What does a maternity or dental rider do for a base health policy?

• A. A separate policy for maternity.
• B. A rider that restricts coverage to out-of-network services.
• C. An add-on to expand coverage to include maternity or dental services that the base policy may exclude.
• D. A discount program for dental services.

Answer: (C)

A rider is an endorsement added to a base health policy that changes or expands its benefits. A maternity or dental rider specifically adds coverage for those services when the base plan doesn’t cover them or covers them only up to limited amounts. So this rider serves as an add-on that broadens the policy’s protection, often for an extra premium, rather than creating a separate policy or offering discounts. For example, if the base plan excludes dental care or pregnancy-related services, the rider would authorize benefits for those services under the same policy, subject to the rider’s own deductibles, limits, and coinsurance.