Hospital bills should not decide your treatment.

Individual cover gives each insured person their own sum insured. A floater shares one sum insured across the covered family and often costs less. Weigh the members' ages and the chance of more than one claim in a year.

Think about the hospitals you would use, how many people are insured, any cover you already have through an employer, and what you could pay yourself. There is no single right figure.

Insurers are required to offer products across age groups. Eligibility, medical assessment, premium and conditions depend on the product and the insurer's underwriting, so acceptance is not automatic.

Often yes, but disclose it accurately. Acceptance, premium loading and waiting periods depend on the insurer's assessment. An existing condition is not usually covered from day one.

Employer cover usually ends with the job and may not suit your family's needs. Many people hold a personal policy alongside it so cover does not lapse when work changes.

A period during which stated conditions or treatments are not covered. For disclosed pre-existing diseases the 2024 regulations cap it at 36 months of continuous cover; products may offer shorter. Check the wording for the exact terms.

A co-payment is a share of an admissible claim that you pay. A deductible is an amount met before the cover responds. Check whether a deductible applies per claim or per year.

No. It replenishes the sum insured under stated conditions. The trigger, the number of restorations and whether it applies to the same illness vary, and limits on a single claim still apply.

Only where the product or an add-on provides it. Do not assume routine consultations and medicines are included because hospitalisation is.

Insurers must make products available in line with the Mental Healthcare Act, 2017. The benefits, treatment settings and conditions still depend on the policy, so check the wording.

The regulatory framework provides for AYUSH cover. Which treatments, providers and expenses qualify remains subject to the policy.

A cap on the room category or daily rent. Exceeding it can reduce other associated charges proportionately, so the effect is larger than the room cost alone.

Not necessarily. Cashless concerns payment of approved amounts. Co-payments, deductibles, excluded items and anything above a limit may still be yours to pay.

IRDAI has prescribed one hour for cashless pre-authorisation and three hours for final authorisation. These govern the insurer's processing of the request; they are not a promise that a claim will be accepted or that discharge happens within that time.

You would usually pay and claim reimbursement afterwards. Keep the discharge summary, bills and prescriptions; the insurer will list what it needs.

Start with the insurer's grievance process and keep the reference number. IRDAI's Bima Bharosa system lets you register and track an insurance grievance, and the Insurance Ombudsman may be available depending on eligibility.

Eligible new health policies of at least a year carry a 30-day free-look period from receipt of the document. Cancellation and any refund are subject to the stated conditions and permitted deductions.

Portability can carry eligible accumulated credits across, subject to process and underwriting. Apply 30 to 60 days before renewal; later requests may be considered but should not be assumed.

After 60 continuous months, including credits carried by portability or migration, a policy or claim cannot be contested for non-disclosure or misrepresentation except for established fraud. It does not make excluded treatment payable or remove limits, and increased cover starts its own clock.

For the applicable health policies, renewal cannot be refused merely because claims were made in earlier years. Certain benefit policies that end once the benefit is paid are an exception.