Health insurance policies have become financial and medical necessities. Much of this popularity can be attributed to growing medical inflation, which has become a great concern considering the rising cost of healthcare services. Now, while this popularity has brought several new health insurer players into the industry, it has also led to great confusion among potential policyholders. The marketing gimmicks of a more-than-perfect Claim Settlement Ratio (CSR) or hassle-free claim settlement process are major hurdles when choosing a health insurance provider. Health insurance providers should ..read more

Life insurance policies have always been a popular financial choice, considering how they financially safeguard a family’s future in the unfortunate event of an individual’s absence. Subsequently, a few insurers gained an evergreen name in the industry, and SBI Life Insurance is one of them. While the provider is mostly famed for its brand equity, its years of experience in the industry are attributed to its long queue of products that are meant to cater to the diverse financial requirements of potential policyholders. From protection plans, saving plans, child plans, retirement plans, money ..read more

Health insurance plans have become popular over the last few years due to increased lifestyle ailments, the pandemic, and escalating medical inflation. As the demand for health insurance policies grew, so did the number of new health insurance providers. While a few new health insurers surfaced and came to the limelight, a few evergreen top-notch providers held their own. Established in 2001, Bajaj Allianz Health Insurance is one such provider with a strong client base due to its diverse insurance product portfolio and brand name.  Health insurance policies from this insurer come with a ..read more

Regarding insurers like SBI General, its brand equity extends a certain popularity across the market, irrespective of the quality of products it hosts. Unfortunately, SBI’s health insurance products have failed to stand up to the top-notch policies across the industry. Additionally, SBI’s government-owned status has led to issues across its overall operational efficiency, and its policies are neither comprehensive nor affordable. However, SBI’s brand equity has earned it a solid client base, and a few brand loyalists still prefer plans from this stable. Considering its extensive insurance tra ..read more

When seeking a health insurance policy, you often seek health insurance providers with an extensive track record. We often assume that an insurer who has been in the insurance industry for a long time and holds a market reputation for being credible is an ideal health insurance provider. Star Health Insurance checks both these boxes - the insurer commenced its operations in 2006 as one of the first private standalone health insurers in India and, by word-of-mouth, once held a monopoly in the health insurance industry. Unfortunately, contrary to popular assumptions, a long-standing insurer wit ..read more

Over the past couple of decades, there has been an increased awareness of healthcare services. From healthy eating habits to the practice of stay-fit activities - everything is “in trend”. Unfortunately, while such practices may put you on the track to staying healthy, you can't always avoid certain lifestyle ailments or the sudden outbreak of pandemics like COVID-19. Additionally, there is the issue of rising medical inflation. All of these combined have given rise to several health insurance providers and innovative health insurance plans. As potential policyholders seeking a value-worthy p ..read more

India's largest public sector insurer (non-life), New India Assurance Co. Ltd., was founded in 1919. Due to its extensive insurance track record, the insurer offers a wide range of financial products. However, its policies are far from comprehensive in terms of health insurance. They might be affordable and have a few value-worthy features. Still, multiple restrictions, sub-limits, and clauses make these health insurance policies a less preferable option for policyholders. Additionally, considering the increased demand and purchase of health insurance plans online and the share of policyholde ..read more

ICICI Lombard, founded in 2001, is a joint venture between ICICI Bank and Fairfax Holdings and is considered one of the largest general insurance companies across the country. This general insurer has many financial products that can be regarded as comprehensive. However, when it comes to health insurance plans from ICICI Lombard, the policies are mostly a bit expensive and, hence, not so popular, despite its recently launched “Anywhere Cashless” perk, wherein policyholders can avail of the cashless claim settlement even at non-network hospitals (with specific terms and conditions). The issue ..read more

National Insurance Company Limited (NICL), an age-old insurance company founded in 1906, is one of the household names in the insurance sector. Now, it’s true that this popularity can be attributed to its affordability and diverse range of financial products portfolio. However, regarding health insurance, the insurer is falling behind, considering its issues across overall operational efficiency. Being a public company, reaching out to insurers, getting optimum support for claims or queries, etc., is truly a hassle. Hence, despite having a few affordable, comprehensive health insurance plans ..read more

A subsidiary of the Sundaram Finance Group, the Royal Sundaram General Insurance Co. Ltd. (formerly Royal Sundaram Alliance Insurance Co Ltd) was India's first private general insurance company. While the insurer lacks the brand equity that brands like ICICI, HDFC, Caree, and Star hold, Royal Sundaram has an excellent lineup of comprehensive and feature-rich insurance products. Royal Sundaram is also doing well as a health insurer, considering its great Claim Settlement Ratio and Incurred Claim Ratio, a great network of partner hospitals, and more. On the other hand, what’s a bit concerning i ..read more