More popular than ever to buy pregnancy insurance: unnecessary, critics say.

Pregnancy insurance, C-sections, illness, and postpartum depression—there are many concerns when expecting a child.

Perhaps that’s why an increasing number of pregnant women are opting for pregnancy insurance.

In just one year, the number of pregnant women with pregnancy insurance at Denmark’s largest insurer, Tryg Forsikring, has nearly doubled. While in 2024 it was roughly one in ten women who purchased such insurance, the figure is now close to one in five.

But the very concept faces sharp criticism from multiple angles. It shouldn’t even be necessary, the argument goes.

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**A new type of insurance**

Tryg Forsikring introduced pregnancy insurance around three years ago.

“We’ve noticed that our customers need extra reassurance during this life phase, so that’s why we decided to offer a pregnancy insurance policy,” says claims director Karina Engel.

The basic package is provided free to their pregnant customers and includes a hotline to an online midwife, crisis support in severe situations during childbirth, and an extended accident insurance policy.

> *"It’s like private full-body scans for healthy people—it primarily sells a feeling of security."*

> **Camilla Rathcke**, chair of the Danish Medical Association

Customers can also purchase upgraded versions of the insurance, such as compensation for C-sections in cases of pregnancy-related toxemia or home assistance if the pregnant woman experiences complications during or after childbirth.

Insurers like If/Topdanmark and ASE also offer pregnancy insurance policies.

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**What is pregnancy insurance?**

Several insurance companies provide pregnancy insurance, including Denmark’s largest insurer, Tryg, as well as If/Topdanmark and ASE.

The coverage varies depending on the insurer and the specific policy chosen. At Tryg, the insurance includes a hotline with a midwife, various treatment options, and compensation for injuries sustained during childbirth—depending on how much the customer pays.

Tryg Forsikring has offered pregnancy insurance for three years, and in that time, they have paid out six million kroner in compensation. The most common claims are for perineal tears during childbirth, crisis support after traumatic deliveries, prolonged hospital stays, and practical assistance at home due to postpartum complications.

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**The public healthcare system should be sufficient**

However, among professionals, pregnancy insurance is not widely supported.

Critics include the Danish Midwives Association.

“I fundamentally believe that we should have a public childbirth assistance system in Denmark that is comprehensive enough so that no one should need additional private insurance,” says association chair Lis Munk.

And she believes that’s already the case. Perhaps that’s why it makes sense for insurers to offer such policies.

“For insurers to make a good business out of it, complications during childbirth should ideally happen very, very rarely. And that’s also the case in Denmark’s public childbirth assistance system,” says Lis Munk.

At the Danish Medical Association, chair Camilla Rathcke also doesn’t see a real need for this type of insurance.

“It’s like private full-body scans for healthy people—it primarily sells a feeling of security. In reality, if a pregnant woman develops symptoms or complications, it’s the public healthcare system that takes over—and it’s already equipped to handle such cases,” she says.

Tryg’s claims director, Karina Engel, disagrees. She doesn’t believe that either the existence of or demand for pregnancy insurance reflects a failure of the public healthcare system to handle complications, nor that the insurance offers services already covered by public funds.

“It’s more of a supplement, where we can provide them with peace of mind and support in situations that may involve concerns,” she says.

Lis Munk, chair of the Danish Midwives Association, doesn’t think pregnant women should need private insurance. She believes the public healthcare system is prepared to assist pregnant and delivering women in case of complications. *(Photo: © Paw Lindegaard Nielsen, DR)*

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**Better quality with your own midwife**

Lis Munk, for instance, argues that the online midwife consultation included in the insurance is unnecessary.

Pregnant women are already assigned a midwife in the public system, along with a birth facility.

“It’s obvious that the advice they receive should come from the midwife who knows the pregnant woman, rather than an external one,” she says.

The chair points out that pregnant women have varying medical histories, which their public midwife will be thoroughly familiar with.

“In some cases, external advice might make sense. But I believe the quality of the advice is better when the midwife knows the full history,” says Lis Munk.

> *"It’s just shifting the cost onto women. That, I think, is both discriminatory and not conducive to equality."*

> **Nanna Schultz**, founder and CEO of Momkind

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**Fear turned into a commercial product**

At the Danish Medical Association, they are critical of insurers attempting to profit from pregnant women’s fears.

“When an insurer offers coverage related to C-sections in cases of pregnancy-related toxemia, they’re essentially commercializing the fear of a relatively rare complication,” the criticism goes.

“Most pregnant women don’t develop toxemia, and even fewer with toxemia end up needing a C-section,” elaborates Camilla Rathcke, chair of the Danish Medical Association.

We asked Tryg’s claims director whether pregnancy insurance is simply an easy way for the company to make money rather than genuinely benefiting pregnant women. But Karina Engel dismisses the idea.

“We can see that the insurance is actually being used extensively, so there’s a demand and a need among our customers for this extra reassurance and support in certain situations. We’ve paid out over six million kroner in the past three years through pregnancy insurance, so it’s clear that customers are utilizing it,” she says.

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**Exploiting a vulnerable group**

The online community Momkind includes podcasts, online resources about pregnancy and childbirth, and an e-commerce shop.

CEO and founder Nanna Schultz is provoked by the concept of pregnancy insurance.

“I think it’s an unfortunate trend. It shouldn’t be necessary to take out a dedicated pregnancy insurance policy. I believe we should be covered by our accident insurance,” she says.

*Read also:* Experts on hidden recordings: Tryg violates the law and discriminates against pregnant women *(https://www.dr.dk/nyheder/indland/eksperter-paa-baggrund-af-skjulte-optagelser-tryg-bryder-loven-og-diskriminerer)*

At Tryg Forsikring, Karina Engel explains that specific pregnancy-related injuries fall outside the scope of a standard accident insurance policy.

“Pregnancy insurance is more targeted toward pregnancy and childbirth, where we cover certain things that wouldn’t be included in a regular accident insurance policy,” says the claims director.

For example, this could include compensation if a baby is assisted during birth with forceps or a vacuum extractor.

But even such injuries, according to Nanna Schultz, should be covered by accident insurance.

“It’s just shifting the cost onto women. That, I think, is both discriminatory and not conducive to equality,” says Schultz.

She can, however, understand why many pregnant women choose to take out the insurance.

“Pregnancy is vulnerable in the sense that you’re like a sponge when it comes to taking advice and guidance. You don’t know much and are carrying a life in your womb.

“So it’s clear that if an insurer comes along and says they’ll step in if anything happens, it’s a target group that’s very willing to say yes because they want to secure everything they can,” she says.

Karina Engel doesn’t believe Tryg Forsikring is discriminating against or undermining gender equality when offering pregnancy insurance.

“Pregnancy insurance isn’t about giving pregnant women worse terms—it’s about providing them with extra reassurance during a phase where situations may arise that aren’t covered by standard accident insurance,” she says.

Health Minister Sophie Løhde (V) was not available for an interview but responded to DR via email:

“Of course, it shouldn’t be the case that pregnant women need to take out private health insurance just to feel secure.”

The minister emphasizes that the government has strengthened maternity care, including hiring more staff at birthing wards and allowing more women to give birth with the same midwife who has followed them throughout their pregnancy.

“We’re currently looking at how to improve support for women who have given birth. Today, too many with postpartum complications experience a lack of necessary assistance,” she adds.

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