On this page
- Pregnancy and birth health insurance
- Police Health’s recommended cover
- Waiting periods
- Making sure your newborn is covered
- What to do if you're expecting twins or more
- Public hospitals and private hospitals
- Obstetrician fees
- Out of pocket costs
- Does Police Health offer no gap pregnancy cover?
- Pregnancy support - Nourish Baby
In shortPlan ahead for pregnancy by having the right cover in place early, understanding your care options, and ensuring your baby is covered from birth. |
Pregnancy and birth health insurance
Getting health insurance that covers pregnancy gives you peace of mind for you and your family.
It's very common in Australia and one of the biggest benefits is giving you the choice of your doctor and at which hospital you give birth.
But before you get to that point, there are a lot of things to consider and to be aware of.
What type of health insurance do I need for pregnancy and maternity cover?
The best pregnancy cover may depend on your unique circumstances. We recommend our Gold Combined cover, which includes both Gold Hospital and Rolling Extras.
Choosing our combined cover means you can claim benefits on both Hospital and Rolling Extras services you utilise throughout your journey.
At a minimum we recommend you take out Hospital cover if you’d like to have your baby in the private hospital system.
What is the waiting period for pregnancy?
There’s a 12 month waiting period for pregnancy cover. To be eligible for benefits, your baby’s delivery date (not ‘expected’ or ‘due’ date) must be after the 12 month period.
This means, if you want private hospital care during your pregnancy and labour, you’ll need to take out hospital cover before you're pregnant.
Can I get health insurance if I'm already pregnant?
Yes you can. However, if you’re already pregnant but only joined or upgraded your hospital cover in the last 12 months, your benefits may be lower or you may not be entitled to any benefits.
Call us on 1800 603 603 to find out more.
Making sure your newborn is covered
You’ll need to officially register your newborn baby on your health insurance policy with Police Health.
If you’re already on a Family policy (including Couples) or Single Parent Family policy with us, you need to add your baby within six month of birth.
Assuming there are no other changes to the policy, this won’t change your premium.
However, if you’ve been on a Single policy, you’ll need to upgrade to either a Family or Single Parent family policy within two months of your baby’s birth and back pay the difference in premiums from the date of your baby’s birth.
Pregnancy related articles
Newborns, waiting periods and hospital treatment
Your baby will assume the same level of cover as you from birth, so if you’ve served all waiting periods, then so has your baby.
By serving your 12 month hospital waiting periods before giving birth, your newborn will be covered if they need to be admitted into hospital in their own right.
This normally only happens if there are complications. For straightforward, low risk births only the mother will be admitted as an inpatient in the hospital.
What if you're expecting twins or more?
In the case of a multiple birth, only one baby will be put under your admission (assuming there are no complications).
Other babies will be admitted to hospital as an inpatient with an account billed in their name, not the mother’s.
Why choose Police Health for pregnancy?*
With Police Health there's no excess, no co-payment, no benefit limitation period and no exclusions.
Choose your own doctor and hospital. We give you the freedom to choose, as long as they're recognised by us (out of pocket expenses at non-contracted private hospitals apply).
Our Extras cover helps through prenatal and antenatal support services like physio and more.
Get your own private room when you go to hospital (subject to availability).
Can I choose to go to a public or private hospital?
Yes, but like most health-related decisions it’s best to way up the pros and cons of each option.
Thankfully there are an abundance of care options available to expecting mothers in Australia.
As a private patient you have a number of choices to make about where to give birth and who you would like to care for you during this exciting time.
Police Health's maternity cover gives you the freedom to choose who treats you and where. Our Hospital product covers you for treatment in any recognised hospital or day-surgery (public or private) anywhere in Australia
Some things that may influence your decisions include;
- Where you live
- Your health
- Culture and values
- Previous pregnancy experiences
When assessing hospitals you may like to consider things like:
- Is the hospital you're going to contracted with Police Health? If it is, this will help eliminate gaps on accommodation, theatre and labour ward fees
- What birthing and nursery facilities are available?
- Is your pregnancy considered high or low risk and does the hospital cater adequately to you?
- How long will you stay in hospital after giving birth?
- If you’d like a specific obstetrician do they deliver at the hospital?
- Are you happy with the accommodation options?
- Can your partner or other children stay with you in hospital if you choose?
- What post-natal care does the hospital provide?
- Do the values of the hospital align with your own?
- Does the hospital provide pre-natal classes to help you prepare for birth?
- Would you like a tour of the hospital’s maternity area before you choose them?
- Is the hospital conveniently located for you?
Find the right cover for you
Cover for private hospital admission, in-hospital treatment, and more.
Combined Gold Hospital cover and extra support for services that aren't usually covered by Medicare, like physio, remedial massage and more.
Obstetrician Fees
While private health insurance can significantly reduce hospital costs associated with childbirth, it's important to understand that it typically does not directly cover the fees charged by your chosen obstetrician.
These fees are considered medical professional fees and fall outside the scope of standard hospital cover. However, there are still ways to manage your obstetrician's fees:
- Research and compare the fees charged by different obstetricians in your area
- Talk to your chosen obstetrician and discuss their fees upfront and inquire about payment options
Out of pocket costs
We strive to minimise treatment costs to members. While we have succeeded in covering most situations, there are some occasions when members will incur a charge from the service provider:
- Charges greater than the Medicare Schedule
- Fee that do not fall within the Access Gap Cover
- Charges greater than those recognised for Access Gap Cover
- Non in-patient medical services, including those medical services provided while treated in the emergency department of a hospital
- Visits by a paediatrician to a newborn who has not been admitted to hospital as a patient in their own right
Does Police Health offer no gap pregnancy cover?
Police Health offers Access Gap Cover, a medical gap cover arrangement designed to eliminate or substantially reduce the out-of-pocket expenses for pregnancy health insurance and other medical services.
It applies when you're an inpatient and doctors are free to choose whether they will participate in Access Gap Cover on a patient by patient basis.
This decision remains solely with the doctor.
This helps because your obstetrician may charge more than the Medicare Benefits Schedule (MBS). If they do, you'll have bigger out-of-pocket costs for the difference between the fee charged and the MBS.
See if your preferred obstetrician uses Access Gap
Pregnancy Support - Nourish Baby
Police Health is proud to offer Nourish Baby, Australia's only accredited online antenatal and parenting courses, FREE to eligible members with Gold Hospital and Gold Combined.^
Pregnancy FAQs
Yes, and we recommend our Gold Combined heath insurance for pregnancy and birth cover, as well as throughout the early years of parenthood. Our combined cover includes Gold Hospital and Rolling Extras, but is a more cost-effective way to hold both types of cover.
Choosing our Gold Combined cover means you have our best health insurance for pregnancy and birth, and beyond, because you can claim benefits for both Hospital and Extras services you use throughout your pregnancy and parenting journey.
At a minimum we recommend you take out Gold Hospital cover. This type of private health insurance covers you if you’d like to have your baby in the private hospital system.
Waiting periods, and other terms and conditions apply. For more information, please read our pregnancy guide.
It can assist with the costs of private hospital care, your obstetrician's fees related to your admission in hospital, and potentially other pregnancy-related services.
Our Gold Hospital cover includes
- 100% of midwifery, labour ward and theatre fees at Contracted Hospitals
- Accommodation fees – the room you'll stay in at the hospital
- Free access to Nourish Baby, Australia's only accredited online antenatal and parenting courses (eligibility criteria applies, only available to members with Gold Hospital cover and Gold Combined cover)
It also includes the gap for medicare-eligible services for fees for Obstetricians, Anaesthetists, Radiologists, and Pathologists while you are an in-patient in hospital. At a minimum, we will cover the difference between the Medicare rebate and the Medicare Benefits Schedule (MBS) Fee.
If your doctor chooses to use our Access Gap Cover and charge the schedule of fees of that scheme, we can cover up to 100% of the doctor’s agreed fee .
It’s important to note that private hospital insurance cannot be used to help cover Obstetrics fees during any out-patient appointments and out-of-pocket costs will apply, as these are covered by Medicare.
If you take out our Gold Combined cover, the Extras component can help cover some of the cost of services you may turn to help you feel more comfortable throughout your pregnancy, including;
- Physiotherapy
- Dietitian
- Podiatry
- Remedial massage
There are many benefits to private health pregnancy cover, including being able to choose;
- Your own obstetrician who can provide a tailored service to your needs
- If you'd like to see the same doctor or midwife throughout your pregnancy
- Which hospital you give birth at
- To request your own private room, where your partner may also be able to stay overnight (subject to availability, talk to your hospital first)
- Longer stay in hospital post giving birth, to aid recovery and provide support in caring for and feeding your newborn over the first few days.
To see more benefits, read our pregnancy guide and see how it can help you.
No, we give you the freedom to choose. One of the many benefits of private health insurance is having the option to choose who treats you and where.
With Police Health, you can choose;
- Your own obstetrician who can provide a tailored service to your needs
- If you'd like to see the same doctor or midwife throughout your pregnancy
- Which hospital you give birth at
- To request your own private room
You can choose these as long as the provider is recognised by us. Recognised Providers are different to the 'Preferred Providers' you may hear about through other health funds.
When we say Recognised Providers we are simply referring to providers with the appropriate qualifications, licenses and rights to provide treatments to patients in Australia. The rest is down to your preference.
It may also be worth asking if your Obstetrician is an Access Gap Doctor that can reduce your out-of-pocket expenses . You can use our ‘Find an Access Gap Doctor’ and our Find a ‘Contracted Hospital’ on our website. This can help you potentially avoid or significantly lower your out of pocket fees.
Police Health's pregnancy and birth cover waiting periods are 12 months, just like all health insurers in Australia.
To be eligible for benefits, your baby’s delivery date (not ‘expected’ or ‘due’ date) must be after you've finished your 12 months waiting period.
This means, if you want private hospital care during your pregnancy and labour, you’ll need to take out our Gold Hospital cover before you're pregnant.
If you’re already pregnant but only joined or upgraded your hospital cover in the last 12 months, your benefits may be lower or you may not be entitled to any benefits.
Call us on 1800 603 603 to find out more.
Yes, but only for the components that involve an admission to hospital as an ‘in-patient’ as well as those services that have a valid medicare item number that are eligible for benefits.
For example, if your surgical procedure of harvesting eggs is carried out in an operating theatre you’ll be admitted as an in-patient to hospital.
In this instance, Police Health's Gold Hospital cover will provide a benefit toward the theatre fees, hospital accommodation, and gap fees on medicare eligible inpatient services for anaesthetist and treating doctors.
It's important to be aware that you may have to pay out-of-pocket costs in this situation and there are other costs to consider with IVF.
For more information read our health insurance guide to IVF and pregnancy cover.
You’ll need to officially register your newborn baby on your health insurance policy with Police Health.
If you’re already on a Family policy (including Couples) or Single Parent Family policy with us, you need to add your baby within six months of birth.
Assuming there are no other changes to the policy, this won’t change your premium.
However, if you’ve been on a Single policy, you’ll need to upgrade to either a Family or Single Parent family policy within two months of your baby’s birth and back pay the difference in premiums from the date of your baby’s birth.
Your baby will assume the same level of cover as you from birth, so if you’ve served all waiting periods, then so has your baby.
By serving your 12 month hospital waiting periods before giving birth, your newborn will be covered if they need to be admitted into hospital in their own right.
This normally only happens if there are complications For more information, read our pregnancy and birth guide.
Yes, if you take out our Gold Combined cover which includes Rolling Extras you'll have access to a range of benefits.
These can help you before birth and after birth, and include;
- Remedial massage to help manage aches and pains
- Dental to manage and prevent dental problems that can happen during pregnancy
- Mental health support through Psychologists and Counsellors
- Dietitian advice that's tailored to your pregnancy
- Physiotherapy to help with pelvic floor issues
Police Health covers some of the cost of Medical-grade compression maternity shorts.
These can be used through your pregnancy and in the initial or post-natal period. To claim benefits you'll need our Gold Hospital cover or Gold Combined cover.
Please note that to claim these shorts prior to birth, you need to submit a letter or referral from a medical practitioner or an allied health professional that outlines why it's required.
Yes, Police Health is proud to offer Nourish Baby, Australia's only accredited online antenatal and parenting courses.
It's free to members with Gold Hospital cover and Gold Combined cover. Please note, eligibility criteria applies.
^ Nourish Baby brings you education on pregnancy, childbirth, and early parenting from qualified obstetric, midwifery, and child health professionals through a range of online courses.
*All benefits may be subject to Waiting Periods, Limits and other conditions. Review the cover tables on the Combined, Hospital and Extras pages, and your State Premium and Benefit Guide or contact us for more information.
*On registration, the member must be expecting, have given birth to a child, or have parental responsibility for a child under 12 months. Registration is limited to one unique registration code per membership per pregnancy/child and to one per calendar year per membership. New memberships or upgrades in cover may be subject to a 2-month waiting period before registration. Eligible members receive a 12-month subscription to this program. Note: The information provided by Nourish Baby is of a general nature only and is not intended as a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. You should seek personalized advice from your doctor or midwife if you have questions about your or your baby's health. Other conditions may also apply.