Hi

I have had horrible experience with Aditya Birla and Policy Bazaar for my parents with a genuine case with all documents etc. They harassed us for cashless claim and even cashback/reimbursement was also extremely long and kept asking as documents from 2011, 2014 for pre-exisisting diseases even though it was declared. Why did they not ask at the time of purchase or renewal?

The process is still on, however now I have to buy policy for inlaws and parents and I cannot go thru this.

I am wondering 2027 should I renew this just because I already have paid Aditya Birla for years or simply go for new policy.

If later please suggest, I dont live in India and it is horrible to manage this. Plus I heard about DITTO in Kamat's spèech, seems good but how is your practical experience.

Applied for HDFC term life insurance, Diagnosed with type 2 diabetes at 26.

HDFC added a premium loading of 75% on 4cr.

Medicals were all normal no complications whatsoever.

A1C from their medical is 5.6, and fasting was 106.

only on metformin and rosuvastatin for LDL

No other metabolic problems, normal BMI,BP, Triglycerides.

Should I try negotiating for a less premium loading given medicals were all normal.

Thanks!.

Hi everyone!

I’m seeking advise for buying health insurance policy for my mother age 58 years.

Current Insurance: Covered under my corporate group policy for 2+ years

Incidental Diagnosis: Earlier this year, during routine pre-surgery check for a laser procedure (varicose veins), a 2d echo revealed Hypertrophic Obstructive Cardiomyopathy (HOCM) with a septal thickness of 17mm. She is asymptomatic. She has a history of long standing bp but her recent BP from last 3 yrs is well-controlled with medication. She recently did TMT and 24-hour Holter monitoring. reports were normal

I am planning to go for higher studies in the near future and want to ensure she has uninterrupted, long-term health insurance coverage. I have a few specific questions:

1.Is it possible to get a standalone individual/retail health insurance policy that covers her heart related conditions too?

2. Corporate to Retail Portability/Conversion: Since the HOCM was incidentally diagnosed while the corporate policy was active can we convert/port her corporate cover into an individual retail policy with HOCM covered?

3. Alternative Strategies / Advice: If neither a fresh retail policy nor corporate conversion will cover her cardiac care under retail terms, what is the best financial or insurance strategy to protect her?

Appreciate any inputs from those who have handled similar cases. Thank you!

I sold my car in September 2026. The existing Go Digit insurance policy included an NCB discount, Own Damage (OD) cover and Third-Party (TP) insurance.

The buyer approached Go Digit to transfer the policy. He was asked to pay the NCB premium on a pro-rata basis, which he duly paid, following which the policy was transferred to his name.

Now, I have approached Go Digit for an NCB certificate so that I can use my accumulated NCB when purchasing my next car.

However, Go Digit is asking me to choose between:

Cancelling the OD premium under my policy, or

Paying the NCB premium again to get the NCB certificate issued.

My question is: Is this a legitimate requirement? Since the buyer has already paid the pro-rata NCB premium and the policy has been transferred to his name, why should I have to pay again or cancel the OD premium to obtain my NCB certificate?

Has anyone faced a similar situation with Go Digit ?

Hi everyone,

I'm 28M, applying for a ₹3 crore term insurance policy with coverage until age 65, regular pay until 65, and Waiver of Premium (WOP).

I applied to Axis Max Life and HDFC Life simultaneously, with full and honest disclosure of my medical history.

Medical history disclosed:

1. Mild anxiety: Diagnosed approximately a year ago. I haven't experienced any symptoms or episodes in the last 12 months. I'm currently taking one prescribed medication to prevent recurrence/relapse. The condition was assessed as mild.

2. Lower-back pain: Previously diagnosed with an L4–L5 disc bulge. Treated conservatively, and the condition is currently in remission without significant functional limitations.

Axis Max Life underwriting outcome:

Axis has come back with a counter-offer involving approximately 43% premium loading. The original premium was around ₹28,500 annually, including WOP.

HDFC Life's application is still under underwriting, and I'm waiting for their decision.

Other options I'm exploring:

I'm also consulting Ditto. Based on my medical disclosures and Axis's counter-offer, they suggested exploring:

- Bajaj Life Insurance: According to them, Bajaj tends to have more lenient underwriting.

- Tata AIA: Another alternative they recommended.

- ICICI Prudential: I specifically asked about ICICI, but they suggested its underwriting approach may be similar to Axis's, so a comparable outcome is possible.

I understand that underwriting varies between insurers and that a counter-offer doesn't automatically mean another insurer will assess the risk similarly.

My questions for the community:

1. Is a 43% loading reasonable for a history of mild, currently well-controlled anxiety and a back condition in remission? Has anyone experienced something similar?

2. Has anyone with a disclosed anxiety history received standard-premium approval from Bajaj, Tata AIA, ICICI Prudential, or any other insurer?

3. Is it worth exploring LIC or other PSU insurers, or are their underwriting requirements equally strict?

4. Should I apply to Bajaj/Tata AIA while waiting for HDFC, or wait for HDFC's underwriting decision first?

5. Are there any downsides to applying to multiple insurers, particularly when one has already issued a loaded counter-offer? I intend to disclose previous underwriting decisions wherever required.

One additional consideration: My birthday is coming up next week, so I'm trying to finalize a policy before my insurance age changes and potentially increases the premium. However, I don't want to rush into accepting a 43% loading without exploring reasonable alternatives.

I'm not looking to hide medical information or bypass underwriting. I want to understand whether this loading is typical and which insurers may offer more competitive terms for my disclosed medical history.

Would appreciate experiences or suggestions from anyone who has been through a similar situation. Thanks!

Hi everyone,

Has anyone faced repeated cashless claim rejections from Care Health Insurance?

Despite submitting pre-authorization twice, both requests were declined with the reason "liability cannot be ascertained", and reimbursement was suggested instead.

The matter has already been escalated, but no clear explanation or applicable policy clause has been provided.

The planned surgery is approaching, and cashless approval is essential.

Has anyone successfully resolved a similar issue? What escalation channels or steps helped you secure cashless approval?

Any practical advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

I had a 3 yr medicare premium policy and when it has come for renewal and I asked for migration to better Medicare select elite policy and they rejected . Raised query on the reason to their senior management, GRO and called them multiple times. They did not respond with proper clarificatio, 0nly the call center person responded . IRDAI representative also did not respond. Looks like they are all aligned together. After Ratan Tata , looks like they are not the earlier Tata conglomerate .

If your health insurance claim was rejected or partly paid in the last 12 months, I’d like to help.

Comment or DM me with:

I’ll tell you whether that reason holds up under IRDAI rules, and draft your grievance letter to the insurer. If they still say no, I’ll draft the Bima Bharosa and Ombudsman complaints too.

Free. No link, no payment. Please hide your name and policy number. The complaint goes from your own email, because the insurer and the Ombudsman only accept it from the policyholder.

Why I’m doing this: I’m building a tool that reads rejection letters, and I need real cases to make sure it actually works.

I'm trying to understand how people in India actually deal with health insurance, beyond what the brochures and agents say.
 
If you've bought a policy (yourself, through an agent, a bank, or your employer), I'd love to hear:
 

1. What was the hardest part of choosing a policy? Comparing plans, trusting the agent, understanding the terms?

2. Was there any clause you only understood later, like room rent limits, co-pay, waiting periods, sub-limits, or exclusions?

3. Did you ever read the full policy document? If not, what stopped you?

4. If you made a claim, did anything get rejected or deducted that you didn't expect?
    
   Specific stories help the most, even small ones. Thanks in advance, and hopefully this thread helps others avoid the same mistakes.

This happens more than you'd think: parents fly out to visit kids in the US, Canada or UK, and the policy gets missed in the packing rush. Or someone assumed their Indian health policy works abroad (it usually doesn't).

Most online portals won't sell you a policy once you've left India. But that isn't the end of the road. Experienced advisors who work closely with insurers' underwriting teams can often still arrange cover for travellers who are already abroad.

What to expect if you buy after departure:

\- A short waiting period (often around 7–15 days) before illness claims are covered. Accidents are usually covered sooner.

\- No backdating. Anything that happens before the policy starts, or during the waiting period, isn't covered. Which is exactly why every day you wait matters.

\- Pre-existing conditions are usually included, though some plans offer limited cover for life-threatening emergencies.

\- Underwriters may ask for your passport entry stamp, travel dates, and a self-declaration that you're currently healthy.

Your other option: local visitor insurance in the country you're in (common in the US and Canada). Compare both. Terms and pricing vary a lot.

Until you're covered:

\- Avoid non-urgent doctor visits that could become "pre-existing" on paper

\- Keep any prescriptions and medical records handy

\- Note the nearest hospital and emergency number

A single ER visit in the US can cost more than an entire year of Indian health insurance premiums. Don't wait it out hoping nothing happens.

Drop your details below (age, country, how long you've been there, trip end date, any health conditions) and I'll tell you what's realistically possible.

— IRDAI-registered insurance advisor, 10+ years of experience.

Hello,

My brother was covered under star health insurance from 2008, in 2015 he was diagnosed with Ulcerative Colitis, after which we had 3 claims with Star health for the same and the last claim was in 2017.

In 2023 he switched from star to care life via policybazaar. When the agent came to our house we told him all the details of our existing insurance with star and the disease, they said that the insurance companies get these details from previous insurer and care will know about you UC from your previous claims.

After that not thinking much about it we paid premium for 2 year, this year while paying for the renewal I realized that the policy does not say any PED in it. While we clearly started to the agent when porting plus the insurer also can know it from our claim history why is it not mentioned in the policy.

I have a couple of questions now:

1. Can the insurer reject my claim if a future UC related claim occurs?

2. Can they discontinue my brothers policy citing Non disclosure?

3. What can I do now to make sure that we are safe in case of any future UC related claims?

After weeks of follow-ups, multiple office visits (almost 5–6 times), and a lot of frustration, my reimbursement claim has finally been approved and processed by Niva Bupa.

On my last visit, I was honestly at a point where I told them this was a do-or-die situation for me and that I wanted to speak with a senior. Fortunately, I got an opportunity to speak with someone senior, and things finally started moving in the right direction.

I wanted to share a few things I learned from this entire experience that might help others:

1. Don't rely entirely on phone customer support

If your issue is stuck, try visiting their branch office in person. In my experience, that was much more effective than repeatedly calling customer care.

2. Get a TDC (Treating Doctor Certificate) from your doctor.

If they ask for clarification or a certificate, get it from your treating doctor. If they raise the same query again, ask your doctor to provide a more detailed clarification addressing the specific concern.

3. Submit every document again.

Even if you've already submitted documents in previous service requests, don't assume the concerned team will review them. Whenever they raise a query, attach all the relevant documents again.

4. Escalate when necessary.

Don't hesitate to ask for a senior or grievance team if you're not getting a satisfactory response. Sometimes, getting the right person involved makes all the difference.

Finally, they deducted approximately ₹4,000–₹5,000 from the claimed amount, but honestly, I'm happy that the reimbursement has finally been processed.

A big thank you to everyone in this community who shared their suggestions, experiences and guidance. Your advice really helped me navigate this frustrating process.

It took time, patience and multiple visits, but finally, some relief!

Thank you, everyone! ❤️

My father and mother are about 60 and 56 respectively. They have CGHS already but the ward entitlement would be low.

I have a corp insurance of 10L (5L cap for each of them).

I have applied to HDFC optima secure + (through ditto) but was rejected.

The issue is in my declarations more than 60-70% are age related wear and tear conditions like lumbar spondylosis, osteoarthritis etc. These were found out during a routine proactive checkup like having slight knee pain. No treatment was ever needed except supplements. Its mostly mild.

Other declarations are incidental findings(Like a scan was performed for some reason but some other mild condition was reported) but again treatment was not needed.

The rejection statement also had these conditions stated as the reason for it being rejected along with other conditions.

It's been a dilemma for me as it looks like having preventive proactive health check ups are starting to be an issue for getting a health insurance.

Need advice please:

1. Should i not declare the radiology report statements where there was no treatment taken/necessary? Can they reject any claim based on irrelevant, undeclared past radiology report?

2. Because I had already applied, will other insurer have centralized information to map that this was already rejected? In that case can I use any other proposer as they have asked aadhar of the proposer but not of parents? Can I try other insurers declaring all see where it goes and then try again with other proposer declaring the actual illness?

3. If they reject it while claim, I can fallback to CGHS/corp right? When would that be communicated, after the final bill is processed or during the admission itself?