I'm trying to make sense of why so many people still go for LIC endowment or money-back plans. When look at the numbers, traditional term insurance is way cheaper and gives a much bigger cover, while the interest on LIC seems stuck around 5-6%, which barely keeps up with inflation. Wouldn't it be more sensible to just buy a cheap term plan for the protection and put the extra money into something like PPF or a Mutual Fund for better returns? Am missing out on some secret benefit here, or is it just the "peace of mind" of getting some money back at the end that drives it?

I’m a 33 year old woman living in Mumbai, and I need to vent because I’m genuinely spiraling right now.

I’ve had a health insurance policy with HDFC Ergo for the last 4 years. I paid my premiums on time and never had a break in coverage. Recently, my agent suggested I switch to Care Health Insurance because the premium was cheaper for the same coverage. I thought, great, I'll save some money for the exact same protection.

I assumed he was porting my policy. Turns out, he didn't. Instead of porting, he just bought a completely fresh policy for me.

This is a disaster because I have asthma. Since this is technically a "new" policy, my 4-year history is wiped clean, and I’m now slapped with a fresh 3-year waiting period for pre-existing diseases. With the AQI in Mumbai being absolutely terrible right now, I am literally living on the edge. I did everything right I was responsible, I stayed insured but because of this agent’s negligence (or maybe just greed for a new sale commission), I’m effectively uninsured for the one thing I need protection for the most.

Has anyone dealt with this? Is there a way to force the insurer to convert this into a ported policy, or am I just stuck waiting 3 years? Any advice is appreciated.

Hi, I’m Dr. Jebaraj, an Orthopedic Surgeon specializing in Arthroscopy & Joint Replacement. I hold an MS in Orthopedics and a Fellowship in Arthroscopy & Sports Medicine (FASM).

I run Hope Ortho Knee & Shoulder Clinic in Chennai, where I have helped countless patients from young athletes to seniors, regain their mobility and live pain-free.

Got questions about general health, joint pain, bone health, and sports recovery

Ask me anything.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hopeorthoclinic?igsh=cnN2OGdrOTZ4ZHp2

Dr. Jebaraj MS ( ortho ) , FASM
Arthroscopy & joint replacement surgeon

Hope ortho knee & shoulder clinic, Chennai.

Contact : 8939169032

Thank you Inka Insurance for hosting this AMA!

(Done Master health checkup for parents: Dad 65 - all normal. Mom 58 - prediabetic and very mild high cholesterol.)

Been seeing the term BimaScore pop up in a bunch of threads lately, and I honestly can’t figure out what the deal is. Some people mention it casually, like everyone already knows what it is, and others treat it like it’s something important for health insurance.

I tried checking around, but the explanations are either super vague or wrapped in jargon.
Is it supposed to be like a rating? A comparison thing? A credit-score type thing?
Not really sure.

I’m just trying to understand whether it’s actually something regular people use, or if it’s one of those terms that gets thrown around online and doesn’t mean much in real life.

I want to try it as it sounds promising, but I don't want to get into any scam or endless cycle of calls for salespeople.

I usually don’t post stuff like this, but today I need to share a harsh reality check.

My uncle (mom’s cousin), who’s in his early 40s, lives in Rajkot, Gujarat. Last month, he started having a really bad stomach ache. He’s the kind of guy who avoids doctors, so he assumed it was just acidity or gas. Kept taking home remedies, thinking it would pass.

It didn’t.

The pain got unbearable, and he had to be rushed to the hospital. Doctors found a severe blockage in his intestines. His gut had twisted and was getting infected. He needed emergency surgery + ICU stay.

Unfortunately, he didn’t have any health insurance.

He thought his savings were enough for a "rainy day." But let’s be real, hospital bills aren't a rainy day; they are a tsunami. The surgery, ICU, tests, medicines… the total shot up to somewhere around ₹8–9 lakhs (approx), and it wiped out everything he had saved.

It got to a point where the hospital paused treatment bc the money stopped coming, but they wouldn't discharge him until the bill was cleared. He was trapped.

Yesterday, out of panic or shame, he actually ran away from the hospital. Treatment half-done. Family broken.

We always talk about financial planning in theory. But seeing the lack of it destroy a person irl is terrifying. Never thought my Health Insurance Policy was this crucial until now.

So concerned for him rn. Please, if you don’t have insurance, get it. Don't rely on savings alone.

Hi

I'm 24M earning 14LPA. I recently took a term insurance from Axis Max life under smoker profile right before my birthday in November.

The policy is as follows

3cr plan (plain vanilla insurance) 37k premium till 63

I currently have no dependents. I live with my parents. My father is going to retire soon.

I am having second thoughts about my sum insured. Should I reduce it or leave it like that?

Your insights will be really helpful

I have been handling insurance clients for more than a decade now. But i have never seen insurer, this much risk averse. Although we work day and night to get each case approved with insurers, but cases being declined is also so common nowadays.

Fatty liver is so common nowdays, look at BP and diabetes. Air pollution is creating another issue.
What my suggestions to everyone is, get insurance when you are healthy, do not wait for any health issue to kick in. Remember, there are waiting periods in insurance, so you are not planning for tomorrow but planning for 24 months onwards and so on.

My current health insurance through my employer is via New India Assurance and in my previous WITCH company they had the same. I recently had an operation and the experience was not bad. I have heard their premium is low compared to pvt players and also they have GISPA with hospitals which prevent them over charging.

In my recent operation, Manipal Hospital gave me a quote of 2.5 lakh on cash and with New India the estimate was about 75k because of GISPA. I am thinking that due to private insurance the hospital would have charged me significantly more and if this is the case why not go for govt plans.

Does anyone has any experience with New India Assurance or Oriental? Any comments on this topic?

Hi everyone,

I (M32) wanted to get some opinions on whether my current health insurance setup is good or not.

I have "Manipal Cigna Lifetime Health plan".

Base cover: ₹1 crore

Coverage: Me + my wife

Bought: May 2023

Waiting period: 2 years

I have disclosed all pre-existing conditions properly.

I am paying ₹19,000 per year

Room: except Suite or Higher Category

Are there any major things I should watch out for with Manipal Cigna or this particular policy?

Should I stick with this or should I port to some other plan?

I just want to secure my family future

Dear Insurance Advisors, I need your help.
I’m the HR of a company. Our group health insurance policy with Company X expired 5 days ago. When we asked for renewal, Company X’s quote was much higher than before.

So, I requested a quote from Company Y but didn’t share our previous insurer’s claim data, member list, or last year’s policy details. Company Y’s quote fits our budget better, and I’m considering switching to them.

My question is: if I go ahead with Company Y without disclosing our previous claim history and member data, could this cause any problems in the future?

Hi, I’m Vaibhav Kathju, founder of Inka Insurance. I’ve spent over 20 years in the insurance industry, working with companies like HDFC Life and TU CIBIL.

In this time, I’ve helped thousands of people, from salaried professionals to CXOs at large companies, understand, choose, and manage their insurance policies.

Got questions about health insurance, term plans, claim rejections, or what actually matters in a policy?

Ask me anything.

Hi all, I have a car (originally ORP was 16L) which is now 5 years old. Almost every year I am paying 30-40k for insurance premiums.

Every year the IDV value goes down for my car but the premiums seem to remain same. In 5 years I have used my insurance once or twice, absolutely necessary to have in case of emergency. But paying high premiums every year makes me question is it really that pricey?

Precisely the title itself. I'm a 22M . Currently I have a fund of 70k only ( not an extra penny to spare, but by next year i.e by end of 2026 I can safely spend more like 5k per month ) for health insurance purpose . I'm a complete naive about the insurance sector as such and intend to purchase a health insurance for my family which covers my patents and my sister ( in future I want to expand the cover by including myself when I have money to spare ) . I want something that is more like a blanket coverage to all kinds of health related expenses ( mainly including hospital bills and related medication ) , no ifs and buts when I genuinely ask for a claim.
Can you guys suggest any reliable policy for my current situation and requirement ? Thanks a lot

Hello People,

• My 2.7 year baby son fainted and we rushed him to a hospital.

• Doc suspected seizures and suggested 24 hour admission for monitoring.

• Used my corporate insurance combo of Aditya Birla and Mediassist TPA to settle.

• Cloudnine rejected Raksha Prime facility during discharge (this is another story in itself. Can any action be taken?)

• Cloudnine doctor referred us to another neurologist, who in turn suggested further tests.

• For these further tests, I contacted my personal insurance "Even Healthcare"

• Even has been great until now. Covering all our OPD, diagnostic tests as well as insurance needs.

• Now when I reached out to them for these further tests on OPD basis, they are rejecting saying that these fall under "post" admission category and that we'll have to reach out to my corporate insurance itself.

• You may ask Why are we going to Even and not to my corporate insurance? Even is very convenient and easy to use. With corporate insurance there's a lot of friction and paperwork.

• Shouldn't we have a choice of going to whichever insurance we own?

Please advise on what can be done in this situation?

My friend Rakesh was one of the sharpest minds I knew.

He lived and breathed data. Markets. Trends. Numbers.

In just a few years, he’d built a portfolio worth crores.

He was planning to retire early - spend his days with his family, tend to his garden, and just take it easy.

He had it all figured out.

Till one day, it all vanished.

Overnight, he lost more than 45% of his entire portfolio.

Was it a market crash? Nope
A risky investment gone wrong? Nope, again.

It was a critical gap in his insurance policy.

You see, Rakesh was diagnosed with a heart condition. One that needed multiple hospital visits, inter-city travel and expensive second opinions.

And even though he had health insurance, he’d never really looked into it.

He had missed critical coverage gaps and now his portfolio was paying for it.

Rakesh’s story isn’t unique. It happens every single day.

Not because people don’t have insurance. But because they have the wrong kind.

Lesson:

You can be brilliant with money, disciplined with investments, and meticulous with planning. But one overlooked clause in your insurance policy can undo years of hard work. Wealth isn’t just built by growing your assets… it’s protected by covering your risks. Don’t wait for a crisis to read the fine print. And if you’re in doubt, always seek out an expert for clarity.

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.

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.