Health Insurance Cover Estimator — Indicative Need by Profile (India 2026)

There is no single number that applies to everyone. As a starting point: ₹5 lakh for individuals in smaller towns, ₹7 lakh for Tier 2 cities, and ₹10 lakh for metros — adjusted upward if you are over 35 or have a family. These are indicative benchmarks based on hospitalisation cost patterns, not IRDAI prescriptions. A single serious illness (cardiac surgery, cancer treatment) can easily exhaust ₹3–5 lakh of cover in a metro hospital.

A super top-up is a secondary health policy that activates once your total medical expenses in a policy year exceed a pre-set deductible. For example, if you have a ₹10 lakh base policy and a ₹25 lakh super top-up with a ₹10 lakh deductible, a ₹22 lakh hospital bill would be covered as follows: ₹10 lakh from the base policy, ₹12 lakh from the super top-up — you pay nothing. The premium for the super top-up is much lower than for an equivalent standalone policy because the insurer only bears the excess beyond your deductible.

Yes, for now — but it should not be your only cover. Employer group insurance ends when your employment ends, and any fresh policy you buy after that will carry fresh waiting periods at your then-current age. Maintaining a personal policy alongside your employer cover ensures continuity, allows you to accumulate No Claim Bonus, and gives you portability when you change jobs. Treat employer cover as a supplement, not a substitute.

Under IRDAI's Master Circular on Health Insurance issued in May 2024, for policies issued on or after October 1, 2024, the maximum waiting period for pre-existing diseases is capped at 36 months (3 years). After this period, the insurer cannot deny claims for conditions that were disclosed at the time of policy purchase. Before these guidelines, 48-month waiting periods were common.

Yes. IRDAI's portability guidelines give you the right to port your health insurance to any registered insurer at renewal. The receiving insurer must grant you waiting period credit for the years your previous policy was in force. So if you have had 3 continuous years of coverage, a maximum 36-month PED waiting period is already exhausted and the new insurer cannot impose a fresh wait. Apply for portability at least 45 days before your renewal date.