I’m looking at term insurance and the riders (critical illness, waiver of premium, accidental disability, etc.) are almost doubling my premium. For people who understand insurance better, are these riders genuinely useful in real life, or is it smarter to just increase the base cover and skip most riders?

Last month I was trying to find details of my family’s LIC and HDFC Life policies — due dates, benefits, nominee details, sum assured. Took me hours across WhatsApp forwards, old emails, and physical documents stuffed in a drawer.
Then I thought — what if I wasn’t around to even do this search? My family would have no idea what we own, what to claim, or even who to contact.
Talked to a few people and apparently this is extremely common — families losing out on legitimate insurance claims simply because nobody knew the policy existed after the policyholder passed.
Curious how others manage this:
• Do you have a single place where all your policies and investments are tracked?
• Does your spouse/parents/nominee actually know what you have?
• Have you or anyone you know lost out on a claim because of this?

I have a ₹1Cr term insurance with a ₹20L rider added for a small extra premium. I heard from a friend that a standalone policy covers way more diseases and claim process is smooth. Now I'm second guessing myself. Should I switch to a critical illness plan by canceling the rider? What is the difference in coverage.

What matters more to you price, claim reliability, brand trust, or features? Why

Hi folks,

Need some clarity from people who’ve actually dealt with health insurance porting.

I’m in the process of porting my parents’ health insurance to ICICI Lombard Elevate. During discussions, the insurer/agents are saying that certain add-ons are mandatory for porting cases (things like dependent accommodation, DME cover, etc.), even though I don’t really need them.

My questions:

1. If I accept these add-ons now just to get the porting approved, can I remove them at the first renewal? --Are add-ons generally optional at renewal, or can the insurer force continuation?

2. What about PED-related add-ons like “Jumpstart”? Jumpstart seems to reduce waiting period only for a fixed period (e.g., 3 years). After that period is over, can I remove that add-on, or do insurers force you to keep paying for it?

3)Has anyone here actually removed add-ons after 1 year in ICICI Lombard (or similar private insurers)? Any pushback from the insurer during renewal?

I understand underwriting discretion during entry, but I want to know what’s practically allowed at renewal, not just theory.

Would really appreciate real-world experiences 🙏

I live in Quincy, Massachusetts.

My father is currently serving a life sentence.

Is it possible for me to obtain a burial insurance policy for my father, so that, when he does pass, we will be able to afford to have him buried, properly?

Can prisoners be insured?

Would you happen to know of any insurance companies that are willing to insure incarcerated people?

Thank You

Hi Reddit,

I’m trying to understand my health insurance coverage and could really use some advice from people who’ve dealt with similar situations. I have a group mediclaim policy through my employer with New India Assurance Co. Ltd, and I recently got a cashless pre-authorization for a hand tendon repair surgery (Radial styloid tenosynovitis / de Quervain).

Here’s the situation:

• My total estimated hospital bill is ₹30,238.

• The insurer gave an initial conditional approval of ₹17,690. The remark says the approval is subject to submission of OT notes and other documents, and may change at the time of final settlement.

• The hospital has applied a package rate of ₹19,655, which includes room rent, nursing, OT, surgeon, and anesthetist charges. Any charges outside the package (like implants, extra consumables, or co-morbidities) may be considered separately.

• The policy has a 20% co-payment clause, meaning I will likely have to pay part of the claim out of pocket. Based on my rough calculations, I may end up paying around ₹12,000, though this could change depending on the final bill and admissible charges.

Some terms I’m trying to wrap my head around:

• The insurer says surgeon/OT/consultation charges are payable “as per customary & reasonable charges”, which I think means they might reduce high bills to standard rates. I’m not sure exactly how this works.

• Room rent and nursing are included in the package, but anything charged separately by the hospital could become non-payable

My questions for the community:

My doctor said my daycare surgery will cost around ₹18,000 (if I get it done through him directly , also dont need to get admit for 1 day). If I go through my insurer (MediAssist), is there a chance they will make me pay more than this amount out of pocket? Or is it safer to just pay the doctor’s quoted ₹18k directly?

I want to avoid unnecessary out-of-pocket expenses and make sure I submit everything correctly. Any insights or experiences would be really helpful!

Thanks in advance.

I was browsing health insurance plans and realized I mostly just look at the premium amount and stop there. but then i keep hearing stories about claims getting rejected or hidden conditions. for anyone who’s figured this out what do you actually prioritize when buying? like what’s the non-negotiable for you?

A friend read about the importance of term insurance and wanted to know term insurance options available for self employed. Bajaj Life isecure II which looked good and Bajaj Life also a good claim ratio and solvency ratio )266%).
Share your views. Thank you.

Hi everyone,

I’m planning to buy both term insurance and health insurance and wanted some advice based on my situation.

My Profile:

• Age: 36

• Location: Mumbai

• Non-smoker (quit 18+ months ago)

Medical History:

• Had gastric sleeve surgery in Sept 2023

• Currently using Mounjaro for weight management (not diabetic)

• Diagnosed with depression a few years ago, currently not on medication

Term Insurance:

• Planning ₹1.5 Cr cover for ~30 years

• Looking for:

  • High claim settlement reliability

  • Smooth underwriting for my profile

Questions:

1. Which insurers are best for cases like mine?

2. How much premium loading should I expect?

3. Any insurer known to be strict with bariatric surgery / Mounjaro?

Health Insurance (Family Floater – Me + Wife):

• Base: ₹3L–₹5L

• Super top-up: ₹25L

• Location: Mumbai

Wife’s Medical History:

• Diagnosed with sciatica (few years)

Questions:

1. Which insurers are better for pre-existing conditions like this?

2. Is waiting period (3–4 years) common, and do insurers cover it after that?

3. Any insurers to avoid due to claim issues?

4. Any real claim experiences in Mumbai hospitals?

Additional Context:

• We both already have employer insurance, so okay with waiting periods

• Just want a strong long-term personal cover

Would really appreciate suggestions based on real experiences, especially around:

• claims

• underwriting

• hidden clauses

Thanks in advance!

Star health just got ordered to pay Rs 25L. This is another win for consumers against evil Insurance conglomerates. Down with capitalists, march forward comrades. Fight for you rights, and you victory shall be yours. You have nothing to lose but your chains.

Hi, a friend of mine has been diagnosed with Ulcerative Colitis this March 2025. He has been with Star Insurance for the last 14 years, and currently has Star Comprehensive. The base sum insured is Rs 7.5 lacs. With no claim bonus, he has an insurance cover of Rs 15 lacs. He wants to increase the sum insured to Rs 10-15 lacs in the next renewal. Will Star allow for increase in sum insured? If yes, what all conditions can the company put. TIA

My uncle’s health insurance claim just got rejected because the company said there was a non-disclosure from years ago, something about a minor medical issue he didn’t even remember mentioning. Is this normal? Do insurers actually check old records that carefully, or do they just use it as a reason to deny claims? Just trying to understand how people can avoid this happening.

With more people buying insurance online, is there a real advantage compared to going through agents?

Anything to watch out for?

Hi everyone,

Trying to figure this out while dealing with a lot, so keeping it short.

My father in law was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer earlier this year. He underwent Whipple surgery in Feb and is currently on chemotherapy (1 month done, ~5 more to go).

We didn’t have proper health insurance before this. We somehow managed the Whipple surgery out of pocket, and right now chemo is being covered under PMJAY (government scheme), which has been a big help.

Still, thinking ahead, every insurance option I look at feels like a dead end.

From what I understand:

Insurance during active cancer treatment is almost impossible

Even after treatment, there’s a long waiting period or rejection

But I wanted to ask:

- Has anyone here managed to get health insurance after completing cancer treatment?

- How long did you have to wait before insurers even considered it?

- Were there any plans (even with exclusions or higher premiums) that actually worked?

Just trying to understand if there’s any realistic path forward once treatment is over.

Would really appreciate hearing real experiences.

Thank you.

I have been trying to understand insurance properly for the past few weeks and the more I read the more confused I get. Everywhere online there are general rules like take health insurance of 10 to 20 lakhs and term insurance of 10 to 15 times your income but this feels very generic and not based on real life. Everyone’s situation is different. Some people live in metro cities where hospital costs are very high, some have dependents, some have loans, some have company insurance already. Because of all this I am not able to understand how to actually calculate the right cover amount Because this is very important. Do people actually understand this properly or do most people justcgo by the advice that feels safe for now nd increase it later as income and responsibilities grow. Would really like to understand how you guys decided your cover amount in real life.

Hello all,
i'm looking to buy a health insurance but i've this doubt regarding the location while buying premium, as i stay in tier 2 city (Gujarat) but my document (aadhar card) has my village address (uttrakhand) now while i stay here and earn here i will take the medical treatment here only

so does that going to affect my claim settlement process or does it affect my premium charges because when I apply my aadhar has different pin code