It’s been argued that cover for the management of pregnancy as a private patient be included in all private hospital insurance coverage.

The only people who select that cover are those who think they’ll need it. 

This ‘adverse selection’ means that the cover for obstetrics is very expensive. Lack of that cover pushes women into already overloaded public obstetric services. 

The post-World War II gradual emergence and growth of private health insurance (PHI) was based on the choice of coverage to some degree.