If you are expecting a baby, no insurance company will give you a policy until after your baby is born. It doesn’t matter whether you are male or female – as long as you are an expectant parent, you will be declined.
The insurance companies used to ask this question on their applications: “Are you currently pregnant?” Obviously, the only kind of people who could answer “yes” to this question are females. So the insurance companies got smart and changed that question to “Are you currently expecting a child?” Now, both males and females can answer “yes” to this question. If you are currently expecting a child and you answer “yes” to this question, you will definitely be turned down for the health insurance plan for which you are applying. Even if you are not married to the other person who is expecting the child, you will still be turned down. Even if you had a one-night-stand while on vacation in Italy and you’ll never even see the other person again, you will be turned down.
Here is the simple reason why health insurance companies will decline to issue a policy to you: the instant your child is born, that child is your legal dependent. If you have a health insurance policy already in place at the time of the child’s birth, your insurance company is required by law to place the child on your policy, as long as you notify the insurance company within 30 days of the birth. The insurance company can’t ask any questions about the new baby’s health – they may only ask the date of birth and the sex of the child. If you wait longer than 30 days to inform the insurance company of the birth, then the insurance company will require that you complete an application to add the child to your plan. If the baby was born with a health problem that your insurer does not like, then your insurer can, and most assuredly will, decline the application for your baby, leaving your new baby uninsured. But if your baby was born with that same health problem and you notify your insurer within the 30-day window, your new baby is automatically insured. By law, the insurer may not decline to accept the baby onto your policy.
In reality, like most health insurance company decisions, the fact that you will be declined for a new health insurance plan while you are expecting a child comes down to money. If your new baby is born with health problems, your existing insurer is required to cover those problems. An insurance company would rather not have your premium money for the few months that you are expecting a child, just in case they may have large medical bills that would need to be paid by them upon the birth of that child, so they turn you down and tell you to re-apply after the baby is born. After the baby is born, they may accept you, but refuse to issue your baby a policy if he or she was born with health issues.
