Health insurance has not only been a hot topic for the government and the public, but it has become quite complex over its history in the United States. There are different mandates, laws and special cases that need to be taken into consideration even before you obtain a policy or use that policy. In the last couple of decades, and especially in the last few years, health insurance has gone up in cost very drastically. Many people have opted not to obtain a policy because the premiums are just too high. However, if you have a family, chances are that you have obtained at least a basic health insurance plan to cover your children. If you are planning on having a child, it's important to know about the different policies for health insurance for newborns. State health insurance law may actually mandate that children have health insurance, which could benefit you and your child.

The state health insurance law for newborns starts with going into labor and the actual delivery of the child. Health insurance for newborns essentially begins as soon as the baby comes into the world. Although health insurance is a state run program, the Federal government can also impose its own sanctions that states can adopt. In the case of newborns, every state in the country under the Department of Labor and according to HIPAA laws has taken up the newborn mandate. These mandates are put in place to protect the mother of the child and the child all the same.

For starters, the mother has the right to remain in the hospital for a minimum of 48 hours after a vaginal delivery in order to ensure that she and the baby are safe and healthy. Monitoring of the child is also required during those 48 hours. If the mother has a cesarean section, the hospital stay extends to 96 hours to ensure proper healing time and to also ensure that the baby is totally healthy.

Going past the hospital stay, if the mother has health insurance, whether through their employer or an independent policy, their newborn is allowed, under law, to become part of that policy. They are automatically enrolled in the health insurance policy and the start date for coverage will roll back to the date of their birth. Additionally, the pre-existing clause can't be enforced on newborns, which would ultimately restrict their ability to be covered.

State laws ensure that both the mother and the newborn are covered by both the hospital during their stay and their own health insurance policy going forward. Through state mandates, mothers can rest assured knowing that their newborns will have health insurance and be totally covered.