Health Insurance
for Every Indian Family

Health insurance (also called medical insurance or mediclaim) pays for your hospitalisation, surgery, and medical expenses in exchange for an annual premium. In India, a single critical illness can cost ₹5–25 lakh at a private hospital. Health insurance protects your savings, ensures access to quality treatment without financial stress, and also provides Section 80D income tax deductions of up to ₹25,000/year (₹50,000 for senior citizens).

When you compare health insurance plans, look beyond just the premium. Key factors: sum insured (₹5–10 lakh minimum for metros), waiting period for pre-existing diseases (shorter is better), network hospitals near you for cashless health insurance, room rent limits (avoid sub-limits), restoration benefit in health insurance, no claim bonus health insurance, consumables cover in health insurance, and whether the plan includes mental health cover, AYUSH treatment, and OPD. TropoGo lets you compare all these factors side by side from leading insurers.

Individual health insurance covers one person with a dedicated sum insured. A family floater plan covers the entire family under one shared sum insured — typically more economical for young families. The risk with floaters: if one member exhausts the sum insured, others in the family have less cover for that year. For families with senior parents, separate senior citizen health insurance is recommended as adding senior parents to a floater significantly increases the premium and overall risk.

Cashless health insurance means the insurer settles the hospital bill directly with the network hospital — you don’t need to pay out of pocket at the time of treatment. To use cashless: get admitted to a network hospital, submit your health insurance card and pre-authorisation form at the TPA desk, and the insurer approves the treatment cost. You only pay for excluded items. Use “cashless health insurance near me” or check network hospitals for Bajaj General Insurance, Star Health, Niva Bupa etc. on TropoGo.

The best senior citizen health insurance plans in India for 2025–26 include Star Health Senior Citizens Red Carpet, Niva Bupa Senior First, Care Health Senior, and HDFC ERGO Optima Senior. Key features to look for: no pre-policy medical check-up (or minimal tests), shorter PED waiting period, no co-payment or low co-pay (10–20%), coverage for existing conditions after waiting period, and high network hospital coverage. Mediclaim for senior citizens typically costs ₹25,000–₹60,000/year for ₹5 lakh cover at age 65.

Zero waiting period health insurance covers pre-existing diseases from day one, unlike standard plans that have a 2–4 year PED waiting period. These plans are available at a higher premium and are particularly useful for individuals with existing conditions who need immediate coverage. Some group health insurance policies through employers also offer zero waiting period coverage. TropoGo can help you find zero waiting period options from empanelled insurers.

Restoration benefit in health insurance automatically reinstates the sum insured once it is fully exhausted during the policy year — either for a different illness (basic restoration) or even for the same illness (unlimited restoration in some plans). For example: if your ₹5 lakh sum insured is used for a cardiac surgery and later in the year you need hospitalisation for an unrelated condition, the restoration benefit gives you back the ₹5 lakh cover. This feature is essential for families.

The Ayushman Card (AB PM-JAY) provides ₹5 lakh health cover per family per year to India’s bottom 40% population — approximately 55 crore beneficiaries. Check Ayushman Card eligibility at beneficiary.nha.gov.in using your Aadhaar, ration card, or mobile number. Find the PM-JAY hospital list near you on the NHA portal or the Ayushman Bharat app. If you are not eligible for PM-JAY, TropoGo helps you find the most affordable health insurance plans available from private insurers.