Life Changes & Insurance Changes: New Baby

If you’re a parent, you know that welcoming a child through birthing or adoption is a feeling unlike any other. Having a new baby in the home involves so many changes in your home life. Everything from ridding your home of toxic household products to looking at your diet — need to be considered.

In addition to the daily life changes such as dirty diapers or sleepless nights, you need to look at your insurance. As you prepare for your baby’s arrival, consider insurance for your newborn and these other important changes. Take care of these baby insurance matters so you can focus on your little one’s arrival.

Getting Insurance For A Newborn Baby

Your top priority is newborn health insurance. Insurance for a newborn decreases your out-of-pocket expenses for the many lab tests, vaccines, and visits to your pediatrician your baby will need. Should your little one need to meet with a specialist, the expense grows quickly unless your baby has insurance.

Newborns are Covered Under Mother’s Insurance for 30 Days

So long as the mother has health insurance, the baby is covered for the first 30 days of life as an extension of the mother. This grace period is valuable. But it’s essential to consider arranging insurance for your newborn before the baby arrives. The new little person brings many changes to your home and family life. You can easily run through the thirty days of coverage before you realize it.

While you don’t need to add your baby to insurance coverage before the child is born, comparing and contrasting coverage and rates before the birth is a good idea. That way, you can quickly sign up for newborn health insurance within the 30-day grace period.

How to Add Insurance for Newborn

Suppose the mother has health insurance through work or the Affordable Care Act. In that case, you’ll have insurance for the newborn for the first thirty days of life. The coverage ends on day 31, so you must arrange for newborn health insurance.

Having a baby is a qualifying life event that triggers a special enrollment window for 60 days from your baby’s birth. Once you have enrolled your newborn, the coverage is effective retroactively to the date of delivery.

So, if you’re caught for a couple of weeks without newborn health insurance, you could still get your initial expenses covered. But you don’t want to risk letting the 60-day enrollment period lapse before getting insurance for your infant in place.

Adding your newborn to health insurance is a simple matter. Contact your insurance provider to add your baby to your policy. Contact your company’s HR department If your health insurance comes through your employer.

Adjust Your Current Insurance For Newborn

Newborn health insurance is just the first step in the changes to insurance for parents. Let’s look to see how your little one will affect your car, residence, and life insurance coverage.

Auto Insurance Changes for Newborn

Some new parents may wonder what happens to their auto insurance rates after they have a baby. While bringing a new life into the world doesn’t directly affect your car insurance rates, it may become a catalyst for lowering your rates in the long run. Expectant mothers and new parents are typically concerned about their baby’s safety and welfare. This concern leads to safer driving during pregnancy and while the child is young. Since auto insurance policies could offer discounts for safe drivers, your new addition to the family may result in lower car insurance rates.

Suppose you’ve been driving a sleek sports car or exotic vehicle before becoming a parent. In that case, you may have been paying more for auto insurance premiums. Switching to a minivan, sedan, or another traditional family vehicle and installing a car seat can help lower your car insurance costs. A “family car” may also promote safer driving habits. Additionally, many of these vehicles also have higher safety ratings.

Also, consider adding optional coverages such as roadside assistance to your car insurance to help keep you and your family safe. Roadside assistance can provide services like fuel delivery and flat tire changes if something happens when you are out and about with your baby.

Renters Insurance Changes for Newborn

Before bringing your new baby home to a rental apartment or house, consider changing your renters insurance. If you don’t yet have renters coverage, now is the perfect time to purchase a policy. Renters insurance protects your belongings from disasters like theft or a fire.

A renters policy may also provide limited coverage for property stored in a storage locker or unit. This limited coverage is a great benefit if you move some of your belongings into storage to make room for the baby’s furniture. Should the storage locker or unit be broken into, rental insurance could protect you against the loss.

However, be sure to double-check how much coverage your renters insurance policy offers. Expensive or unique items may be excluded or subject to limitations. You may need additional coverage to insure these items for their total replacement cost.

For example, let’s say your family gifts you with your grandmother’s diamond ring or your grandfather’s gold pocket watch as a keepsake for the baby. The heirloom will likely be subject to a limitation in the policy and may require additional, optional coverage.

Homeowners Insurance Changes for Newborn

Many new parents update their home or move to a new home to accommodate their growing family. If you’ve had a baby and are planning to move to a larger house, consider your new home’s insurance needs. When buying a home, you must secure homeowners insurance during closing. As with renters insurance, ensure your homeowners insurance has additional protection for expensive items. Add the new baby equipment, such as the crib, changing table, and stroller, to your home inventory list.

Many families add an extra bedroom or bathroom to their homes to make room for additional family members. If you own your home and are planning to make upgrades for your new baby, contact us to ensure you have enough coverage. Your renovations can change the rebuilding cost of your home, requiring additional coverage.

Many new parents prioritize making the home as safe as possible. One way to increase the general safety of your home is through smart home upgrades. Video doorbells and security cameras keep your home secure by allowing you to see who is outside before you unlock the door. Installing burglar alarms and other security devices may qualify for a discount on your homeowners' insurance.

Life Insurance and a New Baby

When you bring home a new baby, getting life insurance or expanding your current policy is one of the first insurance changes you should make. This change will help protect your family’s well-being should something happen to you. Your employer may offer some life insurance protection, but it may not be sufficient. Consider purchasing a new policy just for the benefit of your new child. It’s important to speak with a life insurance agent to determine what coverage levels your family needs.

Choose The Best Insurance for You and Your Newborn

Though this is an exciting time with many major changes, don’t forget the importance of examining your insurance coverage. From health insurance for newborns to updating your renters, homeowners, and auto insurance policies, these steps provide essential protections for your entire family. Your friendly Wawanesa agent is happy to review your insurance policies with you and answer your questions. Give us a call at 800-640-2920.