
If you enjoyed this article, feel free to check out our others on topics like Maternity Insurance Comparison and Expat Maternity Travel tips!
Serena earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology from the University of British Columbia, Canada. As such, she is an avid advocate of mental health and is fascinated by all things psychology (especially if it’s cognitive psychology!).
Her previous work experience includes teaching toddlers to read, writing for a travel/wellness online magazine, and then a business news blog. These combined experiences give her the skills and insights she needs to explain complex ideas in a succinct way. Being the daughter of an immigrant and a traveler herself, she is passionate about educating expats and digital nomads on travel and international health insurance.
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