Star Health Forum

Premium loading in health insurance refers to the extra charge levied on people with risk factors such as pre-existing conditions, unhealthy lifestyles, or unfavourable medical histories.

It covers the expenses incurred by an insured individual who is prone to medical emergencies,...

PPN stands for Preferred Provider Network. It is a special group of hospitals selected by health insurance companies where certain treatments have standardized and pre-fixed rates. This means the cost of surgeries or medical procedures is already decided between the...

An optional safeguard, also called an add-on or rider, is an extra feature you can buy along with your main health insurance plan. These are not included by default, but you can add them by paying a little extra. This...

Open enrolment is a set time every year when you can buy a new health insurance policy, renew your current one, or make changes to your coverage. You do not need any special reason to do this during open enrolment....

A National Health Policy is a plan made by the government to make sure everyone in the country gets good healthcare. It sets out what is most important for the nation’s health, what goals to reach, and how to organise...

ICR, or Incurred Claim Ratio, simply tells you how much of the money collected by the insurance company as premiums is actually being paid out for claims.

This is always shown as a percentage.

How does it work?

The formula is very simple:

ICR...

GST on health insurance refers to a tax charged on the premium paid for health insurance policies in India. Earlier, health insurance premiums were subject to an 18% GST, which was applied on the premium amount paid to the health...

Critical illness insurance is a type of health insurance policy that provides coverage for critical illnesses or life-threatening diseases, such as cancer, heart attack, stroke, kidney failure, paralysis, etc. It provides a lump sum payout if you are diagnosed with...

When you buy a health insurance policy, you want to feel confident that your insurer will actually pay your claim when you need it. This is where CSR, or Claim Settlement Ratio, comes in. It is one of the simplest...

It is always stressful when you get admitted to a hospital. You have to take care of your health, talk to the doctor, and also handle all the paperwork at the same time. This is where a health insurance e-card...