Porting your health insurance policy cannot get simpler 22^nd February 2023

With age, one has to adapt to the evolving environment and take on complex roles as a contributor to the growth of society, the workplace, and the family. This additional responsibility within the settings of your home usually translates into the natural reversal of roles where you begin to take charge of duties that your parents once undertook. This includes financial responsibilities such as future-proofing wealth, preparing for contingencies, and planning for your future needs.

When considering ageing parents, one of the priorities to manage is their health and well-being. Despite carefully purchasing the best health insurance in India for parents, you may find yourself in a dilemma after a short while. As their immunity weakens, they may need coverage that may require additional premium payment or porting of the policy to reap better value from a different insurer provides. However, you do not wish to lose out on the NCB and the accumulated benefits of retaining the policy.

If you are in a situation where you wish to port your policy to avail the perks of the best health insurance in India for parents, here is a simplified guide.

1. Evaluate alternatives:
It is recommended to compare and evaluate the offerings of various insurance providers before purchasing any insurance product. The same applies to finding the best health insurance in India for parents. The digital presence of most major insurers makes it easy to compare different health insurance policies online. Ensure that you check their coverage, premiums, inclusions, and exclusions to find the most compatible policy that protects against contingencies and risks.

2. Written request submission:
Once you decide to port your policy, the immediate step is to inform your present insurer of your decision. Usually, it requires 45 days for the request to get approved. Therefore, you must send in the request for porting at least 45 days in advance from the date of policy renewal.

3. Intimate the new insurer:
Once you identify and contact a new insurer that offers the best health insurance in India for parents, you will receive a portability form that requires all the details of the policy you wish to port and a proposal form.

4. Sharing of policyholder information:
This step takes place between the old and new insurers. The new insurance company requests the medical details of the insured to assess the risk of insuring your parents. Any related documentation, like claim records and personal details, may also be shared. At the same time, this information is also shared with IRDAI.

5. Risk assessment:
Upon receiving the documents, the new insurer analyses your parents’ risk profile to determine the risk involved. An underwriter or actuary usually undertakes this task.

6. Policy underwriting:
If the risk assessment results in a favourable outcome, the insurer undertakes to cover your parents. This is usually informed to the policyholder within 15 days of submitting the portability form. In case of a delay in correspondence, you are assumed to be covered by the new insurer.

7. Policy comparison:
Once framed, the proposed policy is shared with the present insurer for comparison and evaluation. The current and new insurers are responsible for ensuring that the IRDAI-issued guidelines for porting are strictly followed. Upon successful assessment from both insurers, a portability certificate is issued. You must ensure that the proposed policy includes at least the same sum as the previous policy with all the accumulated benefits and coverages.

While porting does not allow a complete change in the policy, it enables minor modifications to alter the existing policy and make it the best health insurance in India for parents. The convenient procedure makes it easy to switch between insurance companies to derive better value, better customer service, and coverage, among other factors.

Click HERE to buy the best health insurance in India for parents.

Disclaimer: The information provided above is for illustrative purposes only. To get more details, please refer to policy wordings and prospectus before purchasing a policy.