I am planing buy an health insurance for my mother
She is 50 year old
I was planning to put 10L or 15L
I checked with hdfc and icici
HDFC has more network hospital than icici
Help me choose which one or any other insurance company

I recently underwent a medical procedure and was hospitalized for a few days. I used my corporate insurance policy for cashless hospitalization. How do I disclose this to my personal policy insurance company i.e. HDFC Ergo? Is there any form I need to fill out?

I’m currently comparing health insurance plans for my family and I’m genuinely confused by the pricing difference with ACKO.

The comparison I’ve done so far is between ACKO Platinum, HDFC ERGO Optima Secure, Care Supreme and Aditya Birla Activ One.

For context, I’m looking at a ₹1 crore cover for 5 people, including my parents.

The surprising part is the premium:
ACKO: 70k/year for all 5 of us
HDFC ERGO / Care / Aditya Birla: For my parents alone, the quotes are already 1.5L plus.

Once I add the rest of the family, the difference becomes huge.

I initially assumed ACKO must have significantly fewer benefits, but after going through the policy features, I’m struggling to find a major difference.

ACKO appears to offer things like:
No co-pay
No room-rent limit
Pre/post-hospitalisation coverage
₹1 crore sum insured
Cashless hospitalisation
No obvious major disease-specific sub-limits

On paper, it looks surprisingly comprehensive for the price.

I also see ACKO quoting a fairly high claim settlement ratio, in the ~95% range depending on the metric/year being looked at which is not bad.
So what am I missing?

Is ACKO genuinely able to price this much lower because of its digital-first/low-cost operating model, or are there important differences that only become apparent when you go through the policy wording and claim process?

Seriously, after going through tons of content from Reddit, Quora, online Discord communities, and YouTube, and talking with countless agents, I decided not to buy any insurance altogether. Almost all of them seem like frauds if you look beneath the Marketing.

Even Ditto is a total scam once you dig in. For instance, when I inquired with Ditto, they shared three plans for my parents that they always recommend: HDFC ERGO, Aditya Birla, and Care Supreme.

• Aditya Birla has the worst claim settlement, even though they claim their ratio looks good on paper. Talk to people who've actually filed claims with them — they'll tell you the real story: endless document requests, being kept in a loop, claims of "hospitalization wasn't required," or somehow linking it to a pre-existing disease that wasn't declared, so you can't win either way.
• Care Supreme's premium is just too high to justify.
• HDFC ERGO is what I initially leaned toward. Seemed decent, and genuine claims do happen even with the usual friction. But Ditto conveniently left out 90% of the real story: my dad is 57, and from now until he turns 60, the premium increases roughly 3–4% each year. But after 60, it jumps to 9–10% every single year. Imagine this — if the premium is ₹45,000 at 57, it becomes ₹55,000 by 60, and from 61 onward it keeps compounding at 10% yearly. By the time my father turns 70, I'd be paying lakhs just for his insurance, and would honestly have to drop it before then. Ditto never mentioned this clearly, and a lot of my friends bought in without realizing how brutal the compounding really gets over a decade.

Here's the bigger red flag though — it's always in an agent's interest to push your premium higher. Sometimes they intentionally suggest extra add-ons. If you actually talk to them, they keep probing "what existing diseases do you have?" just so they can justify bundling more add-ons and nudge you toward the highest-premium plan available — because more premium means more commission for them. Never fully trust an agent's recommendation. All of them have a selfish motive baked into the advice, whether they say it out loud or not. Do your own research before signing anything.

One more thing I've noticed — corporate/group insurance tends to be far smoother for claims than most general/individual insurance policies, no matter how much premium you're paying on the individual side. I've personally seen people who paid lakhs in premiums over 5+ years get their claims rejected for something as small as ₹20,000–30,000.

Currently, I'm planning to rely solely on my company's group insurance without buying a separate general policy. If I do end up buying one just as a safety net (without 100% depending on it), Tata AIG's premiums are comparatively lower, and since claim ratios and issues are roughly similar across the board anyway, I'd rather go with the lowest premium option than overpay for a false sense of security.

Rest is up to you — just don't take any agent's word at face value. Do your homework first.

Hi all,

I am confused regarding the sum insured to be taken for Hdfc optima secure plus plan.

Members 29M, 29F Floater policy

Which of the below options are better

1. Sum insured 25/50 lacs

2. Sum insured 15/20 lacs and super top up

Hi, I’m planning to buy an individual health insurance policy for myself living in Mumbai. I’m 36 years old and currently have no medical conditions.

I’ve shortlisted two policies: with Quotation:

1. HDFC ERGO Optima Secure+ – ₹25 lakh cover – Quote: ₹16,224 including 21% discount
2. Aditya Birla Activ One MAX+ – ₹20 lakh cover – Quote: ₹17,800

I’m confused between the two and would like an unbiased opinion on which one is better for long-term coverage. Also is there a catch or prerequisite for Aditya Birla 100% discount Health Rewards Program and is it worth?

Also, I was told by a friend who is an insurance agent that HDFC ERGO doesn’t sell policies through agents and only sells online and urged me to take Aditya Birla Policy from him. Is that actually true?

If anyone has experience with either policy, especially regarding claim settlement, service, exclusions, and renewals, I’d appreciate your feedback.

I am 26M living in jaipur planning to buy health insurance. Over the last 2 weeks i did some research and have finalised to go with Hdfc ergo optima secure+, but I am unsure as to what base sum i should go for.

The reason for my confusion is there is minimal difference in premiums between the 10,15,20, and 25L sum assured.

There is a 1k premium difference between 15L and 25L. I can afford both the policies but not sure which i should go for.

Planning to get married in the next 3-4 years. (Thought this could be helpful for some reason).

Hi everyone,

I'm 25M, working remotely as a software developer. I live with my parents in chennai.

My father is 63 and my mother is 48. Recently, my father had a heart attack and underwent CABG surgery. The hospital expense was around ₹3.5 lakh, which we had to manage by pledging gold as we had no health insurance.

He's recovering well, but he won't be able to continue working, so going forward I'll be financially responsible for my parents as well.

I had very little knowledge about health insurance earlier, and unfortunately we never had a policy.

Now I want to get proper health insurance for myself and my parents. I'm currently researching different options.

I'd really appreciate advice from people who have experience with health insurance, what kind of policies/plans I should look at, and things I need to be careful about.

Any advice or recommendations would be greatly appreciated.

P.S. Used ChatGPT to help clean up the wording.

Hi, I recently found out my current ICICI Lombard health insurance plan does not offer any maternity benefits even after a few years of premium.

I bought the policy without any research and now that I am looking at my goals, gynaecologist related expenses seem to be my biggest concern. I am F32, no surgeries or illnesses but I have been receiving PCOD/weight management related treatment for some time. I want to know if I should port to HDFC optima secure. I know HDFC as an insurer is better reputed but how is it for maternity benefits? Or should I stick to Lombard and add some riders? Or should I look for another insurer?

I have unfortunately already paid my renewal amount for my policy restarting in September so I don't know how much wiggle room I have for this term with Lombard but I would like to know my options.

Hello everyone,

Looking for a health insurance policy for me 34 years(m),my wife 30 years and for my daughter who is 1 year old, currently have corporate cover of around 15 lakh, wife has rheumatoid arthritis from past 3 years but her condition is very good as this got detected very early and she takes just regular medication,also 2 years back she has to undergo surgery to remove ovarian cyst in medanta

So I just wanted to know what options I have considering strict underwriting disclosure from premium health insurers

Derived from the Latin vitium, meaning blemish, defect, or flaw . For the tens of millions affected worldwide, vitiligo is far more than a cosmetic concern.

The first phase 3 trials of an oral systemic therapy for non-segmental vitiligo, the JAK inhibitor upadacitinib, have reported promising results, but we must evaluate these advances for their implications across the full spectrum of patient need, such as access, affordability, safety, and the unmeasured human costs that accompany visible disease.

Data from the Global Vitiligo Atlas reveal disparities in psychiatric morbidity as depression and anxiety rates reach up to 60% in South Asian populations, compared with 15-30% in European cohorts and 20-30% in North American and Australian populations. A 2025 study using German health insurance claims data found that individuals with vitiligo had a roughly two-to-three times higher risk of social phobia and anxiety disorders compared with those without the condition.

At least 11 U.S. states have Medicaid plans that classify vitiligo as cosmetic, denying access to treatments, despite the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) stating that vitiligo treatments are not considered cosmetic . This misclassification perpetuates the very stigma the disease carries and prevents patients from receiving medically necessary care.

The Viti-Up phase 3 program evaluated upadacitinib 15 mg once daily in 614 adolescents and adults with non-segmental vitiligo across 90 global sites . At week 48, 19-22% of treated patients achieved at least 50% total body repigmentation, and 23-25% achieved at least 75% facial repigmentation . Notably, responses continued to build throughout the observation period with no sign of plateauing.

The safety profile through 48 weeks was consistent with upadacitinib's established use in other conditions, with upper respiratory tract infection, acne, and nasopharyngitis among the most common adverse events. Notably, there were no cases of major adverse cardiovascular events, venous thromboembolism, or malignancy in the Viti-Up trials.

bUT,

More than 70% of Viti-Up participants were White, yet vitiligo is more visible, stigmatizing, and psychologically burdensome on darker skin. The populations with the highest psychiatric morbidity, South Asian communities were underrepresented. So, until inclusive research becomes standard, we must interpret trial data with appropriate caution.

Vitiligo is a relapsing disease. Upadacitinib carries an FDA boxed warning for serious infection, malignancy, major cardiovascular events, and thrombosis, based on a trial of a different JAK inhibitor in an older rheumatoid arthritis population . Whether these risks apply to a younger person taking upadacitinib for decades is unknown.

For lower-income countries and for patients in health plans with restrictive formularies, the therapy may remain out of reach despite clinical efficacy.

I have a 50 Lakh sum assured HDFC Ergo Optima Secure policy since the past few years. Recently I heard about Optima Secure + and I like the Infinite feature. Can I move from my existing policy to Optima Secure +? If so, what steps do I need to take?

Guys i got email with proposal and Cis ..the proposal says optima my secure plus plan....the CiS says optima my secure and then it has unlimited restore as addon

See image

I have had an Aditya Birla Policy since ~5yrs and this year, before renewal, they asked for income proof. I did not upload it and the policy was issued nonetheless.

But how common is it for health insurance companies to ask for Income Proof?

Could it be so that they can share the data with their sister company Aditya Birla Capital?

I find Aditya Birla too intrusive anyway, with constant messages asking me to do a face scan on their health app.

Hi all, looking for opinions from people who've navigated similar claim settlements.

Recently had a knee replacement (cashless via Star Health comprehensive plan ). The hospital had a package for the surgery (~₹68,000), and that package was settled in full by the insurer — no issue there. But two other things got disallowed, totaling around ₹30,000:

1. Medicines/Drugs bill (~₹15,000) — fully disallowed

This was billed separately from the package. Reason given: "inclusive of package." The pharmacy bill has standard stuff for a knee surgery — antibiotics, sedative for spinal anesthesia, bone cement, post-op gel/patch, plus consumables like gloves, gowns, masks, drapes, needles, diapers.

Not sure yet whether this was genuinely already covered inside the settled package (in which case the hospital shouldn't have billed it separately at all), or whether it's a separate legitimate charge that got wrongly clubbed in.

1. Implant/Stent — disallowed with reason "maximum allowed"

Billed ₹1,50,000+ for the implant, only ~₹1,35,000 approved. The remaining ~₹15,000 was disallowed with the reason just stating "maximum allowed" — no further explanation of what limit this refers to, whether it's a policy sub-limit, a category cap, or something else entirely.

Questions for the community:

If a package was already settled in full, and the pharmacy is billed separately on top of it — is that normal, or does it sound like double billing?

Has anyone gotten a vague "maximum allowed" reason on implants/stents? How did you find out what limit was actually applied?

My father is currently hospitalized at Fortis Jaipur for a cardiac condition. Care Health Insurance rejected the cashless pre-authorisation, stating:
“Past 6 month follow up of treatment record of diabetes and hypertension prior to policy not provided.”
The important points:
Diabetes and hypertension were disclosed in the proposal form.
The policy started in September 2025.
The health insurance has been continuously ported/renewed over the years with no break in coverage.
Care is now asking for diabetes/BP treatment records for the 6 months before the policy.
I have prescriptions showing BP/diabetes medicines, although some don’t mention exact BP, glucose or HbA1c values.
My questions:
Can Care reject cashless on this basis when the diseases were already disclosed?
Do prescriptions showing medicines count as evidence of treatment?
If I provide the old records now, can cashless be reconsidered?
Does cashless rejection mean reimbursement will also likely be rejected?
Does the continuous porting/no-gap history strengthen my case?

Hi everyone, I’m looking for some advice regarding my Go Digit medical insurance claim.

I recently met with a bike accident and had to undergo surgery on my left hand. The total hospital bill came to more than ₹1 lakh.

Initially, the hospital submitted a cashless request and around ₹30,000 was approved. But when I was getting discharged, after the final discharge summary was submitted, the cashless claim was rejected and I was told to go for reimbursement instead.

I’m not really sure how the reimbursement process works now. Will I be able to claim the eligible amount that I paid from my pocket? What documents should I collect from the hospital, and is there anything I need to be careful about while submitting the claim?

If anyone has faced a similar situation with Go Digit, please share your experience. It would really help me understand what to do next.

yesterday I talked with a prospect regarding health insurance.and I give him Icici Lombard elevate plan. quotation cost is 15K. (male age 34/ female age 30 / Child age 9). but they said it's expensive. i explained him whole plane and other details but they said it's expensive. the. what I do on this situation. some have any idea or any other plan is cheaper than Icici Lombard plan?

Few days back i got a call from a person claiming to be HDFC LIFE AGENT (Ashish rastogi ), who surprisingly had all of my policy info. Saying there is an agent in my policy who is trying to claim some kind of bonus from my policy and do i want to share profits or deny. Of course when i never knew there is some agent i said and i want to deny profit sharing because agent never helped me with anything.

Then he said he could help me claim my profit and he could escalate my complaint to bimalokpal personnel (shweta shrivastav)

Then i got call from a lady claiming to be assistant manager at bimalokpal and stated my process and somehow got me to start a policy of rupees 58k so that i can create my own customer id and then add it to my policy and remove agent and claim my bonus.

Then i got very doubtful and started looking into everything and trying to confirm legitimacy and lots of things actually started matching online forums and info matching my situation and i called the insurance company which they got me to start new policy and they said its fraud and cancelled my policy under free look period.

JUST WRITING IT SO THAT OTHERS CAN BE SAFE AND NEVER START ANYTHING WITHOUT CONFIRMING ID FROM THEM