| Short term disability insurance is the best way to | | | | maternity leave coverage. They quickly find that it is |
| create maternity leave pay, and to also protect your | | | | like looking for a needle in a haystack. |
| income in case of complications, accidents, and | | | | Why is Individual Pregnancy and Maternity Coverage |
| illnesses. If your employer provides paid maternity | | | | Hard to Find? |
| benefits, funds group short term disability, or makes a | | | | Why is it so hard to find individual short term disability |
| voluntary option available at work, consider yourself | | | | with pregnancy and maternity leave benefits? |
| very lucky to have these options. Many working | | | | Consider the math, and the answer becomes quite |
| women have none of these choices available via their | | | | obvious. Short term disability insurance pays benefits |
| employer, so they begin looking for individual coverage | | | | for your normal labor and delivery - a planned event |
| that provides pregnancy and maternity coverage. | | | | for many couples. The benefit paid for a c-section |
| Such an animal does exist. But you have to know | | | | delivery might be four times what a woman might pay |
| exactly where to look, and then ask a simple question | | | | in premium annually. Plus the insurer is also on the hook |
| in a specific way to get the coverage you want. It can | | | | for additional benefit amounts should mom experience |
| be done, and has happened many times. | | | | complications before delivery, postpartum disorders |
| Some working women planning a pregnancy are lucky | | | | that extend her maternity leave, accidents, and |
| to work for employers who provide paid maternity | | | | illnesses. In other words, working women planning |
| leave benefits - but this is a small minority in the U.S. A | | | | pregnancies are a sure loss for insurers. |
| slightly larger group work for employers who fully fund | | | | Insurers won't sell individual disability policies with |
| a group short term disability program that provides | | | | maternity benefits direct, because they would lose |
| income replacement during maternity leave after a | | | | money on virtually every policy. But they do sell |
| normal labor and delivery. Another even larger group | | | | individual policies through groups on a voluntary basis, if |
| of women work for employers who made a voluntary | | | | they have the opportunity to pool risks with |
| employee paid short term disability option available to | | | | co-workers. This means that women can get a |
| all employees. These women can enroll in the | | | | pregnancy and maternity policy they own themselves |
| programs before getting pregnant, and their benefit for | | | | that is fully portable. |
| normal delivery will greatly exceed the premium paid, | | | | The Simple Question to Get Coverage |
| creating maternity leave pay while also providing | | | | Women can get the pregnancy and maternity |
| income protection in case of complications, accidents, | | | | coverage they want if they can ask one simple two |
| and illnesses. If you fall into one of these categories | | | | part question: "Would you take money from my check |
| you are one of the lucky few. | | | | and send it to the insurance carrier, and do the same |
| Many women work at employers who offer none of | | | | for any other employees who might need short term |
| these options. So they seek out a direct individual short | | | | disability insurance?" The employer gets to look like a |
| term disability option that provides pregnancy and | | | | hero and it doesn't cost them a dime! |