r/InsuranceAdviceIndia

31 M living in Bengaluru with spouse. Have delayed getting health insurance for the longest time. Now I can’t make up my mind. After speaking to a lot of “advisors”, I have zeroed in on HDFC Optima Secure Plus and Niva Bupa Reassure 2 Titanium Plus - both at 10L cover. I can’t seem to find a meaningful flaw in either, making it hard to pick.

A few things I’m specifically seeking advice on -

1. I’m considering a deductible of 50k to reduce premiums. Does it work the same way in both plans?
2. Since I’m buying at 31 with no PEDs, waiting period is less of a concern for me. Does that affect how I evaluate both plans?
3. Most important perhaps - any real difference in cashless claims experience between HDFC Ergo and Niva Bupa in practice, especially in Bengaluru? I keep seeing complaints about TPAs being slow regardless of insurer.

P. s. I already have 10 lac cover from my employer

Hi everyone, I’m **M30 from Chennai**, working in corporate, and I need some genuine advice regarding **health insurance for my mother**.

About **11 months ago**, I purchased a **₹10 lakh policy from Star Health** for my mother (**56F**). Thankfully, she has been healthy so far. Recently, during a check-up, we found that she has an **endometrium thickness of 12 mm**. Since this condition likely existed before taking the policy, I understand it may be treated as a **pre-existing condition** and may not be claimable right now.

As a backup, I recently added my mother to my corporate insurance policy as well, mainly because claims there seem much smoother and cashless approvals are easier. I specifically enrolled her for this endometrium-related surgery, since it may not be claimable under my Star Health policy due to it being considered a pre-existing condition.

Now the confusing part:

While enquiring at the hospital, they told me that they generally don’t prefer **Star Health** because claim approvals are **not very reliable nowadays**. One staff member even said that for a surgery costing around **₹2 lakh**, sometimes only **₹80k gets approved** under Star Health. They also mentioned that some doctors hesitate to proceed when the insurance is Star Health due to approval issues.

They suggested insurers like **Aditya Birla** and **HDFC ERGO** instead (upon my request).

Later, I spoke with my insurance agent (who is experienced and has been handling policies for years). He said:

* I can **port the policy next year** while retaining continuity/seniority benefits.

* These kinds of **partial approvals can happen with any insurer** depending on hospital limits, package rates, and policy terms.

* The hospital I checked with is a **smaller hospital**, so I should also verify with **bigger reputed hospitals** before concluding that Star Health is bad overall.

## **Important Point**

**The hospital where I enquired is actually a smaller hospital where my consulting doctor practices.**

So now I’m confused.

People who have actually done claims for parents:

* Is this kind of issue **common across all insurance companies**?

* Is **Star Health** really problematic nowadays?

* Are **HDFC ERGO / Aditya Birla** genuinely better for claim settlement?

* Should I continue Star Health and rely on reputed hospitals instead?

* Which insurer has given you the **smoothest experience for parents/senior citizens**?

I genuinely don’t mind paying a **higher premium** if it means **fewer hassles during emergencies** in the future. My mother is healthy now, and I want to make the **right long-term decision** before any major health issue comes up.

Would really appreciate honest experiences and suggestions.

Thanks in advance.

I want to change my parents’ health insurance from Star Health to either HDFC Ergo or Aditya Birla Health Insurance. However, I am confused about the structure I should avail of.
Option 1: Buy a 15L cover for my parents (single policy) with a premium of 52k pa
Option 2: Buy (or Port existing 5L insurance) and purchase a 10L Super Topup, with a 5L deduction. This is going to cost me about 35-40k pa. Obviously, I will buy both from the same insurance company.

I understand that the second option is cheaper, but I'm not sure if there are some gaps.
Profile: 58M and 55F. Mother takes BP medicine—no history of hospitalisation for either.

I searched online for health insurance aggregators and found there are literally dozens of them. Some provide proper advisory services, while others mainly just offer a platform to compare policies and complete the purchase on your own.

So I’m planning to buy a policy through one that provides advisory support. Looking for recommendations on aggregators — mainly based on the following factors:

I. Pre-Sales

i. Reliable advice

Genuinely knowledgeable advisors/experts who can give unbiased suggestions and recommend the right policies tailored to your needs (not pushy salespeople with superficial knowledge who just try to sell whatever earns them the highest commission).

ii. Quality inventory (portfolio)

I’ve noticed some aggregators have tie-ups with only a few insurers or have very few plans to offer. Because of this restricted portfolio, their advisors may not actually suggest the most suitable policy.

iii. No spam calling

Some would just keep on calling repeatedly and pressurise you to complete the purchase ASAP. Really hate such cheap behavior.

II. Post-Sales

i. Support in claim processing

Insurance claim processes can be hectic and tiring, so smooth claim support is a big deal; ideally where the aggregator helps manage the process end-to-end.

BTW, here’s the list of insurance aggregators providing advisory services that I came across during my search:

🔸 Seem promising:

Ditto

Beshak

One Assure

Algates

Pillow Insurance 

CoverSure

-------------------------------

🔸 Don’t seem as promising:

Mahindra Insurance

Policy X

Policy Bazaar

ET Money

Insurance Dekho

Would really appreciate any personal experiences or suggestions.

Thanks in advance!

My age 26 single

Best mediclaim/insurance for me & my parents? And easy claim with good success rate of claim

parents age is 55+ & under 60

mom has sugar and diabetes

I already have insurance of me only not parants from my company which is 5 lakh

I need it specially for parents