Health insurance checklist for your parents
There’s a very specific kind of financial laziness we at Ditto Insurance often notice when it comes to parents’ health insurance. Most people assume things are sorted on this front. A policy exists somewhere, premiums are getting paid, and parents have been renewing it for years. So naturally, everything must be fine.
Except… many of these policies were bought in a completely different India.
Back then, a cover worth a few lakhs sounded respectable. Hospital costs were lower, and what seemed like adequate health insurance 10 or 15 years ago may no longer be enough today.
A surgery, a few nights in the ICU, or a major hospitalisation can burn through an old policy cover surprisingly quickly.
And the sum insured is only one thing you need to worry about.
An older policy may also have a co-pay clause that requires you to bear part of every hospital bill, room-rent limits that can lead to deductions, disease-wise sub-limits that cap payouts for specific treatments, or weak restoration benefits if the cover gets exhausted during the year.
These are exactly the kinds of details people often discover only when they need to make a claim.
The problem is that most of us don’t really review our parents’ health insurance unless something goes wrong.
So if there’s one financial task worth doing this year, it’s probably revisiting your parents’ health insurance before life forces the conversation on you.
Pull out the policy document and ask a simple question: Can this policy handle one major hospitalisation in a good hospital in your city without leaving you with a large bill to pay yourself?
To make this easier, we’ve put together a practical checklist covering what you should look at—from the sum insured, co-payments and room-rent limits to restoration benefits, waiting periods, network hospitals, premiums, and whether it makes sense to stay with the existing policy, supplement it, port it, or buy a fresh one.
The video below walks through the checklist step by step. Do check it out.
If you’d like personalised, honest advice for your parents’ health insurance, you can book a free call with our expert advisors.
I am going to port my policy in care health insurance’s care supreme direct plan with sum insured 15 lakh
I also add riders
1. Claim shield plus
2. Cumulative booster super
Is it good plan?
My father, 74, had Parkinson’s, diabetes, hypertension. My mother, 69, has cholesterol only. Please suggest me a policy for them.
Hi Nileshkumar. Given your parents’ ages and medical history, it would be difficult to recommend a policy just from these details. Your mother’s profile may be relatively easier to insure, while your father’s medical history could make underwriting more complex. The insurer may ask for medical tests and could offer different terms depending on the severity, treatment history, and current health status. There are good senior-friendly plans in the market, but the right option ultimately depends on their exact medical profile and underwriting outcome. We’d suggest speaking to a Ditto advisor for free who can understand their history in detail, shortlist realistic options, and help you avoid applying to insurers where rejection is more likely.
So far, what i understood is no insurance company is settling our claim amicably. They want to either reject our claim or withhold the same or partially settling our claim amount. I have come across with many articles published in the newspaper, either the insured will lodge a complaint or they go to consumer court for the claim. So, i decided not to take any policy even though if company performs well. The real issue is sales team information and settlement team information are totally different. Their aim is they want to sell their products wherein settlement team wants to reject the claim. Premium is abnormal for which we need to pay GST. Now, GST has been exempted but premium amount is getting adjusted according to GST. This is what happening.
You advice is helpful in making people aware. People should also look/investigate and ask the ratio to claim settlement of a company or policies before they decide to buy any specific for themselves or family members.
Hi Ravikumar.
This is a very valid concern, especially when you hear about difficult claim experiences after paying premiums for years. One important thing to remember is that claims are rarely as simple as looking at an insurer’s Claim Settlement Ratio. Room-rent limits, co-payments, waiting periods, exclusions, non-disclosures and disease-specific limits can all affect how much is eventually paid. This is why understanding the policy wording before buying is just as important as choosing the insurer. On GST, retail health insurance premiums have been exempt from GST since September 2025. However, insurers can still revise the underlying base premium because of age, medical inflation or product repricing. If you’re unsure whether health insurance is still worth buying, you can speak to a Ditto advisor. They can explain the trade-offs and also tell you what to realistically expect during claims.
Please name the best policy for a 66 year old woman with no major health issues except for sinus issues – please name the company too and name of policy that covers all that is mentioned in the video
Icici lombard – elevate Plan
Aditya Birla – Active One Max
Hi Samita.
At 66, even a relatively minor medical history can influence underwriting, so we would avoid calling any one policy the “best” without knowing the complete health profile. Plans such as HDFC ERGO Optima Secure, Care Supreme and Aditya Birla Activ One MAX are among the options we often evaluate, but whether they are suitable ultimately depends on the exact medical history, current treatment, underwriting terms, premium and city of residence. We’d recommend speaking to a Ditto advisor and sharing the complete medical history, including the sinus issue. They can compare the available options and explain any waiting periods or conditions before you decide.
It’s true or not good for renew
In india all health insurance companies are doing scams with customers
Hi Raj.
If you’re asking whether you should continue renewing your existing health insurance, in most cases it is better not to discontinue an old policy without reviewing it first. An older policy may already have completed some or all of its waiting periods, and that continuity can be valuable. At the same time, some older policies may have restrictions such as co-payments, room-rent limits or low coverage. If you share your existing policy with a Ditto advisor, they can help you check whether it is still suitable, whether you should supplement it with additional cover, or whether porting makes sense.
I have care insurance policy
Hi.
Care has several different health insurance products, so the exact plan name and policy version matter quite a bit. Rather than judging the policy only by the insurer, we would look at things such as your sum insured, room-rent restrictions, co-pay, waiting periods, disease-specific limits, restoration benefit and how long you have held the policy. If you share your policy document with a Ditto advisor, they can review it with you and point out any important limitations or gaps before you think about switching or upgrading.
Hi,
I wanted to check whether my current policy is good enough as per current world. Is there any hidden thing in policy. Also if i can add parents in this
Hi Jayesh.
Absolutely. Before changing anything, it would be worth reviewing your existing policy carefully. Some of the important clauses to check are the sum insured, room-rent restrictions, co-pay, disease-wise sub-limits, PED waiting period, specific-disease waiting periods, restoration benefit and network hospitals. You may be able to add parents to certain family policies, but that is not always the best structure. Older parents can significantly increase the premium and may also end up sharing the same coverage pool with younger family members. If you share your current policy with a Ditto advisor, they can review it and tell you whether keeping your parents separate would make more sense.
Always PED means they will reject or exclude no use to buy further
Hi Ram.
Not necessarily. Having a pre-existing disease does not automatically mean that health insurance will be rejected or that the condition will never be covered. Depending on the medical condition, severity and treatment history, an insurer may accept the application normally, impose a waiting period, charge a higher premium, offer certain conditions, exclude a specific condition or, in some cases, decline the application. This is also why applying randomly to multiple insurers may not be ideal. If you have a PED, you can speak to a Ditto advisor first. They can understand your medical history and help identify insurers that are more likely to consider your profile favourably.
Hai
sir/madam
My name is srinivas dharmala my age 33 years I’m not a married may be next year can plan what is the best health insurance please suggested to me
Thank you zerodha
Go with aditya birla Yuva Plan
You should go with Nivabupa health insurance policy
Hi Srinivas.
At 33, it can actually make sense to buy health insurance now rather than waiting until marriage. This lets you start serving the waiting periods earlier, and you can usually add your spouse later depending on the insurer and policy. You can consider comprehensive options such as HDFC ERGO Optima Secure and Care Supreme, though the right choice ultimately depends on your exact health profile, city, preferred hospitals, budget and coverage needs. Instead of choosing purely on premium or a “top plans” list, we’d suggest speaking to a Ditto advisor. They can understand your requirements and help you shortlist a suitable policy.
Hai
sir/madam
My name is srinivas dharmala my age 33 years I’m not a married may be next year can plan what is the best health insurance please suggested to me
I am disabled with hearing impairment. I preferred text on WhatsApp or email instead of calls as a part of accessibility. Let me know if you can help.
App ke sath jurne se mejhe keh fayda hoga
How many premium,I am interested
Premium too high
Not interested
if possiable call me on saturday after 4 pm