Medical insurance paying for c section abroad

[user000]

Hi all

This is a weird one ! My Oh is moving to Abu Dhabi in March next year . My due date is July next year and I plan to move out in may/June. My Oh company have said they will give us private medical
Insurance. My question is whether I would
Be covered to deliver my baby over there on insurance if im moving out when pregnant? Anyone know? We don't have any to tell
His company as they're really touchy about the fact they are (finally! ) Having to add me
To
Insurance

You would need to find out what kind of policy you would be added to and call the specific insurer and find out what is covered.

They may not cover the birth as you are already pregnant, it’s a common exclusion, but check with the insurer’s terms and conditions

Ok thank u. I need to find o it the coverage!!

You would need to find out what kind of cover you have. I would look into flying a month before your due date as a lot of airlines don't allow you to fly after 7 months.

You said OH, are you married? If not, you also need to check the rules on you having a baby and not being married, I used to live in Dubai and they were very strict about this

I’ve just checked, it looks like the laws changed this year! That’s good! You weren’t even allowed to kiss someone who you weren’t married to with I lived there

Thank you everyone - always so generous with your thoughts and time! We are married, very good point as a friend who gave birth last month had to present her marriage certificate to have him present in the room!! I agree I would really have to go out from 7 months... so I suppose I could start maternity at 8 months and take 3-4 weeks annual leave. Now I just need to check on the policy. It says "medical - after 10 months outside of UAE" which is weird because I would have thought it would be after 10 months inside UAE?

Just one thing, being born abroad will make a difference to the citizenship of your DC. They would be a British citizen but, if in the future they had children outside of the UK they couldn't pass on citizenship. I know it's a long time in the future but worth knowing anyway.

oh wow, thanks for letting me know thats not something i considered - crazy and definitely worth thinking about

Also worth finding out about the standard birthing ‘practices’. We were in a similar situation, and with it being my third labour I honestly wasn’t up for all the nonsense that would have come with a birth (pretty much guaranteed episiotomy, intervention, pain meds frowned upon, ‘confinement’ after birth) and also whatever the covid rules currently are around visiting and hospital stay. Also consider breastfeeding/family support. I chose to have my baby in England and then flew out when she was 10 weeks old. Have you ever done an expat placing? You really need to be very very sure of your medical cover and understand very well what it includes. Will baby be covered immediately? Also, your husband’s company cannot be iffy about anything!! They need to have your back. As a new mum you will be very vulnerable. Just things like food shopping, getting around, language barriers, moving house are stressful at the best if times never mind if your almost full term pregnant.

Oh that's definitely something to consider @user000 , whether the policy will then automatically expand to your newborn after birth. 😧In the case of preterm birth, would it cover all the NICU stuff or any complications?

Thank you @Batbatbatty and @ChiefPearlClutcher

This is a lot to consider and so incredibly helpful.
@ChiefPearlClutcher did you have a c-section? I would prefer a c section but they seem to only cover "medically necessary" c sections.
does any one know waht this "10 months outside UAE" means?
im really confused.
otherwise its just a financial limit it seems...

No idea, you need to talk to your insurer. Usually they will issue you with a booklet that will detail everything that is included, or not. Your employer HR dept should be able to help or if they have a relocation service, ask them if you have an agent assigned to you. If in any doubt, just stay. Honestly. He flies in and out for the birth (even easier if you have a booked section) and you join him later.
I had two VB’s and one elective section (for rectocele and prev shoulder dystocia) in NHS hospitals. First VB was a dream, second was a nightmare and section was another dream and actually my quickest recovery. Problem is that you cannot plan for what happens during childbirth or the support you’ll need after. If I were you I would go where I have the most predictable experience in terms of language and expectations and family/friend support, esp as a first time mum. Maybe you already have family and friends out there? There are usually quite supportive expat facebook groups that could be a great starting point for meeting people. Where we are we have one for british mums, expat women, english speaking groups, expat running groups, international schools, english play groups, all expats, expat foodies, expat walking and hiking groups, etc. If you can find a local mum group to join you’ll quickly get the low down on all the inside info. Good luck! X

He needs to negotiate hard now as you'll need very good cover for you all including the baby when born

thanks everyone. I think he could fly i and out. that could work. I really want an elective c section but im not sure how easy that would be to wangle.. I need to find this all out. thank you everyone!

Definitely look into what the citizenship your child will have. If you are considering having a larger family having kids with different nationality passports just adds to the fun.

You need to be completely sure what is covered and up to what amount - giving birth in the UAE can be extremely costly.
Also you need to read the terms and conditions of your husband’s contract very carefully - it’s quite unusual that a company hiring and moving staff would be slow in adding family to policies as it’s a fairly standard part of any expat package!

You also need to check the cut off for flying. I seem to recall that emirates were much stricter than many of the European airlines so if going out in your 8th month you will need to check which airlines fly the route and what their requirements are.