Author Bowtie Team
Updated on 2025-05-27
Disclaimer: This article is translated with the assistance of AI.
Prospective parents seek the best coverage for their baby. Insurers typically require babies to be at least 15 days old, but are pre-birth options available? Bowtie offers answers and analysis.
How does insurance work for my newborn?
Generally, medical insurance and critical illness insurance on the market only accept babies who are 15 days old or older for coverage, so parents may have to wait until 15 days after the baby’s birth to insure their newborn children.
In recent years, some insurance companies have further lowered the enrolment age for lifelong critical illness products, extending coverage to babies still in the womb or just born, including certain serious illnesses caused by unknown congenital diseases as specified in the policy.
As for pure critical illness insurance without savings components, Bowtie Children’s Growth Term CI accepts pregnant women at 18 weeks who have completed the “structural scan” and have no abnormal results in the report. It covers various pregnancy complications and includes Hong Kong’s first congenital genetic disease coverage, allowing expectant mothers to provide early protection for themselves and their unborn baby.
Bowtie Children’s Growth Term CI , in addition to covering various pregnancy complications and protecting expectant mothers, also accepts pregnant women between 18 and 31 weeks. It provides lifelong coverage for the unborn baby up to HK$500,000.
Can I Buy Insurance For My Unborn Baby? What Are the Restrictions?
Yes, as mentioned earlier, some lifelong critical illness products (referred to as such products) on the market are available for unborn babies, but they have the following restrictions on the mother’s age and pregnancy stage:
- Mother’s age: Must be between 18 and 45 years old at the time of application
- Pregnancy stage: Must be between 22 weeks pregnant and before the baby’s birth
As long as the mother’s age and pregnancy stage meet the above conditions, an unborn baby in the womb can generally qualify for coverage. The insurance company may require the mother to submit Down syndrome screening (T21 or NIFTY) , “structural scan ” prenatal check reports for underwriting purposes to determine the final policy approval.
As for Bowtie Children’s Growth Term CI, the application age and pregnancy stage are as follows:
- Mother’s age: Must be between 18 and 45 years old at the time of application
- Pregnancy stage: Single pregnancy between 18 and 31 weeks, with a completed “structural scan” and no abnormalities in the report
- Child’s age after birth for application: 15 days to 17 years old
Features of Bowtie Children’s Growth Term CI
- Coverage starts from week 18 of pregnancy (after completing a structural scan with no abnormal results)
- Hong Kong’s first coverage for congenital genetic diseases, protecting against various genetic conditions (such as Angelman Syndrome ), filling gaps in existing medical coverage
- Covers a range of medical conditions, including various pregnancy complications (such as Amniotic Fluid Embolism , Preeclampsia )
- Coverage for phototherapy treatment of severe jaundice*
After children reach adulthood, parents can switch their coverage to Bowtie Term CI for enhanced benefits!
4 Things to Consider Before Insuring Your Child
Want to secure the maximum protection for your soon-to-be-born baby? Is Lifelong CI insurance your only option? It’s important not to rush into a decision; and you might consider the following factors first:
1. Premium Levels
As a lifelong critical illness product, the premium payment period ranges from 10 to 30 years, with annual premiums reaching up to $1,600–$1,900* (approximately HK$12,480–$14,820), which is a not cheap for most working families. Since lifelong critical illness policies require long-term payments, parents considering this should assess their financial capability over the next 10 to 20 years.
In contrast, term critical illness insurance is more affordable . For example, with Bowtie Early and Multiple Critical Illness Protection, the annual premium for a 0-year-old boy or girl is only $1,380 and $1,356, respectively.
2. Coverage Levels
Beyond premiums, it’s essential to evaluate the level of coverage in critical illness insurance products.
These products typically cover over a dozen “childhood severe illnesses” (such as autism, insulin-dependent diabetes, and severe asthma) as well as specified “severe illnesses” commonly covered by traditional critical illness insurance (like heart disease, stroke, and cancer).
If the insured is diagnosed with a “childhood severe illness,” they will receive 20–30% of the basic sum assured. For a “severe illness,” compensation depends on the diagnosis timing: only 20% of the insured disease amount if diagnosed within 90 days of birth, or 100% if diagnosed after 90 days.
This shows that while these products accept applications for unborn babies, their compensation terms for various childhood illnesses have limitations (especially in the first 90 days after birth). Parents should review and consider these terms before purchasing.
3. Savings or Investment Components
As a lifelong critical illness insurance product, the policy not only provides compensation for eligible critical illnesses but also accumulates cash value for the policyholder to withdraw upon surrender. This design ensures that even if the insured remains healthy and is never diagnosed with a critical illness, the policy offers a cash-out option, preventing “wasted” premiums.
However, because part of the premium goes toward savings or investment and the rest toward critical illness coverage, the premiums for lifelong critical illness insurance are much higher than for term critical illness insurance without these components, even at the same sum assured. Parents should check if their family needs the policy as a savings or investment tool and review the policy’s guaranteed and non-guaranteed returns .
4. Policy Flexibility
Since these products are savings/investment-type critical illness insurance, the minimum payment period is 10 years, and the breakeven year is longer. Early surrender may result in cash value lower than the total premiums paid, leading to financial loss for the policyholder.
On the other hand, term critical illness insurance offers greater flexibility in policy management , with premiums payable annually or monthly, and generally no losses upon surrender.
- * Assume the policyholder is a 35-year-old non-smoking pregnant woman (carrying an unborn baby), with a basic coverage amount of 150,000 USD, and a premium payment period of 25 years.
Is There A More Cost-Effective Option?
Bowtie replaces intermediaries with technology, and its product design focuses on protection without any investment or savings components.
If you are seeking cost-effectiveness and do not need to save or invest through insurance products, besides Bowtie Children’s Growth Term CI , you can also consider insuring your newborn children with the Bowtie VHIS, which accepts applications for infants aged 15 days or older.
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