Maternity Benefits

There's more for Mums, and Dads with Aviva!

With health insurance from Aviva we offer mums and dads the widest range of expert help and the most innovative benefits available in the Irish Healthcare market.

From traditional benefits like cover for hospital accommodation and consultants fees to innovative benefits like Fertility Testing and Breastfeeding Consultation, with Aviva you’re covered.

Having a baby should be a wonderful experience. We have carried out detailed research with our members who have had a baby in the past year to identify new benefits that can help enhance this experience.

Our research has told us that mums and mums to be are spending more and more time researching during their pregnancy. Mums are no longer settling for what they’re told by their G.P. and consultant but are willing to look at many and varied sources of information.

Our research highlighted the following:

• Mums and expecting mums told us that having a baby is an ‘exciting’ but perhaps ‘worrying’ time, particularly for first time mums.
• 31% women had prepared a Birth Plan
• 80% women planned to use at least one of the available self-help techniques during
  the labour
• First time mothers planned to use more self help techniques during the delivery than the more experienced mothers
• Vast majority of women (over 90%; all first time mums) considered hospital delivery as the best option from the sake of the baby’s safety
• Expecting mothers were in control (having planned) during pregnancy but were least prepared for the time post birth.

To help you on your journey to parenthood we’ve introduced a range of pioneering benefits designed to help you and your partner every step of the way. Crucially, we have also added a range of post birth benefits that will help you, your partner and baby following the birth.

Pre Birth

• Hospital Cover
• Consultant Fees
• Doula Birthing Assistant
• 3D & 4D Scanning
• MTC Fertility Testing Product
• Cord Blood Stem Cell Preservation
• U Mamma Pre-Natal Services
• Pre-Natal Medical Expenses
  
  Post Birth
  
• Post Natal Home Help
• Breastfeeding Consultancy
• Partner Benefit
• Newborn free until your next renewal
• U Mamma Post Natal Services
• Post-Natal Medical Expenses
  
  Pre Birth Benefits
  This is the stage that mums and mums to be are best prepared for. Many consult various sources of information and research their progress on a weekly and in some cases even on a daily basis.
  
  Our pre birth benefits are designed to help you get the most from your pregnancy while insuring you’re covered for your time in hospital, whether you choose to go public, private or decide to go for a home birth.
  
  Hospital Cover
  With Aviva you are fully covered for 3 nights in a public hospital or have the option of going to a private hospital where you’ll receive a generous grant-in-aid allowance. Your grant-in-aid allowance varies by your level of cover and is used to cover accommodation in a private maternity hospital, e.g. Mount Carmel.
  
  Alternatively you can choose to have a home birth and use your grant-in-aid to cover medical expenses.
  
  Grant-in-Aid Levels
• Level 1: from €381 - €2450
• Level 2: from €381 - €3450
• Level 3: €3450
• Level 4: €3550
• Level 5: €3850
  
  Please see your member handbook to determine the exact amount of cover for your plan.

Maternity Consultants Fees Explained
Consultant’s fees for Maternity benefits are accumulated by you and paid by Aviva in two ways:

• In patient Maternity consultant fees
• Out patient Maternity consultant fees

Aviva will pay a contribution towards consultants'  fees while you are in hospital. This includes
consultant delivery fee, anaesthetist’s fee for epidural, in-patient pathologist fees and paediatric
consultation for a normal delivery.You are also covered for your pre and post natal consultant and G.P. care up to €400 under your out patient cover. This portion of the fees is covered in the out patient element of your plan and is subject to the outpatient excess.

Health members with Aviva can avail of a €200 discount off the cost of the Doula package through Doula Ireland. The normal price for non-Aviva Health members is €700, it will cost Aviva Health members with a valid membership card €500.  Aviva Health members on certain plans can also claim an additional €120 back towards the cost of Doula if the member has not already availed of the post natal home help benefit of €120.  In order to avail of your Post Natal Home Help Benefit the member must contact Aviva Customer Service on 1890 717 717.

Doulas are birth assistants who bring additional emotional and physical support before, during and after childbirth. A Doula can provide and help you find information so that you can make informed decisions that are right for you in your situation.

The Doula package can include:

·         2 individual home visits

·         Private antenatal classes

·         24/7 phone support in the 2 weeks before the expected date of delivery

·         Attendance at birth and up to one hour after the birth

·         2 home visits post birth

Ante-Natal Classes

If your ante-natal class with Doula Ireland is delivered by a fully qualified midwife, registered with An Bord Altranais, Aviva Health members on Family Health Plan can get €75 back towards the cost of the class.  Ante-Natal classes not delivered by a fully qualified midwife cannot avail of this reimbursement.
 

3D & 4D scanning

4D scanning is one of Aviva’s pioneering and exciting maternity benefits.4D scans allow you to get a clear visual of your baby in the womb with the added dimension of time which allows movements such as yawns, stretches and heartbeats to be followed.

Scans usually last around 40 minutes and proud parents walk away with photos and a DVD of this amazing experience.

Aviva members can have their 4D scan carried out at 3 locations:

• Ultrasound Dimensions, Blackrock Co. Dublin
• InnerVision Ultrasound, Castlebar Co. Mayo
• Charter Medical Group, Dublin

Bookings can be made by calling Ultrasound Dimensions on 01 210 0232 or Innervision Ultrasound on 094 90 60 677 or Charter medical Group on 01 657 9000. Members can also go online to www.innervision.ie or www.ultrasounddimensions.ie or www.chartermedical.ie  for further information and to check up to date provider prices.

The good news is there is no waiting period on this benefit.

Cord Blood Stem Cell Preservation
Typical of our pioneering approach is the fact that Aviva will make a contribution towards the cost of cord blood stem cell preservation. Exclusively provided by Medicare Health & Living Limited, this involves harvesting blood from your baby’s umbilical cord (extremely rich in stem cells) and storing it for potential future use to treat diseases such as leukemia, Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma and a range of other diseases and cancers.

Post Birth Benefits
An equally important but less planned for period. New mums found bringing the baby home for the first time and breastfeeding as a stressful time while 2nd and 3rd time mums found it difficult to organise the family’s new life and devote enough time and attention to other children while minding the new baby. In order to help mums and dads at this stressful time, we provide a range of benefits to our plans. Keep reading for more details

Post Natal Home Help (PNHH) ( effective from 1st February 2012)
To help you get back on your feet following the birth of your baby, Aviva will cover the cost of home help who will take over household chores for 2 days.

Members must contact Aviva to avail of this service within 18 weeks post birth and the service must be booked and both visits completed within 26 weeks post birth.
If the service is not available in the members area, Aviva will pay €120 to the member which can be used to cover the cost of domestic help locally arranged directly by the member.

The PNHH is available to do the following tasks;
• Cleaning
• Laundry / Washing
• Light dusting/cleaning
• Vacuuming  / Sweeping
• Floor washing
• Ironing
• Cooker / Fridge deep clean
• Window clean – Downstairs

We will then put you in touch with an approved provider who we will pay directly. If this service is not available in your area Aviva will give you a total of €120 to enable you to avail of this benefit from an alternative provider.

1. If you are on Level 2 Family Health (with day to day) or Level 2 Health Excess (with day to day) we will provide you with a €120 cash benefit to avail of post natal home help following the birth of your baby. Please contact Aviva Customer Service on 1890 717 717 for more information.

Breastfeeding Consultancy
From talking to our new mums we know that many women want to breastfeed but we also know it’s not always as easy as it sounds. For many it doesn’t always come naturally, especially for first time mums. Our Breastfeeding Consultancy benefit allows you to claim up to €25 per session for two sessions with a qualified lactation consultant.

The sessions usually take place pre and post birth. The first session gives you an insight into what you should expect and the second follows on with your progress following the birth of your child.

You can book your consultancy sessions directly with a qualified lactation consultant who must be a member of the Association of Lactation Consultants in Ireland (ALCI) and IBCLC which is an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant.

There is a 42 week waiting period to avail of this benefit and ‘mum’ must be a health insurance member with Aviva. Claiming for the benefit is as simple as collecting your receipts, calling customer service to register the claim and sending your receipts and membership details to us. That’s it, we’ll process the claim and send you a cheque.

Partner Benefit
98% of our new mums have told us that they relied heavily on the emotional support of their partner before during and after the birth. We understand that all the focus is on mum and new arrival but Aviva also understand that ‘the other half’ needs some help too! That’s why we’ve introduced the Partner Benefit.

The partner benefit entitles your partner to money back on:
Accommodation, travel, parking or childcare on the day baby is born plus the day before or after the birth. You can claim a maximum of €50 per day for each of the two days!

To be eligible for this benefit both mother and partner must be health insurance members with Aviva. This benefit entitles health members to one claim per birth and a 42 week waiting period applies.

Call 1890 71 66 66 to register the claim and send us the receipts with membership details. That’s it!

Additional Information

Newborns Free Until Your Next Renewal 
As part of health insurance plans from Aviva, your new arrival can be added to your policy (at the same level of cover as you) straight away and is free until your next renewal. With everything that’s
going on you can often forget to do this. But it’s important that you do this within 13 weeks of the
birth to ensure they are added to your policy for free (until next renewal) and they don’t have any
initial waiting periods. So please don’t forget, after all it’s only a phone call.

Caesarean Section
Aviva always expects the unexpected that’s why in the event of significant complications or non-elective caesarean section delivery, we will cover you for normal in patient payments up to the level of cover within your plan. Aviva gives you peace of mind that you are covered for every eventuality during the birth of your baby, giving you more time to focus on having a happy healthy pregnancy.

Multiple Births
If you’re expecting multiple bundles of joy you’ll be delighted to know that Aviva cover takes care of them all. So whether it’s 2 or 3 it’s one less worry off your mind. If you happen to have any major complications or if you need a non-elective caesarean section delivery, we’ll cover you for normal in patient payments up to the level of cover within your plan. That way you can get the support you need so that you can spend more time enjoying your new arrivals.

Managing Your Finances – Med 1
As a Aviva member we are looking out for you and your pregnancy expenses too! Did you know you’re entitled to tax benefits and refunds along with your health insurance from Aviva.

Tax relief is available on health expenses, which haven’t been refunded or won’t be refunded by your health insurer, for yourself and/or your dependants. This could put a lot more money back into your pocket!

You can receive money back for your health expenses by completing a MED 1 form. This form can be used by PAYE employees and the self employed and it can be downloaded from www.revenue.ie. You can also submit your claim online.

It’s really very easy to get the most from your tax benefits. Just make sure you keep all receipts from your health expenses. 

Aviva would like to wish you a happy healthy pregnancy and all the best for when your bundle of joy arrives.