Insurance guides
The things that decide whether a claim gets paid — written against the policy wording.
7 guides, each one about a specific way cover fails in practice rather than a general introduction to insurance. Every claim in them is sourced, and the sources are listed at the foot of each page.
How to fill a health insurance proposal form without wrecking your claim
Declare every condition, consultation and prescription from the insurer's look-back window, even ones you consider trivial or long resolved. A declared condition usually means a waiting period or a loading you can see. An undeclared one gives the insurer grounds to decline a claim years later, when you need it.
Your employer's health cover ends the day you leave
Employer group cover ends with the employment, does not follow you to the next job and is gone during a notice-period gap. Buy an individual policy while you still hold the group one, and ask about migration so the waiting periods you have already served still count.
Cashless or reimbursement — what to do at admission
Intimate the insurer first — commonly within 24 hours of an emergency admission and 48 to 72 hours before a planned one — because missing that window gives grounds to question a claim that was otherwise fully covered. Cashless needs a network hospital; outside it you pay and claim back.
What a claim settlement ratio does and does not tell you
A settlement ratio is the share of claims an insurer paid across a whole year. It says nothing about how long a claim took, how hard it was to get paid, or how big the book was. Read it beside complaint volume and book size, or it will point you at the wrong company.
Super top-up or just buy more cover?
A super top-up is cheaper than the same cover bought outright because you accept a deductible — a first slice you cover yourself every year. It only works if something actually funds that slice, and the aggregate wording is what makes it worth having over a plain top-up.
Why a room rent limit costs far more than the room
In hospitals that price by room category, exceeding your room rent limit can cut what the insurer pays on the surgeon, anaesthetist and ICU too, not just the bed. A policy with no room rent limit is worth materially more than the premium difference usually suggests.
Waiting periods — what your policy covers, and when
Accidents are covered from day one. Most illness waits 30 days. A named list of conditions typically waits two years, and pre-existing conditions three. Those years pass whether or not you hold a policy, which is the whole argument for buying before you need it.
Also useful
Disclaimer: Figures shown here are compiled from IRDAI annual reports and public grievance disclosures, and from insurer public disclosures and policy wordings. Claim settlement ratios and complaint volumes are three-year averages for FY 2024–26. Premiums are indicative illustrations for the stated profile, not quotes — your actual premium depends on your age, health, city, habits and underwriting. Scores are Myinsurancebro's own assessment. Always read the official policy document and speak to an advisor before buying. Myinsurancebro is an IRDAI-licensed insurance advisor — we do not manufacture or underwrite any insurance product.