**Hospital Warned Me Against Star Health for My Mother’s Surgery Confused Whether to Port or Stay**
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.