Just as God graciously offers adoption into his family, we have the opportunity to welcome adopted children into ours. The U.S. Department of State reports annual adoption of more than 1,200 children internationally,1 while the National Council for Adoption states that more than 25,000 children were adopted domestically.2 Adoption offers these children love, support and stability while filling a special place within your family.
When planning for adoption, it’s essential to make sure your health plan will cover your child’s medical needs and that your life coverage is sufficient to protect your growing family. Asking five critical questions can help protect you and your newest family member.
If your adoption journey involves travel, whether out-of-state or to another country, what happens if you get sick on the way to your destination? Or what if your newly adopted child needs a prescription medication before you head back home?
If your plan doesn’t offer coverage outside your immediate area, you may want to consider purchasing additional health coverage for adopted children, you, your spouse and anyone else traveling with you.
Accessing health care overseas can be especially challenging. If your health plan does offer international coverage, ask the following questions:
At GuideStone®, we understand the unique challenges of obtaining health care overseas for those traveling for adoption. To help provide the protection and care you need — no matter where you are — our health plans3 offer:
As you plan for adoption, find out how to add a child to your plan. Consider asking your health plan provider the following:
If your adopted child needs speech, occupational or physical rehab, find out if your plan offers coverage by asking the following questions:
The adoption of a child brings great joy and fulfillment to your family. At the same time, language barriers, cultural differences, adjustments to change and other factors can be challenging at times for the parents, adopted child or siblings. Mental health services can help families navigate the journey together, so find out if your health plan offers this type of care in your Plan Documents.
It’s important to consider having sufficient life coverage, especially for families with young children. If the unexpected happened, would your policy be enough to cover your spouse's day-to-day expenses for running the home and caring for the children? To help estimate how much coverage you may need for your expanding family, use GuideStone’s life coverage calculator.
There are countless preparations in the adoption process, including health care and life coverage. At GuideStone, we’re here to answer your questions. Our vision is that every servant of Christ finishes well, which includes financial security and resilience as you advance the Kingdom of God and welcome an adopted child into your home.
For more information, contact us at Insurance@GuideStone.org or 1-844-INS-GUIDE (1-844-467-4843), Monday through Friday, from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. CT.
GuideStone welcomes the opportunity to share this general information. However, this article is not intended to be relied upon as legal advice, medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.
1Travel.State.gov/content/travel/en/Intercountry-Adoption/adopt_ref/adoption-statistics-esri.html
2AdoptionCouncil.org/research/adoption-by-the-numbers
3Excludes Cigna Healthcare® International plans and Medicare-coordinating plans.
Article
• Feb 9, 2026 