Home > Business > Finance

Insurers deliver plans to cover pregnancy, childbirth

Published: 04 Mar. 2026, 18:56 Updated: 04 Mar. 2026, 19:23

Priority seating for pregnant passengers is marked on a Seoul subway train on Oct. 9, 2023, a day before Pregnant Women’s Day, which is observed annually on Oct. 10 to promote awareness of pregnancy and childbirth and encourage support for expectant mothers. [NEWS1]

When a woman in her 30s surnamed Park began planning for children after getting married last year, she also started shopping for insurance — part of a new wave of policies in Korea that offer financial support for pregnancy and childbirth.

“Many products only cover pregnancy and childbirth if you’ve been enrolled for at least a year, so I’m thinking of signing up in advance before getting pregnant,” Park said. “I’m also considering adding an infertility rider just in case.”

For years, pregnancy and childbirth fell largely outside the scope of traditional insurance coverage. Insurance typically protects against unexpected risks, while pregnancy is generally considered a planned life event.

But as Korea’s demographic crisis deepens, financial regulators have moved to expand what insurers can cover. In 2024, the Financial Supervisory Service allowed pregnancy and childbirth to be included as insurable risks, opening the door for new types of policies.

Insurance companies have responded by rolling out products that provide direct financial support for everything from prenatal care to infertility treatment — a shift from earlier policies that offered only indirect help, such as allowing policyholders to delay premium payments after having a baby.

The products come amid government calls for insurers to play a role in addressing the country’s ultralow birthrate.

A newborn is seen at the Sokcho Public Postpartum Care Center in Gangwon in this photo provided by the Sokcho city government on Dec. 29, 2025. [SOKCHO]

Hanwha General Insurance introduced what it described as the industry’s first pregnancy support rider earlier this year as part of its "Signature Women's Health Insurance" series.

The rider pays 500,000 won ($340) when a policyholder confirms her pregnancy, helping cover prenatal tests and care. Another rider provides childbirth support payments of 1 million won for a first child, 3 million won for a second and 5 million won for a third. The policy also offers coverage for treatments related to C-section scars and for fees at postpartum care centers, which can cost several million won for a short stay.

Customers planning to have multiple children have shown particular interest in the product, according to an insurance planner.

“If the policy only includes pregnancy and childbirth riders, the monthly premium is about 30,000 to 50,000 won,” the planner said. “It can still be worth it even if the policyholder only receives childbirth support payments and postpartum care coverage.”

A patient meets with a doctor at a fertility center opened by CHA Medical Center in Jamsil, Songpa District, southern Seoul, on May 29, 2024. [YONHAP]

Life insurers have also begun expanding coverage tied to reproductive health.

Kyobo Life Insurance’s “Kyobo Double Up Women’s Health Insurance” covers infertility treatment costs and ultrasound exams for uterine conditions. NH NongHyup Life’s “Pink Care NH Health Insurance,” a product designed for women, offers riders that provide financial support for infertility treatments including artificial insemination and in vitro fertilization.

Insurers say the products serve both a social purpose and a business opportunity by attracting younger female customers.

“Since launching the 'Signature Women’s Health Insurance' product, the number of female customers aged 15 to 49 has roughly doubled compared with the previous year,” a Hanwha General Insurance representative said. “Specialized products that reflect the needs of female consumers have helped drive sales.”

Some experts say coverage should expand further to include expensive procedures such as egg freezing.

As more women delay childbirth, demand for egg freezing has increased. But the procedure is not covered by national health insurance, leaving individuals to pay roughly 2.5 million to 5 million won per attempt.

A nurse looks over a newborn in a nursery room at CHA Ilsan Medical Center in Goyang, Gyeonggi, on Nov. 26, 2025. [YONHAP]

Jung Soo-jeong, a research fellow at the Korea Insurance Research Institute, said private insurers could help fill gaps in the current system.

“Local governments and the central government have been expanding support, but institutional gaps remain,” Jung said. “Private insurance should expand its role to help maintain and broaden people’s ability to choose childbirth.”

Insurance companies remain cautious, however, particularly when it comes to covering expensive procedures that could lead to high losses.

“At the request of financial authorities to promote cooperation with public policy, we are considering various riders related to pregnancy and childbirth,” an insurance company source said. “But for high-cost procedures, we need to examine loss ratios over a longer period before moving forward.”

“If procedures [such as egg freezing] are included in the national health insurance benefit system, insurers would have greater incentive to develop related products," the source added.

Some companies are also beginning to explore new types of coverage tied to reproductive technology.

In Japan, Mitsui Sumitomo Insurance in 2024 introduced the industry’s first insurance policy for frozen eggs. The product compensates customers if problems occur while eggs are stored that prevent them from being fertilized.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY OH HYO-JEONG [[email protected]]