A surrogate carries a child for intended parent(s) who are unable to carry a child of their own. After the birth, the intended parents take over caring for the child. Parenthood is transferred to the intended parents through a legal procedure.
There are risks during pregnancy and birth that can cause the surrogate:
It's important to put things in place for the surrogate and her family should such situations occur. It's wise to take out insurance before pregnancy to support the surrogate and her family in the case of the surrogate's disability or death.
See here for more about medical risks for the surrogater.
There are two important insurances to consider for the surrogate:
Disability insurance pays out to the surrogate should she become temporarily or permanently unable to work due to illness or injury caused by the pregnancy, birth or during recovery from either. This is particularly important if the surrogate is self-employed.
It's also reassuring for the intended and surrogate parents not to have money worries should the surrogate fall ill.
Disability is a complicated topic. It's very important to think about it carefully. There are two likely scenarios: The surrogate is employed or she is a self-employed entrepreneur. This makes a difference with regard to what is already in place should she become incapacitated for work. These are the options:
If the surrogate becomes incapacitated while working for someone else then her employer pays the first two years of her sick leave. Depending on the collective labour agreement in force, her salary usually continues to be paid (in part).
At the end of those two years, the UWV (Netherlands Employee Insurance Agency) carries out an assessement. To see if the sick employee is eligible for WIA (Work and income according to working capacity act) benefits. The focus is on what you're still able to do. If someone is still able to work in some capacity this can lead to benefits that are lower than what they previously earned.
To ensure that a family doesn't run into problems due to reduced income, you can take out supplementary insurance to cover monthly outgoings (such as mortgage or rental costs). The amount paid out is dependent on the extent to which the surrogate can no longer work. This additional money can reduce financial hardship, especially in cases of longterm disability.
For entrepreneurs, there is no agency that pays benefits should the surrogate lose the ability to continue to work. Therefore, if you don't have disability insurance, you won't have an income if you become longterm sick.
Disablity insurance can provide a solution. This takes your profession into account and pays out if you are no longer able to practise it (temporarily or permanently). You can customise this insurance in various ways to fit the surrogate's situation.
This may be hard to contemplate, but a surrogate may die during the surrogacy process. In such a case, a term life insurance provides financial certainty for her surviving relatives. This way they will suffer lesser financial hardship in addition to their grief.
The insurance will pay out a lump sum to the surrogate's family in the case of her death. Agree with the surrogate in advance:
This insurance is usually easy to set up. You decide together:
You (often) pay a monthly premium. How much the premium is depends on:
For further information about taking out any of the above policies, please consult an insurance advisor. Lawyers and counsellors with expertise in the field of surrogacy can direct you towards an insurance advisor with surrogacy experience.
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