A couple of months ago, I went to the insurance department of an eye hospital to apply for a cashless claim for my mother’s cataract surgery. I usually chat with hospital staff, particularly those responsible for claim processing. The conversation led to “Cashless Claim vs Reimbursement: Which is better?” I was surprised to note that…

Unlike life insurance, the policy number changes each time a health insurance is renewed. So, over a 25-30-year period, many changes in policy number formats can be expected as health insurers modify their product features, change their TPAs, etc. On top of this, if you have ported your policy once or twice (often from the…

A reader says, “I’ve been a reader of freefincal for the last few years, I really like your work. I have a generic question about health insurance for senior citizens, if you could write a post about it, it would be very helpful”. “My question is as follows – For senior citizens, if the premium…

After reading the details of our family’s health insurance policy – Why we purchased the United India Super Top Up Policy with 95 lakhs sum insured – a reader wanted to know, “if it makes sense for him to buy a 25 Lakh base health insurance policy?” We have a Rs. 25 lakh individual cover from…

My health insurance with United India usually gets renewed in September each year, a good month before the renewal date. This year, the agent asked me to wait until September 22nd, when the premium will be free of GST. I thought I would document the costs. I do not claim that my insurer is the best…

In response to our article –  How do I combine base and super top-up health insurance policies? – Two readers sent us identical stories on what our base policy and super top-up policy should have the same renewal date. Case 1:  Shared by Mr. Srinivasan Sundarajan. The person had a base (10L) and a super…

Super top-up health insurance is designed to cover medical expenses that exceed a certain limit the d. Given the continuous rise in medical costs and the complexity of medical tests and procedures today, having extensive medical insurance coverage is crucial. However, while purchasing super top-up insurance is necessary, buyers must be aware of an important…

A social media post last week had a striking banner: “From 1 July 2025, IRDAI allows health-insurance claims for hospital stays as short as two hours.”  SEBI RIA Abhishek Kumar explains what changed and what didn’t. About the author: Abhishek is part of a freefincal’s curated list of fee-only financial advisors and a fee-only India member. He can be…

A reader asks, “Would you please suggest how one can manage financially if one is not eligible for health insurance due to pre-existing diseases for younger folks? Medical expenses are an inevitability. How do we plan for that as best as we can?” Most private health insurers today are unlikely to accept the risk of…

Here is a list of steps to consider if your health insurance claim is rejected. For a rea-life experience see: How I used Bima Lokpal to contest my health insurance claim rejection and won 1. Do not let anger and emotions cloud your judgment.  Take some time to read and re-read the claim repudiation letter. Find…

In this article, we answer some questions on health insurance asked by listeners of the “Let’s Get Rich with Pattu” podcast. These are also FAQs that we receive from time to time from our readers. Q:  This concerns the medical Insurance episode on Let’s Get Rich with Pattu. I’m a private sector employee and have…

A reader asks, “I am 35 years old and presently have a Central Government Health Scheme (CGHS) cover for myself and my family (wife and daughter) on account of my Central Government job. Considering that the possibility of switching jobs is negligible and that CGHS can be extended to cover me and my wife post-retirement…

A reader wishes to know, “What is the ideal base health insurance plus super top-up combination?” If you are confused about which health insurance policy to buy, check out the free resources at the end of this article. There is no ideal base + super top-up combo. We will have to decide what is suitable…

A reader asks, “Can you please explain why health insurers suddenly hike premiums? I was shocked to see my premium increase by almost 50%. I thought premiums would increase only if we moved from one age band to another.” An insurance company makes money if its customers rarely make claims. Insurers will do everything in…