Insurance benefits and terms can be tricky to understand at first even to seasoned insurance buyers. However, it’s important to understand fully what your policy covers and doesn’t cover. If you don’t, you may be caught in a situation where your policy doesn’t cover it and you may have a high medical bill to pay all yourself.

Let’s take for example, maternity benefits. These benefits will vary in most insurance policies you look at. Some policies may cover it after a 12 month waiting period, some may cover it right away and others might not cover it at all. You also want to make sure how much it covers and what the actual limit it is covered up to. For instance, the Citizen Secure policy offers maternity benefits after 12 month of continuous coverage. Covered maternity benefits include pre-natal, delivery and post-natal care. The insurance company will pay 50% of the next $100,000 worth of eligible expenses after the deductible, then 100% to a lifetime maximum of $250,000. On this policy the deductible is per certificate period and you must meet it before the insurance company will pay towards your eligible expenses. You will also have coinsurance if you choose not to go within the PPO. If you choose to go within the PPO, then you would have 0% coinsurance.

Maternity benefits for the Student Secure policy are quite different. If you are not pregnant before the policy is effective, then you receive full maternity benefits from the first day your policy starts. Covered maternity benefits include but are not limited to pre-natal, delivery and post-natal care as well as expenses for miscarriage and complications of pregnancy. Like all benefits on this policy, maternity benefits are first subject to the deductible and coinsurance. The deductible for this policy is $100 per injury or illness. Coinsurance is dependent upon which level you purchase. On the budget level, the insurance company will pay 80% of the next $10,000 worth of eligible expenses (after the deductible), then 100% to the overall limit ($250,000). On the select level, the insurance company will pay 100% of eligible expenses (after the deductible) up to the overall limit ($300,000) if you go within the PPO or to the student health center.

Finally, the Atlas Travel series policy does not offer maternity benefits. However, if you are already pregnant then this may be the only option we offer. The Atlas series does offer coverage for complications of pregnancy up to the 26th week. This is defined as illnesses whose diagnoses are distinct from pregnancy, but are adversely affected by pregnancy or cause by pregnancy, and not associated with a normal pregnancy. Like the other two plans, benefits are subject to the deductible and coinsurance. With this policy, you have the freedom to choose your deductible (ranging from $0 up to $2,500) and your policy limit (from $50,000 up to $1,000,000). Coinsurance is 100% of eligible expenses while outside the U.S. and inside the U.S. (if you go within the PPO).