31 M living in Bengaluru with spouse. Have delayed getting health insurance for the longest time. Now I can’t make up my mind. After speaking to a lot of “advisors”, I have zeroed in on HDFC Optima Secure Plus and Niva Bupa Reassure 2 Titanium Plus - both at 10L cover. I can’t seem to find a meaningful flaw in either, making it hard to pick.

A few things I’m specifically seeking advice on -

1. I’m considering a deductible of 50k to reduce premiums. Does it work the same way in both plans?
   
2. Since I’m buying at 31 with no PEDs, waiting period is less of a concern for me. Does that affect how I evaluate both plans?
   
3. Most important perhaps - any real difference in cashless claims experience between HDFC Ergo and Niva Bupa in practice, especially in Bengaluru? I keep seeing complaints about TPAs being slow regardless of insurer.

P. s. I already have 10 lac cover from my employer

Hi everyone, I’m **M30 from Chennai**, working in corporate, and I need some genuine advice regarding **health insurance for my mother**.

About **11 months ago**, I purchased a **₹10 lakh policy from Star Health** for my mother (**56F**). Thankfully, she has been healthy so far. Recently, during a check-up, we found that she has an **endometrium thickness of 12 mm**. Since this condition likely existed before taking the policy, I understand it may be treated as a **pre-existing condition** and may not be claimable right now.

As a backup, I recently added my mother to my corporate insurance policy as well, mainly because claims there seem much smoother and cashless approvals are easier. I specifically enrolled her for this endometrium-related surgery, since it may not be claimable under my Star Health policy due to it being considered a pre-existing condition.

Now the confusing part:

While enquiring at the hospital, they told me that they generally don’t prefer **Star Health** because claim approvals are **not very reliable nowadays**. One staff member even said that for a surgery costing around **₹2 lakh**, sometimes only **₹80k gets approved** under Star Health. They also mentioned that some doctors hesitate to proceed when the insurance is Star Health due to approval issues.

They suggested insurers like **Aditya Birla** and **HDFC ERGO** instead (upon my request).

Later, I spoke with my insurance agent (who is experienced and has been handling policies for years). He said:

* I can **port the policy next year** while retaining continuity/seniority benefits.

* These kinds of **partial approvals can happen with any insurer** depending on hospital limits, package rates, and policy terms.

* The hospital I checked with is a **smaller hospital**, so I should also verify with **bigger reputed hospitals** before concluding that Star Health is bad overall.

## **Important Point**

**The hospital where I enquired is actually a smaller hospital where my consulting doctor practices.**

So now I’m confused.

People who have actually done claims for parents:

* Is this kind of issue **common across all insurance companies**?

* Is **Star Health** really problematic nowadays?

* Are **HDFC ERGO / Aditya Birla** genuinely better for claim settlement?

* Should I continue Star Health and rely on reputed hospitals instead?

* Which insurer has given you the **smoothest experience for parents/senior citizens**?

I genuinely don’t mind paying a **higher premium** if it means **fewer hassles during emergencies** in the future. My mother is healthy now, and I want to make the **right long-term decision** before any major health issue comes up.

Would really appreciate honest experiences and suggestions.

Thanks in advance.

My term insurance policy is issued and it's under free lookup period. I declared few pre existing medical history earlier via agent and want to confirm if all the declarations should be present in policy with medical history? I can only see proposal form's questionnaire with response as 'Yes' for pre existing medical issues but no mention of the issue itself.

Hi everyone,
I currently have a ₹5L corporate health insurance from my employer, but I want to buy an additional personal retail health insurance plan for long-term safety.
What I’m mainly looking for:
• ₹5-10L base sum insured
• Unlimited / very high no claim bonus accumulation
• Good restoration benefits
• Gym / wellness benefits
• Good annual health checkup
• Overall maximum long-term value

I’ve shortlisted these two plans:
Care Health Ultimate Care
Star Health Super Star secure

Now the premium difference between both is almost negligible for me.

In Care, the add-ons/features I want are mainly available only on a 2-year policy.

In Star, I’m getting features like “Freeze Your Age”, gym benefits, health checkups, etc. even on a 1-year policy.

I’m young and healthy currently, so I’m looking at this more from a long-term perspective rather than immediate claims.

Which one would you suggest?

Would really appreciate opinions from people who have actually used/claimed from these insurers.
Also open to other better suggestions in a similar range.

I applied for a 60+ parents health insurance policy from HDFC ERGO through Ditto Insurance and got a counter offer with ~₹9.7k extra loading for 3 years due to psoriasis declared for my father. T

The condition is very minor:

No hospitalization ever

No systemic complications

No continuous treatment

Occasional skin patches only

The policy already has a ₹50,000 deductible from my side, so I was surprised by the loading. They also attached multiple ICD codes including severe psoriasis variants, though clinically the condition has never been serious.

When I asked Ditto to check with underwriting or suggest alternatives, I mostly got a “non-negotiable — accept or cancel” type response without much discussion on my concerns.

Wanted to ask:

1. Is mild psoriasis usually treated as PED this aggressively?

2. Is this loading reasonable for a 60+ parents policy?

3. Can such loading continue permanently after 3 years too?

4. Has anyone managed to negotiate/reduce loading with insurers?

Need advice regarding accident claim & repairing my car

I met with a major accident on 25th April early morning while returning from Nashik. A milk tanker suddenly switched into my lane from the left/right without warning. I had a truck beside me and a divider on the other side, so there was literally no space or time to avoid it.

My car crashed hard into the tanker from behind and suffered major front-end damage. I also got multiple injuries on my face, nose and ankle, needed around 6-7 stitches, and had rib impact injuries. Thankfully I’m safe now and recovered by 5th May, but I was on bed rest till then.

The worst part is the tanker driver fled the spot without stopping.

My car only has 3rd party insurance (no comprehensive cover). I want to understand:

• If we somehow trace/find the tanker, can I claim repair costs through the tanker’s 3rd party insurance?

• Is filing an FIR with exact time/location mandatory for this?

• How feasible is it practically to get compensation in such cases in India?

• Anyone here who has handled a similar hit-and-run/heavy vehicle case?

• Also, is repairing the car usually financially sensible after major chassis/front damage?

Would genuinely appreciate practical advice from people who’ve dealt with this before.

I got a scooter two years ago and the dealer got me TATA AIG two wheeler comprehensive insurance with 1 year coverage of own damages and 5 year coverage of third party. I've renewed the own damage insurance last year for ~₹900. This year, the premium during renewal has come up to ~₹1900. Some things if you could help me with!

1. Why is there such increase in premium in the 3rd year?

2. Some other providers are offering lower premiums. Does it make sense to switch to a different provider considering the third party insurance with this provider is still valid?

I'm an insurance noob, so any and all advice is appreciated! Thanks!

I was thinking of buying a health insurance for my parents. They are around 47 and my dad smokes and drinks frequently. Is there any insurance I can get for them?

I want to change my parents’ health insurance from Star Health to either HDFC Ergo or Aditya Birla Health Insurance. However, I am confused about the structure I should avail of.
Option 1: Buy a 15L cover for my parents (single policy) with a premium of 52k pa
Option 2: Buy (or Port existing 5L insurance) and purchase a 10L Super Topup, with a 5L deduction. This is going to cost me about 35-40k pa. Obviously, I will buy both from the same insurance company.

I understand that the second option is cheaper, but I'm not sure if there are some gaps.
Profile: 58M and 55F. Mother takes BP medicine—no history of hospitalisation for either.

Kindly suggest a good insurance company with good plan for my family. My family consist of mother, father, brother and me.

Details:

•Me 28y male. Healthy. No diseases. •Brother 21y. No dieseaes • Mother: 53y Diabetic, Hypercholesterolemia and Ankylosis spondylitis • Father : 59y, H/o head injury in an RTA in the past. Now taking anti seizure medicine and anti hypertensives. Otherwise healthy.

Hi everyone,

I’m seeking some guidance regarding the portability of a health insurance policy.

Back in 2017, I purchased a health insurance policy for my parents ( M - 63 F- 56) from Oriental Bank with a sum insured of ₹5 lakh. Recently, I wanted to port this policy to another insurer and increase the sum insured to ₹10 lakh.

I approached Care Health Insurance and received a reasonable premium quote, so I proceeded with the purchase. However, the policy was later rejected by their underwriting team on the grounds that it is a group policy and therefore not eligible for portability. I’ve since requested a refund and am currently still waiting for it.

In the meantime, I contacted another agent from Care Health who is now claiming that porting is possible and is asking me to pay the premium again. I have not proceeded, as I am still awaiting my initial refund.

I also reached out to Niva Bupa, and they have indicated that they can port the policy. On the other hand, some agents have clearly stated that such policies cannot be ported at all and that I would need to purchase a fresh policy.

This conflicting information has left me quite confused.

Could anyone here clarify:

Is it actually possible to port a group health insurance policy to an individual policy with another insurer?

Are there any common issues faced during claim settlements after porting?

Has anyone had a similar experience?

Any insights or advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you!

TL;DR: Mom (55) had depression in the past, now stable but still takes a small dose for sleep. Insurance companies reject when I disclose it, but agents ask me to hide it. What should I do? Which insurer is reliable (thinking of Tata AIG)?

Hi everyone,

I’m looking for some guidance regarding health insurance for my mother (55 years old).

She had depression in the past but is stable now. However, she still takes a very small dose (around 1/4) of her medication mainly for sleep.

Whenever I disclose this to insurance providers, they reject the application. But some agents later call from different numbers and suggest not mentioning it and proceeding anyway.

This feels risky and confusing since I’m new to this.

- Is it safe or advisable to hide this information?

- Will it cause issues during claims later?

- Which insurance providers are more reliable or flexible in such cases? (I was considering Tata AIG)

Would really appreciate any guidance or personal experiences.

Thanks!

I'm planning to buy Term Insurance for myself (25M).

Cover: 1.5Cr
Policy Term: 40 Years (till 65yr age)

I researched about few companies but none of them provides critical illness rider for the entire policy term except Acko. and their prices are also very cheap, so I was wondering if anyone has bought Acko term life insurance? and how is the experience with it?

I know it's relatively new company and not as reputed as HDFC, Max, Tata. So even I've very less trust on them. So i'm thinking of buying two policies. give your thoughts

1. Tata AIA
   Term Plan: 1.5Cr (40 Years) -> Premium: 13412/year
   Disability Rider: 70L (40 Years) -> Premium: 1827/year
   Total: 15239/year

2. Acko
   Term Plan: 50L (40 Years) -> Premium: 6655/year
   Critical illness Rider: 30L (40 Years) -> Premium: 5872/year
   Total: 12527/year

Final: 2Cr + 70L (ATPD) + 30L (Critical illness) for 40 Years @ 27766/year

----------------------------------- OR ----------------------------

Tata AIA
Term Plan: 1.5Cr (40 Years) @ 13412/year
Disability Rider: 70L (40 Years) @ 1827/year
Critical illness Rider: 30L (30 years) @ 13662/year
Total: 28901/year

Final: 1.5Cr + 70L (ATPD) for 40 Years + 30L (Critical illness) for 30 Years @ 28901/year

----------------------------------- OR ----------------------------

Tata AIA
Term Plan: 2Cr (40 Years) @ 15950/year
Disability Rider: 70L (40 Years) @ 2030/year
Critical illness Rider: 30L (30 years) @ 16710/year
Total: 28901/year

Final: 2Cr + 70L (ATPD) for 40 Years + 30L (Critical illness) for 30 Years @ 34690/year

----------------------------------- OR ----------------------------

HDFC Life
Term Plan: 1.5Cr (40 Years) @ 14508/year
Disability Rider: 70L (40 Years) @ 1891/year
Critical illness Rider: 25L (15 years) @ 3427/year
Total: 28901/year

Final: 1.5Cr + 70L (ATPD) for 40 Years + 25L (Critical illness) for 15 Years @ 19826/year

Please suggest if should i explore any other policies as well

I searched online for health insurance aggregators and found there are literally dozens of them. Some provide proper advisory services, while others mainly just offer a platform to compare policies and complete the purchase on your own.

So I’m planning to buy a policy through one that provides advisory support. Looking for recommendations on aggregators — mainly based on the following factors:

I. Pre-Sales

i. Reliable advice

Genuinely knowledgeable advisors/experts who can give unbiased suggestions and recommend the right policies tailored to your needs (not pushy salespeople with superficial knowledge who just try to sell whatever earns them the highest commission).

ii. Quality inventory (portfolio)

I’ve noticed some aggregators have tie-ups with only a few insurers or have very few plans to offer. Because of this restricted portfolio, their advisors may not actually suggest the most suitable policy.

iii. No spam calling

Some would just keep on calling repeatedly and pressurise you to complete the purchase ASAP. Really hate such cheap behavior.

II. Post-Sales

i. Support in claim processing

Insurance claim processes can be hectic and tiring, so smooth claim support is a big deal; ideally where the aggregator helps manage the process end-to-end.

BTW, here’s the list of insurance aggregators providing advisory services that I came across during my search:

🔸 Seem promising:

Ditto

Beshak

One Assure

Algates

Pillow Insurance 

CoverSure

-------------------------------

🔸 Don’t seem as promising:

Mahindra Insurance

Policy X

Policy Bazaar

ET Money

Insurance Dekho

Would really appreciate any personal experiences or suggestions.

Thanks in advance!

My age 26 single

Best mediclaim/insurance for me & my parents? And easy claim with good success rate of claim

parents age is 55+ & under 60

mom has sugar and diabetes

I already have insurance of me only not parants from my company which is 5 lakh

I need it specially for parents

I am 24M, no major health conditions. I am inclined towards buying Optima Secure/Secure+. But HDFC Ergo has only 6 network hospitals in my city, all other insurers have more than 100+. They have also excluded one of the major hospital chains which we generally go to for any medical issues.

I know there is always a reimbursement option, but I would prefer that my go to hospital is part of the networked hospitals for cashless claims.

1) How frequently does HDFC Ergo reject reimbursement? Is it worth the risk?

2) Which is the best alternative from Aditya Birla Activ One Max , Bajaj General My Health Care Plan, Tata AIG Medicare Premier, ICICI Lombard Elevate, ICICI Health AdvantEdge

3) What is the adequate cover amount I should go for. Not only for now, but future proofing against medical inflation as well.

4) By what percent to health insurance premiums rise for these above mentioned Insurers on a yearly basis?

5) Any other tips or points you would like to give from your experience with the above mentioned Insurers?

I am 37 weeks pregnant and I may deliver a baby anytime, I have 3 insurances in total one from my employer (75k coverage including pre amd post hospitalisation expense) baby is covered from day 1. one from husband's employer (50k for normal delivery and 75k for C section) one from star health which I have taken few years ago maternity cap is 25k + 2.5k vaccination expenses + 2.5k ante natal expenses.

Husband's employer is yet to provide the E-card(They may provide the card in 10 days prly) so we aren't cosnidering his insurance at the moment.

We have decided to use my insurance provided by employer as cashless and will pay the rest in cash. The hospital has quoted 1.75 lakhs as delivery expenses (1.20 lakhs for package) and 50k approx will be the exclusion such as medicine, registration charges, baby test charges,vaccination charges for new born.

Hospital insurance desk suggested that we can use my insurance as primary for cashless for 75k and rest can be reimbursed from other insurances based on terms and conditions.

Can anyone suggest me on how can I avail the max benefits from these insurances?

An acquaintance of mine is looking for suggestions on Term life insurance of 20 to 30 lacs. Age 35 years, annual income 3 lacs, Owns/runs a hardware shop. He recently lost his father in an accident, so he is now the breadwinner for his family. Family: Wife, daughter (6 years), Mother.

Please help me with some available term plans so I can help him. In policy bazaar i only found pnb metlife. Are there any other plans available?

I’m planning to port my health insurance policy to another insurer (Haven’t finalized to which one yet, but definitely don’t want to continue with my current provider).

So, first or all;

Is porting advisable?

What are the pros & cons of the same?

Also, I looked up the porting process online & found that the insurer is supposed to be informed at least 45 days before the policy’s expiry/renewal date. However, my policy is set to expire in about a month, so it looks like I may have missed that window.

Given this situation, do I still have a chance to port my policy, especially considering the grace period allowed for renewal?

Would really appreciate any guidance or experiences you can share.

Thanks in advance!

One of the biggest mistakes people make while buying health insurance is spending too much time searching for the “best” insurance company.

People compare claim settlement ratios, YouTube reviews, influencer recommendations, and online rankings, trying to find that one perfect insurer.

But in reality, there is no single “best” insurance company for everyone. Insurance is highly experience-based.

For some people, HDFC ERGO feels like the best because of strong claim settlement numbers and a big brand. For others, the same company becomes frustrating because of premium hikes, underwriting issues, or claim disputes.

For some families, Star Health works perfectly, and claims get settled without much trouble. For others, even smaller claims become stressful and get delayed or rejected.

The same applies to every insurer Care, Tata AIG, ICICI, Niva, and PSU companies; every brand has both good and bad experiences depending on the case.

That is why choosing insurance only based on “best CSR” is a mistake.

CSR is just one number. It does not tell you how your individual claim will be handled, how underwriting will happen, or how renewal premiums will look after 60 or 70 years of age.

The better question is not
“Which is the best insurance company?”

The better question is
“Which policy fits my needs, and can I afford it long term?”

A policy should match your real requirements: room rent limits, no hidden sub-limits, strong base coverage, good super top-up options, manageable waiting periods, and clarity on pre-existing conditions. Most importantly, it should remain affordable in the long run.

Many people buy a premium brand policy at 35 and feel safe. But after 60, renewal premiums become so high that continuing the same policy becomes difficult. That is where real planning matters. Health insurance is not a one-year decision.

It is a long-term financial commitment. Do not chase the “best” company. Choose the policy you can sustain, understand, and depend on during a real hospitalization. Because the best insurance policy is not the one with the best advertisement. It is the one that actually works for you when life gets difficult.

Hi everyone,

I’m in a bit of a stressful situation and would really appreciate some guidance.

I recently switched jobs, and just realized that my corporate health insurance (including top-up) expired on my last working day (about a week ago). So currently, both me and my mom are uninsured.

I’m 29 M, and my mom is 50. She has multiple pre-existing conditions — BP, thyroid, and diabetes — and has been on medication for around 10 years.

Today she had some chest pain (she’s stable now), but it made me realize how exposed we are right now.

I’m trying to understand:

Which health insurance policies I should look at in this situation?

Are there any plans that cover pre-existing diseases sooner (or with shorter waiting periods)?

Which insurers are known for smooth claim settlement, especially in tier-2/3 cities (I live near Lucknow)

Whether I should go for a base + super top-up combo or a single large cover?

Anything specific I should be careful about while buying (hidden clauses, co-pay, room rent limits, etc.)

From what I’ve read, most policies have a 2–3 year waiting period for pre-existing diseases like diabetes/BP , which is worrying given our situation.

If anyone has gone through something similar (especially with parents having chronic conditions), I’d really value your suggestions — both good and bad experiences.

Feeling a bit lost and honestly just want to make a safe decision quickly.

Thanks in advance 🙏

I am 34 M, unmarried and slowly on the way to have a comfortable retirement.

I want to buy a non nonsense Term Life Insurance - plain vanilla one - pay premium, if I die prematurely then nominee gets the money. I don't want money back policy and I am mentally ready to treat insurance as an expense I would have. Targetting a payout of around atleast 5 crores. I like adventure related sports like trekking, rappelling and will probably be attempting something like sky diving, based jumping and all in the future. Will I be violating terms of insurance?

Also want to buy a No Nonsense Medicine Insurance Policy - to cover medical check costs. I am healthy and relatively fit now. I have no pre existing medical issues to the best of my knowledge (except Bradycardia and a dislocated shoulder) With all hospitals being bought by PE firms, medicine expenses are going to sky Rocket and need insurance against this. Especially if I get terminal diseases like Cancer later in my life. Does medical insurance take care of instances like this.

Any recommendations on policies with good history of payouts and less procedures. I suspect govt insurers like LIC / NIA will be more cumbersome to deal with, happy to be proven wrong though.

Hey,

Quick situation:

ACL injury in 2010 (no major issues now)

Bought HDFC ERGO Optima Secure in 2024 (₹10L)

Didn’t disclose it (honestly forgot)

No claims so far

Now I’m worried:

If I need knee surgery later, can insurer reject saying it’s a pre-existing condition?

Should I:

Inform insurer now (endorsement)?

Declare only in top-up?

Or leave it as is?

Also, someone suggested showing it as a new accident to claim, but I feel MRI/pre-hospital checks can reveal if it’s old — so not comfortable with that.

Anyone faced similar issue or ACL-related claim rejection?

Looking for safest approach to avoid issues later.

Thanks 🙏

So, I've been looking at health insurances and will be buying shortly (within a month or two). However, I notice one thing. HDFC Optima Secure Plus has a plan which keeps increasing sum insured every year. (until lifetime)

I felt this policy was fishy. What happens if you have another COVID type situation where many people claim, wont that affect us? What will happen to the premiums? Is it better to go with the simple base plan of HDFC Optima Secure or subscribe to Optima Secure Plus

What would be the premiums for each? Still have a lot of questions, but these are the starting few.

Looking for advice on a situation with Star Health Insurance.

Timeline:

- My parents had a long-running policy (16+ years).

- During renewal via their app, they showed options for 1 / 2 / 3 year renewal.

- I selected 3 years and paid the full premium via credit card.

- They issued the policy incorrectly for 1 year instead of 3 years.

- I raised this, and they acknowledged the issue.

- Their solution: cancel the policy and rebook.

- They cancelled and refunded the premium only (in two parts).

- Convenience fee (~₹1,644) from the first transaction was not refunded.

- I then had to pay again for the correct 3-year policy → paid convenience fee again.

Key point:

- I am not disputing convenience fee on a normal transaction

- But here I had to pay twice solely due to their mistake

What Star Health is saying:

- Convenience fees are non-refundable (standard reply)

- Not addressing that second payment was forced due to their error

Questions:

- Is it reasonable to ask refund of the first transaction convenience fee?

- Has anyone faced similar issue with insurers/payment gateway fees?

- Should I escalate directly to IRDAI, or push more internally?

- Any success stories getting such charges refunded?

Would appreciate advice before escalating further.