Old age brings with it deteriorating health, physical challenges and financial limitations. Hence it is essential to have adequate health insurance to take care of medical expenses in the ‘golden years’. Senior citizen health insurance plans offer a much-needed solution to our senior citizens or people aged 60 years or more. A health insurance cover to those over 65 years of age, these plans have come as a boon to a large percentage of India’s seniors.
With advancements in medical sciences, the average life expectancy in India has increased to over 70 years. But the retirement age has remained constant. Hence, as one gets older, there is less and less money available to take care of regular expenses. On top of it, medical costs are rising. So, if one falls ill, the family budget goes for a toss. If one has medical insurance for senior citizens, these expenses are taken care of.
Most insurance companies offer regular health insurance plans where parents can be covered. But these plans allow a maximum entry age of 65 years. However, health insurance for seniors allows entry age till almost 80 years. These plans offer special benefits and have exclusive features targeted solely at senior citizens. In India, there is a large population of senior citizens who are either not covered by any health insurance policy or are inadequately covered. Senior citizen health insurance is an answer to all these issues.
Click the link below, enter a few details & sail away with the most appropriate senior citizen health insurance policy.
Some common exclusions in medical insurance for senior citizens are:
Health Insurance Company |
Senior Citizen Health Insurance Plan Name |
Coverage |
Sum Insured Range (in Rs) |
Entry age range (years) |
Waiting Period |
||
HDFC Ergo Health |
Optima Senior |
Domiciliary, day care, hospitalisation, pre and post hospitalisation, ambulance, donor expenses, |
61 and above |
5 Lakh |
30 days for all, 3 years for pre-existing, 2 years for certain ailments |
||
Bajaj Allianz |
Silver Health |
Domiciliary, day care, hospitalisation, pre and post hospitalisation, ambulance, health check-ups |
46-70 |
50,000 – 5 Lakh |
30 days for all, 1 year for pre-existing and certain other ailments, 4 years for joint replacement |
||
Care |
Freedom |
Domiciliary, day care, hospitalisation, pre and post hospitalisation, ambulance, health check-ups, companion benefit, dialysis |
46 and above |
3 – 10 Lakh |
30 days for all, 2 years for pre-existing and certain other ailments |
||
Star Health |
Senior Citizens Red Carpet |
Hospitalisation, pre and post hospitalisation, ambulance, specific day care, |
60-75 |
1 – 10 Lakh |
30 days for all, 1 year for pre-existing, 2 years for certain other ailments, 4 years for joint replacement |
||
Tata AIG |
Medisenior |
Domiciliary, day care, hospitalisation, pre and post hospitalisation, ambulance, health check-ups, organ donor |
61 and above |
2 – 5 Lakh |
30 days for all, 2 years for certain other ailments, 4 years for pre-existing |
||
New India Assurance |
Senior citizen Mediclaim |
Domiciliary, day care, hospitalisation, pre and post hospitalisation, ambulance, AYUSH, health check-ups, organ donor |
60-80 |
1 – 1.5 Lakh |
30 days for all, 1.5/4 years for certain other ailments, 4 years for pre-existing |
||
Oriental Insurance |
HOPE |
Hospitalisation, pre and post hospitalisation, ambulance, domiciliary, day care, health check-ups |
60 and above |
1 – 5 Lakh |
30 days for all, 2 years for pre-existing and certain other ailments |
||
National insurance |
Varishtha Mediclaim |
Hospitalisation, pre and post hospitalisation, ambulance, domiciliary, day care, health check-ups, organ donor |
60-80 |
1 – 2 Lakh |
30 days for all, 1 year for pre-existing and certain ailments |
The above-mentioned are the best senior citizen health insurance policies. You can pick any policy based on your coverage needs from the list of plans offered. The features and benefits of these health insurance plans for senior citizens are as follows –
HDFC Ergo Health Optima Senior
This is a senior citizen mediclaim policy which is offered on an individual basis. The plan has the following salient features –
Bajaj Allianz Silver Health
Bajaj Allianz’s Silver Health is also a senior citizen mediclaim policy which is offered on an individual sum insured basis. The plan comes with a term of one year and can be renewed lifelong. Here are the salient features of the plan –
Care Freedom
This senior citizen mediclaim policy is offered without the need of any pre-entrance health check-ups and covers individuals aged 46 years and above. Some of the notable features of the policy are as follows –
Star Health Senior Citizens Red Carpet
Star Health offers some of the best health insurance plans in the market. Red Carpet is a plan for older individuals which has the following benefits –
TATA AIG Medisenior
This is a senior citizen mediclaim policy which can be taken either on an individual sum insured basis or on a family floater basis. The features of the plan are as follows –
New India Assurance Senior Citizen Mediclaim
New India is a public sector general insurance company which offers different insurance solutions for your needs. Its senior citizen mediclaim policy has the following set of benefits available for policyholders –
Oriental Insurance HOPE
Oriental Insurance offers Health of Privileged Elders (HOPE) as a senior citizen mediclaim policy meant for covering individuals aged 60 years and above. The policy does not have a maximum entry age and the following salient features –
National Insurance Varishtha Mediclaim
National Insurance is a leading public sector insurer which is trusted by many. Its senior citizen mediclaim policy, Varishtha Mediclaim allows the following benefits to senior citizens –
Premium paid for senior citizen health insurance is eligible for benefits under section 80D of Income Tax, up to a maximum of Rs 30,000 per year. There is also an additional rebate of Rs 5,000 for preventive health check-up each year.
Also, know everything about critical illness insurance
There are many plans of medical insurance for senior citizens in the market. So how do you choose the best senior citizen health insurance plan? Here are a few checkpoints to make it easy for you.
Compare all available plans of medical insurance for senior citizens for these criteria before deciding. Or just come to Turtlemint. We make it quick, easy and convenient for you.
Lastly, read the fine print. Make use of the free look period. And clarify all doubts, no matter how small.
Things to keep in mind before buying health insurance for your parents if they are 60+
If you are buying a health insurance plan for senior citizens aged more than 60 years, you should consider certain factors. You should ensure that the sum insured under the plan is optimal to cover the expensive medical treatments which might incur in a medical emergency. Moreover, ensure coverage for both your parents as either one of them can need medical assistance due to failing health. The pre-existing waiting period of plans should be checked and if your parents have any pre-existing condition choose a plan which has the lowest waiting period so that they can enjoy coverage sooner. Lastly, ensure that the premiums are affordable so that your parents can enjoy lifelong coverage without worrying about the expensive premium payments.
For more tips when buying health insurance plans for senior citizens, refer to this link
How to claim health insurance for senior citizens?
There is a claim process which you need to follow if you suffer a claim in health insurance plans for senior citizens. This process is as follows –
Will Coronavirus health insurance be provided for senior citizens?
Health insurance plans for senior citizens do cover COVID related hospitalisations if the insured suffers from COVID. The costs incurred on an inpatient basis would be covered by the plan. However, the cost of consumables would not be covered which would be considerable in COVID cases. These costs include costs incurred on PPE kits, face masks, gloves, sanitizers, etc. Moreover, if you are suffering from COVID and you buy a health insurance plan for senior citizens, the illness would be considered a pre-existing condition and would not be covered during the pre-existing waiting period. So, you can opt for alternative COVID specific health insurance plans too to avail complete coverage against COVID related hospitalisations.
For more information on COVID health insurance plans, you can refer to this link (interlinking with COVID health insurance article)
In the twilight years of life, it is extremely important to opt for a health insurance plan that will take care of all your medical needs. Turtlemint helps you do this quickly, simply and conveniently.
Know how to renew your health insurance policy online
You can buy senior citizen’s health insurance online or offline. For offline purchases, you can go to a bank or an insurance company’s branch office near you. For online, you can either directly go to the company’s website or go to an insurance aggregator’s website (like Turtlemint), compare the different available products and make the best choice.
Senior Citizen’s Health Insurance policy can be renewed either online and offline. Online is faster and easier.
You need to be above 60 years of age to buy Senior Citizen’s plan.
The maximum age for renewal varies with the insurance companies. It varies between 69-90 for most companies. A few companies have no upper age limit.
You are eligible for a tax exemption of up to Rs 30,000 under section 80D of Income Tax Act. You can also avail additional exemption of Rs 5000 for annual health check-ups.
Insurance companies tie up with hospitals to provide cashless hospitalization to people who have bought policies from them. These hospitals are called network hospitals.
Pre-existing diseases are the chronic diseases that you have before buying a health insurance policy.
As per Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI), people over 60 can purchase a new senior citizen’s health insurance policy. If any company rejects a proposal, it has to give the reason in writing. Renewal proposals also cannot be rejected without a valid reason. Half of the medical investigation costs before buying a policy also has to be paid by the insurance company.
Once you buy a policy, there is a certain period before which you can’t make any claims. This is called the waiting period. However, in case of accidents you can make a claim within the waiting period.
The free-look period is the period immediately after buying a health insurance policy. During this time, you can return the policy and get a refund. Generally, this is around 15 days for most companies.
Most insurers insist on a co-payment for senior citizen’s health insurance policies. This is a percentage of the total treatment cost and the policy holder has to pay this amount.
There are a range of health insurance plans for senior citizens. You can choose the best policy by comparing the available plans on their coverage benefits and premium rates. The best medical insurance for senior citizens would be a policy which allows a high level of sum insured, comprehensive coverage benefits, low co-payment ratio, low waiting period for pre-existing illnesses, ease of cashless claim settlements and an affordable rate of premium.
Free health insurance check-ups are allowed in almost all health insurance plans. However, the period after which such check-ups are allowed varies. Some companies allow free health check-ups annually while others allow check-ups once after 2-4 policy years. So, check the frequency of free health check-ups allowed by the company when buying the health insurance plan.
Yes, all insurance companies offer cashless hospitalisation provided you seek treatment at a hospital which is networked with the insurance company.
Under a senior citizen mediclaim policy senior citizens can avail coverage specific to their needs. For instance, most health insurance plans for senior citizens provide coverage for cataract, knee replacement surgeries, pre-existing medical illnesses, etc.
Senior citizen health insurance plans are the best health insurance plans for individuals over 65 years of age. Some of the best senior citizen mediclaim policies include Star Health’s Red Carpet Senior Citizen Plan, Oriental Insurance’s HOPE, Care’s Freedom Plan, HDFC Ergo Health’s Optima Senior and National Insurance Varishtha Mediclaim among others.
The average cost of a senior citizen mediclaim policy depends on your age, sum insured chosen, medical conditions of the insured and the insurance company offering the policy. The average premium might start at INR 10, 000 and go up to INR 40, 000 and above depending on the age and the sum insured selected.