Top 10 Senior Citizens Health Insurance Companies in India
Senior citizen health insurance covers senior citizens from the age of 60 and above. The upper limit of the age cover differs according to each company. Certain factors will be taken into consideration while choosing the best plan. The criteria can be age, conditions, premium, coverage, and more. Few policies provide packages as per your demand, as it is possible that you are looking for a particular factor that may or may not be under the coverage by every insurance provider. Before choosing the final plan, it is essential to look at the Claim-settlement ratio of each company too, and other facts such as the reputation of the company, profits, management, etc.
Here are the top 10 insurance companies in India that provide the best senior citizen plans
1. STAR Health – Senior Citizens Red Carpet Health Insurance Policy
The company began operations in 2006 and is on-going ever since. The STAR health insurance company has specifically introduced Red-Carpet health insurance for senior citizens. The plan provides optimum coverage for people above the age of 60 years.
Features
- People between 60-75 years of age can subscribe to the policy
- There is no mandatory requirement for the pre-medical test
- Covers pre-existing conditions
- Sub-limits are applicable
- Lifetime renewability
- If a pre-medical test is taken up by choice, the insurance company provides a 10% discount
- Free look period is available for the first 15 days it is not allowed at the time of renewability
- Co-payment option is available
2. Max Bupa Companion Plan
For senior citizens, Max Bupa has Health Companion to offer. The plan is designed while keeping the medical needs of individuals and families in mind. It started as a joint venture between Max India Limited and Bupa, a British healthcare provisioning and multi-insurance company.
Features
- No restriction on the age of enrolment that means one can purchase this policy at any age
- Lifetime renewability
- Vaccination in case of an animal bite or others
- Provides in-house settlement
- Maintaining a claim settlement ratio of 84.15%
3. ICICI Lombard Health Insurance for Parents
ICICI Lombard Complete Health Insurance provides its policyholders with customized health protection. The policy offers various add-ons that can be attached by the policyholders according to their requirements.
Features
- Entry age is six years, and there is no maximum age.
- Lifetime renewability.
- Pre-existing diseases are covered after two years of coverage.
- In-house settlement is available.
- Settlement claim ratio is 78.32%.
4. Care Health Insurance – Care Senior Plan
Care Senior Plan by Care Health Insurance, formerly Religare, is an offer for senior citizens with the motive to provide affordable health insurance. The plan offers a benefit of up to 150% increase in sum assured with a no-claim bonus and no-claim bonus super options.
Features
- Entry age for this plan is between 61 years to no limit
- Lifetime renewability
- Co-payment options are available
- The waiting period for pre-existing disease varies from 24 – 48 months
- Claim settlement ratio at a healthy 92.83%
5. New India Assurance Senior Citizen Mediclaim Policy
The company is a general insurance provider. It is a subsidiary of the government of India. The company offers various customizable policies that mean a client can customize a policy according to their requirements.
Features
- Pre-existing conditions are undercover only after payment of extra payment
- Reimbursement of check-up benefits is provided, only if no claim has been made in the past four years
- Every no claim year, the company will increase the sum assured by 5%, and the raise can be up to 30% max
- Backed by the government, and so, has public faith
- The policy is also called a tailor-made policy as it can be easily customized by the insured
6. Oriental HOPE (Health of Privileged Elders) Insurance plan
Oriental Insurance Company is a state-owned general insurance firm. It is a public sector insurance providing organization that began back in 1947. Oriental HOPE is a plan specially designed for senior citizens. This policy is exclusive for people aged 60 years and above. The offer is one of the most comprehensive senior citizens plans that offer coverage for specified diseases.
Features
- Co-payment option is available
- Benefit on the cost of health check-ups is available if the insured does not file any claim for four years
- Various costs such as anesthesia, x-rays, medicines, drugs, consumables, and more are under cover of your plan
- Only specified diseases are covered in this plan
- The policy does not cover pre and post-hospitalization costs
7. United India Insurance – Senior Citizen Policy
United India Insurance company is a leading general insurance company that is wholly owned by the Government of India. The incorporation of the company was in 1938. The United India senior citizen policy is proposed for senior citizens between the ages of 61 years up to 80 years. The policy is renewable without any halt.
Features
- 15-day free look-up period
- If the policy is renewed for three consecutive years and at the same time, no claim is made then, a complimentary health check-up is provided
- Pre- and post-hospitalization costs are covered
- Covering of significant illness is done, up till to 70% of the sum assured or the bill amount, whichever is lower
- For Cataract, Hernia, and Hysterectomy, the insurer will pay 25% of the sum assured or the bill amount, whichever is lower
8. HDFC ERGO Health Optima Senior
This insurance company has launched more than one policy for senior citizen health insurance. My: health Suraksha – Gold smart plan is one of the proposals that is given herewith.
Features
- Pre and post-hospitalization costs are covered in this plan
- Mental healthcare expenses are under the coverage of the policy
- Home healthcare is possible with a cashless facility
- A lump sum amount of INR 15,000 is provided as a recovery benefit if hospitalization exceeds ten continuous days. It will help you not worry about household expenses
- Waiting periods are applicable
9. IFFCO Tokio – Swasthya Kavach Policy
Such a policy is made available for senior citizens by the insurance company, IFFCO Tokyo. The company incorporated 19 years earlier and is highly trusted. The company has a network of more than 5000 hospitals and provides cashless facilities too.
Features
- They have two types of plans, namely base and wide. The more comprehensive policy covers ten critical illnesses.
- Lifelong renewability.
- The company provides daily assurance to the customer.
- Emergency medical assistance is provided at no cost.
- On every claim-free year, the company increases 5% to the sum assured. The maximum raise is possible by up to 50%.
- The company has an impressive claims settlement ratio of 96.57%.
10. Edelweiss health insurance for parents
Edelweiss believes that parents need to have affectionate support in their later years and so has put forward their offering for a senior citizen insurance plan. The policy helps cover your parents from unexpected costs, thus, decreasing their stress.
Features
- The company has a claim settlement ratio of 79.82%.
- Lifelong renewability.
- Voluntary co-payment can range from 5% up to 20%.
- Expenses incurred during the treatment of critical illness.
- The entry age for such plans begins from 3 months up until 65 years of age.
- Covers are provided for more than 380-day care treatment procedures.
Best Senior Citizens' Health Insurance Companies in India
Does medical insurance for senior citizens cost more?
Senior citizen policies may be more expensive than that of basic health insurance. The premium payable depends on various factors such as age, pre-existing conditions, family history, and many more. As the age of senior citizens are 61 years and above, it is believed that with age, a person’s health complication also increases. The existing conditions can be under coverage, and so, the fulfillment of receiving coverage is possible by paying a higher premium. Due to a higher risk of health and illness, it is most probable that the costs needed for purchasing a senior citizen plan are a tad higher than that of basic health insurance.
Can I include my parents in my health insurance plan?
Yes, you can. But you should purchase an individual senior citizen plan for your parents as your parents are old, and in times of emergency, they might use up the entire sum assured for their treatments. It is a belief or a practice that states medical costs are 3.8 times higher than that of cure procedure for others. The premium payable for family health insurance can be slightly more, as the amount payable for subscribing to the policy heavily depends on the age of the insured. Senior citizens also enjoy the benefit of tax exemption. Additional tax benefits are received, and so they can be availed thus, leading to saving money.
Is there any claim limit on medical insurance for senior citizens?
Claim limit means capping or setting a sub-limit on the filing amount. An insurance company pre-decides a limit on the percent of the sum insured that the company will cover for certain disease expenditure. For example- if you have a plan of INR 10 lakhs, then the entire sum assured cannot be spent on only one disease only. It is further bifurcated into heart disease- 30%, stroke- 25%, and so on. It also depends on the cost that needs to be incurred for a specific disease. The insurance company will pay 30% of the sum assured or the full bill, whichever is lower.
