Choosing health insurance for pregnancy

When it comes to choosing private health insurance for you and your growing family, we know you will need cover that meets your changing needs. Whether you want to give birth in a private or public hospital, choose your obstetrician, and have access to pregnancy services will all affect the type of policy that is right for you. 

We have designed a range of cover options to help assist you with different stages of your family’s journey.

Choose from these health cover options designed especially for growing families.

 

Medibank Gold Growing Family 

Medibank Gold Growing Family is comprehensive Hospital and Extras cover that gives you a private childbirth experience, providing welcome support to your family's pregnancy journey from planning, to giving birth and beyond.

We recommend this package if you want the private childbirth experience, your choice of obstetrician and a private hospital.¹ You also want to make sure your family has comprehensive private Hospital cover, and may also want assisted reproductive services. In this package you can choose from 60 per cent back or 70 per cent back on extras at Members' Choice providers, which includes services like physio² and others to support you during pregnancy and birth, like benefits towards antenatal classes, Australian Breastfeeding Association membership, lactation consultations, TENS machines, and pregnancy compression garments. You also get 100 per cent back on dental check ups at Members choice advantage, and 100 per cent back on optical at recognised providers. You also get 100 per cent back for kids on Extras at Members’ Choice providers.³

Medibank Bronze Plus Growing Family

Medibank Bronze Plus Growing Family is for when you want hospital cover for life's more common treatments, but you don't want pregnancy and birth or assisted reproductive services. You'll still enjoy some support during your pregnancy through your Extras cover.

We recommend this package if you want a public hospital birth and don’t require pregnancy and birth or IVF services, but you value private Hospital cover for life’s twists and turns such as knee reconstructions and colonoscopies. In this package you can choose from 60 per cent back or 70 per cent back on Extras at Members' Choice providers, which includes services like physio and others to support you during pregnancy and birth, like benefits towards antenatal classes, Australian Breastfeeding Association membership, lactation consultations, TENS machines, and pregnancy compression garments.² You also get 100 per cent back on 2 dental check ups at Members choice advantage providers, and 100 per cent back on optical at recognised providers.² You also get 100 per cent back for kids on Extras at Members’ Choice providers.³

_{1.    a 12-month waiting period applies to Pregnancy and birth services.
2.    up to annual limits. Waiting periods apply, including 12 months for some dental services. Optical excludes some lens coatings.
3.    up to annual limits. Waiting periods apply, including 12 months for some dental services. Available for Child Dependants (up to 21 years) and eligible Student Dependants (up to 31 years).}

Hospital Benefits

Medibank’s Growing Family packages provide benefits towards many in-hospital services. We’ve highlighted some of the ones most relevant to growing families in the tables below (check the Cover Summary for details of these and other services).*

_{*Medibank pays benefits towards hospital admissions for these services if Included under the cover and subject to waiting periods (see Member Guide and Cover Summary for full details). Please note that out-of-pocket costs may still apply. Speak to us, as well as your doctors and hospital, to confirm any out-of-pocket expenses you may incur.}

Extras benefits

The Growing Family packages contain a range of extras services to support you during pregnancy, birth and beyond. For information on benefit limits and prices, click ‘Get a Quote’.

All services listed below are subject to annual and other limits – please check your Cover Summary in My Medibank for details.

Waiting periods explained

Waiting periods are the length of time each member needs to wait after taking out or changing their cover, before they can receive benefits for services Included under their policy.

Waiting periods apply to new members, as well as to current members making any changes to their existing cover to include new or upgraded services or treatments. If you’re switching health funds, as long as you join within 2 months of leaving your previous fund we’ll recognise waiting periods you’ve already served, so you’ll only need to serve any balance with us before you can receive benefits.

If you’re planning on starting or extending your family, you will need to serve a 12-month waiting period with Pregnancy and Birth services on hospital cover before the baby is born. Remember, babies can come early so it’s important to take this into account when you start planning your family. For example, if a mother-to-be has held cover without Pregnancy and Birth and wants to upgrade her cover to include this category, she’ll need to serve the full 12-month waiting period before she can claim. Similarly, if the mother-to-be joins her partner’s policy that Includes Pregnancy and Birth, her 12-month waiting period will still need to be served before she can claim benefits towards Pregnancy and Birth services.

Once you have a baby, make sure you add them to your cover as soon as possible^ to ensure they don’t have to serve additional waiting periods in case they require hospital treatment. This is particularly important for multiple births, as your second or subsequent babies will always be separately admitted to hospital as inpatients.

Beside Pregnancy and birth services, most hospital treatments have a two-month waiting period, unless we determine the condition is pre-existing. Treatment of a Pre-existing condition has a 12-month waiting period.

_{^If you’re on a single policy, you’ll need to add your baby to your cover within 2 months of their birth to avoid them having to serve all applicable waiting periods. If you are on a couple or family policy, you’ll need to add your baby to your cover within 12 months of their birth.}

Pre-existing condition (PEC)

A Pre-existing condition is an ailment, illness or condition that, in the opinion of a Medical Practitioner appointed by Medibank, the signs or symptoms of which existed at any time in the 6-month period prior to the day on which you became insured under the policy or changed your cover. 

Learn more about hospital excess

An excess is the amount you pay towards your hospital admission (same-day or overnight) before we pay any benefits. Some hospitals may require you to pay this amount at the time of admission. No hospital excess applies to children on the Growing Family packages.

 

---