Health insurance for new baby born in US

It is safest to have the best student health insurance which can also provide coverage for maternity and childbirth. Depending on your visa and circumstances, your baby might be eligible for coverage under your current insurance or through state programs, however it is prudent to have proper international student health insurance.

There is no single best insurance for international students. The best student insurance plan varies depending on the needs of different international students. Each best health insurance for international students will have some unique advantage such as being very cheap and affordable, or being more expensive but providing better coverage.

Some best insurance for international students offer unique advantages such as coverage for hazardous sports, coverage for pregnancy, coverage for pre-existing ailments etc…

International students on the F1 visa are not required by any government agency to have international student insurance when studying in the USA. However, given the very high cost of healthcare in the United States, most schools have their own requirements and often require international students to buy health insurance.

Student health Insurance is typically for unplanned events, so these plans do not provide maternity coverage immediately on buying the student insurance plans and usually have a waiting period before they provide any maternity benefits. The cost of childbirth can cost anywhere from $18,000 to $25,000 if it is normal vaginal birth and for C section it can be anywhere from $26,000 to $38,000. Going to the US for studies can be an exciting experience but pregnancy and maternity that involves significant financial investment that need to be covered by insurance. Considering the expensive healthcare in the US, knowing more about the available health insurance plans and their maternity benefits is an important task while purchasing a health insurance plan.

Covering maternity and childbirth starts with covering the pregnancy. There are 3 stages:

• Prenatal care: This includes regular doctor visits including periodic ultrasounds, routine check ups to monitor baby's development and health. This will include any medical advice that the pregnant person should be aware of.
• Childbirth: This is the most expensive part of childbirth when looked at from the financial perspective. It could be natural birth or C section.
• Postnatal care: This involves the follow up doctor visits after the childbirth around six to eight weeks to ensure good health of mother and the child.

The most popular student insurance plans are:

• Student Secure Insurance
• Study USA Healthcare
• Student Health Advantage
• Geoblue Navigator Student

Yes, international students in the US are often required to have student health insurance by their universities. International student insurance on a F1 Visa is not required by the US Government, however, the school or the University that they enrol insists that students to purchase it. Many Universities and schools offer health insurance plans to International students. These plans are comprehensive plans and provide coverage for doctor visits, hospital stays, prescription medication and emergency medical incidents. In some cases, the University will have a mandatory health insurance plan in the institution that the student must enrol unless they can show an equivalent coverage plan from another source.

On American Visitor Insurance, we offer student health insurance that is comparable to most University plans in terms of coverage benefits, however these prices are significantly lower. Students can compare the price and benefits of these student insurance plans before purchasing the insurance. It is important to note that most insurance plans do not cover pregnancy if the person is already pregnant before the insurance becomes effective.

Major medical plan with maternity coverage:

• Global Medical plan from IMG: This plan offers maternity coverage on the Platinum level. The plan has a 10 month waiting period before the full maternity benefits kicks in. But this is a great comprehensive long term plan for students and dependents in the US.
• Student Secure plans: Student Secure plans on the levels of Budget, Select and Elite offer maternity coverage.
• Student Health Advantage: This plan offers maternity coverage on the Platinum level. To be eligible to this plan you must have enrolled as a fulltime student with a valid student visa. Remember that the full maternity benefits will be available for a covered pregnancy. i.e. pregnancy can occur only after the plan is effective and if there is a waiting period, that needs to be met as well.

Not having health insurance means paying for expensive healthcare costs out of your own pocket. This includes routine check-ups, vaccinations, immunizations, preventive care and much more. For new parents, not having health insurance after 30 days of birth means limited access to postpartum care for the mother and preventive care for the newborn. Unforeseen medical emergencies may be a very expensive matter to handle without insurance.

Health insurance often covers preventive services, routine check ups, vaccinations, immunizations, screenings... These services are crucial for detecting potential health issues early and for overall well being.

Depending on the country and state, there may be legal requirements or penalties for not having health insurance.

Yes. They can give birth in the US. The 14th amendment in the US constitution has guaranteed the right of birthright citizenship where those who are born in the US will be granted the US citizenship regardless of the nationality of the parents.

The cost of childbirth and maternity in the US varies widely depending on where the individual lives and the insurance coverage for that area. On average, the childbirth and maternity costs without insurance on an average is around $19,000 including prenatal care, labor and delivery, postpartum care for single birth. The out of pocket cost which we actually pay for childbirth either vaginal or caesarean is around $3000 with insurance, but vaginal delivery costs lesser.

Many of the domestic healthcare plans like the Cigna, Blue Cross Blue shield, Aetna provide very good coverage for pregnancy, child delivery and maternity. However, if you are not a resident in the US and you are visiting the US for a short time, the US travel insurance plans available do not cover the pregnancy, childbirth and maternity and it can have some legal implications where your Visa can be denied if your intention for visiting US is only related to child birth.

There are student medical insurance plans which do offer coverage for maternity. Some of the international student health insurance for the international students coming to the US on the student Visa that provide some coverage for pregnancy, and maternity only for the covered pregnancy(there might be a waiting period of 6 months to 12 months depending on the plan).