Maternity care benefits are available to covered employees and dependent daughters. Maternity care includes prenatal care, labor and delivery and post-delivery care. Prenatal care is all care related to the pregnancy before the baby's birth. Labor and delivery services for mother and newborn received during an inpatient hospital stay are covered. Post-delivery care is all care for the mother after the baby's birth that is related to the pregnancy.

The plan covers an inpatient hospital stay for the mother and her newborn for 48 hours for a vaginal delivery or 96 hours for a cesarean section, without pre-certification by Aetna or Kaiser. However, the plan may pay for a shorter stay if the attending provider (e.g., your doctor or nurse midwife), after consultation with the mother, discharges the mother or newborn earlier. If the mother chooses a shorter stay, coverage is available for a home health visit for post-delivery follow-up care if received within 72 hours of discharge. In order to avoid a penalty, pre-certification is required for inpatient stays extending beyond 48 hours following a vaginal delivery or 96 hours following a cesarean section.

Inpatient newborn care of a well baby, excluding pediatric and specialty physician charges, is covered under the mother's maternity benefits described above only during the first 48 hours after a vaginal delivery or 96 hours after delivery by cesarean section. This inpatient newborn care (well baby) requires only one benefit period deductible for both mother and baby. Benefits also include newborn hearing screening ordered by a doctor to determine the presence of permanent hearing loss.

For additional coverage of the newborn, whether inpatient (sick baby) or outpatient, the newborn must be enrolled for coverage as a dependent child. At this time, the baby must meet the individual benefit period deductible if applicable and pre-certification are required to avoid a penalty.

Benefits for abortion include elective and non-elective procedures, or when the life of the mother is in danger.