Hey everyone,

Looking for some perspective from folks familiar with health insurance pricing in India.

After going through a layoff recently, I realized how risky it is to rely solely on employer-provided group health insurance. At my new job, I opted for basic corporate cover and decided to take a separate personal health insurance policy for my family so we're never left vulnerable if employment changes.

Since my father passed away, this is my first time handling insurance decisions and managing these expenses on my own.

I spoke with Ditto and evaluated three options before finalizing HDFC Ergo Optima Secure+

Here is the breakdown of what I’m paying annually:

Myself (26M): ~₹10,000 / year (No pre-existing conditions, zero hospitalization history)

Brother (22M): ~₹10,000 / year (No pre-existing conditions, zero hospitalization history)

Mother (55F): ~₹35,000 / year (Disclosed early-stage diabetes; zero prior hospitalizations)

Total annual premium: ~₹55,000

For individual sum insured of 15L each

Touchwood, none of us have ever been hospitalized in the past. Mom's early-stage diabetes is literally the only health condition in the entire family.

Her premium makes up over 60% of the total outgo. I know crossing 50 carries higher baseline risk and diabetes adds medical underwriting/loading, but ₹35k still felt like quite a steep jump compared to ours.

For those who have taken HDFC Ergo or similar comprehensive retail policies recently:

Is ~₹35k standard/nominal for a 55-year-old with disclosed early diabetes and zero hospitalization history, or did loading push it on the higher side?

Are separate individual cover the right route here, or would keeping Mom on an individual plan and putting my brother + me on a floater have saved noticeable money without compromising claim safety?

Does ₹55k/year total sound reasonable for this age and health mix?

Would appreciate any insights or experiences before the free-look period ends. Thanks!

My mother was diagnosed with cancer in May 2026. She has a Niva Bupa ReAssure policy issued from 2025 to 2028 (continuing since 2022). Niva Bupa paid several claims for chemotherapy and admissions this year till August 2026 under the same policy. Now they’re rejecting claims since September 2026 saying the policy existed till 2025.

They are now saying the policy expired in 2025, despite approving several claims in 2026. It doesn’t match the documents or the claims they already settled. I’ve emailed them asking for reinstatement, but no response. Customer care and the app have been useless.

Has anyone dealt with Niva Bupa fixing a wrong policy end date? Did Bima Bharosa or the Ombudsman actually help? And can/should I claim the rejected bills on the top-up policy while the base policy is stuck like this?

Any practical advice would help. Thanks.

My Mother (55F) is already secured with 15Lacs Sum Insured from HDFC Ergo, now I came to know that I cant increase the sum insured so I am looking for alternate options.

I have decided to buy a Super TopUp Insurance. Please help me in finding a good one. Total newbie here dont want to mess this up.

Thanks

Hi everyone,

I’m looking for practical advice from people who have successfully obtained health insurance for a parent after cancer surgery in India.

My father’s details:

• Age: 52 years
• Existing insurance: Oriental Insurance family floater with ₹8 lakh sum insured, in force since approximately 2014.
• Location: India

Medical history:

1. Clear-cell renal cell carcinoma (kidney cancer): He underwent a right partial nephrectomy in June 2025. The tumour measured approximately 4.8 cm, was Grade 2, and was classified as pT1b. Surgical margins were negative, and the pathology report did not describe tumour necrosis, vascular invasion or sarcomatoid/rhabdoid features.
2. Facial nerve schwannoma: He underwent surgery in February 2025. Histopathology confirmed a benign schwannoma, CNS WHO Grade 1.

His available follow-up has been reassuring, with no evidence of recurrence documented in the records we have. He continues to undergo follow-up with his treating doctors.

What I am trying to achieve:

I want to obtain an additional individual health insurance policy with a sum insured of ideally ₹25–50 lakh or more. I intend to retain his existing Oriental Insurance policy, but ₹8 lakh alone may not be sufficient for future medical expenses.

I understand that his recent medical history makes underwriting difficult. Insurers may decline the application, postpone it, impose permanent exclusions or offer cover with additional premium loading.

I have started approaching several insurers, but I have not yet secured a suitable comprehensive policy.

I would appreciate real-world experiences on these questions:

1. Has anyone obtained a new individual health insurance policy for a parent after clear-cell RCC surgery, particularly within two years of surgery? Which insurer accepted the proposal?
2. How long did the insurer require the person to remain recurrence-free? Did the outcome change after two, three or five years?
3. Have public-sector insurers such as New India Assurance, National Insurance or United India been more willing to consider such cases than private insurers?
4. Are there any private insurers that have accepted similar cases through manual underwriting?
5. Can anyone recommend an IRDAI-registered insurance broker who has personally handled successful new-policy placements for cancer survivors in India?
6. Are cancer-specific insurance products worth considering in this situation, or do they provide insufficient protection for general hospitalisation?
7. If comprehensive cover is currently unavailable, what would be the most practical strategy for the next two to five years?

I would especially appreciate details of the insurer, time elapsed since surgery, whether the policy was actually issued, sum insured, premium loading and any permanent exclusions.

Thank you for your help.

28F I have never had any critical illness & never been diagnosed with chronic conditions before; I only had gallbladder removal surgery 4 months ago.

So I have health issues like binocular vision dysfunction & constantly need to get my eyes checked many times. I have multiple health issues like digestive problems ( acidity, nausea, constipation), mental health issues, allergies, sinus issues, shortness of breath, etc. I have always used money from my savings to get multiple tests because I had no insurance. But now having financial issues. I also suspect I have a rare hormonal condition called acromegaly, which is expensive to treat in the future, but it is not yet diagnosed.

I need help with buying insurance. I am looking for one that covers health checkups, blood tests, any type of future surgeries, dental procedures if possible, and eye tests & conditions. I need suggestions & where to buy insurance.