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Introduction

Before we start comparing these two policies we have to set out some ground rules.

Both products are marketed by different insurance companies. Medi Classic is sold by Star Health and Premier Mediclaim Plan is sold by New India Assurance. So any meaningful comparison should include a comparison of the product alongside the insurers themselves.

Second, we know that both products are quite basic in their structure. They offer modest protection and aren’t comprehensive enough to cover a wide array of use cases. So if you are looking for something more robust, then both these policies may not cut it.

And finally, any comparison is ultimately futile without considering the use case. Who are you buying this policy for? You, your family, your parents?

That’s something you’ll need to answer before using this guide. So with that introduction out of the way, we can get to comparing the actual policies themselves.


Let’s start with Medi Classic. The product comes from Star Health’s stable:

Star Health Insurance is India's first standalone health insurance firm. And with an army of retail advisors pushing their products across the country, they’ve managed to capture a fair share of the Indian market.

The company also boasts a network of over 14,000+ hospitals and a decent claim settlement ratio of 83%.


Premier Mediclaim Plan meanwhile comes from New India Assurance’s stable:

New India Assurance, is a government-owned insurance firm that was established in 1919. Their insurance portfolio includes Health, Motor, Travel, and Marine products. But despite being in the business for so long, they’re not the most efficient when it comes to processing your application and dealing with your claims.

And that means, even with a relatively high claim settlement ratio and 3,139 network hospitals, the company isn’t exactly a stellar performer.

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Insurance Parameters

Recommended
Not Recommended
Network hospitals
14,000+
3,139
Claim settlement ratio

(avg. of last 3 years)

83%
99%
Co-payment

10%

(if purchased after turning 61)

No

Room rent

Any Room

(max ₹5,000)

Any Room

Disease sub-limit

Yes

No

Pre existing diseases waiting

4 years

3 years

Pre/Post hospitalization

30/60 days

60/90 days

No claim bonus

5% per year

(up to 25%)

Domiciliary
Ayush treatments
Restoration benefit

200% restoration

(once for different illness)

Health check-up
Once every 4 years
Maternity

Available

(up to ₹50,000 after 3 years)

Out Patient Department

Up to ₹5,000

(Annually)

Day care

Feature Comparison

coPay

Co payment

With a co-payment clause, the insurer will mandate that you pay a part of the bill. So if the bill adds up to Rs. 2,00,000 and the co-payment is set at 20% then you could be asked to pay Rs. 40,000 from the bill. In this case, however, Medi Classic requires you to co-pay a part of the bill 10% if you purchase after turning 61 whereas Premier Mediclaim Plan doesn’t impose a co-payment clause

diseaseSublimit

Sub limits

Some policies will tell you that they will cover all medical expenses up until the sum insured, but then impose caps on the total costs you can incur while dealing with a very specific list of diseases. We call these caps “Disease Wise Sub Limits.” In this case, Medi Classic imposes disease-wise sub-limits on null whereas Premier Mediclaim Plan doesn’t impose a disease wise sub-limit.

ped

Waiting periods for pre-existing diseases

If you’re suffering from a lifestyle condition or if you’ve had surgery in the past, or if you’re dealing with an acute or chronic illness at the time of buying the policy, then the insurer may classify this as a pre-existing disease. And they may tell you that they will only cover these illnesses after some time. In this case, Medi Classic imposes a waiting period of 4 years on pre-existing diseases while Premier Mediclaim Plan extends a waiting period of 3 years on existing conditions.

prePost

Pre and post Hospitalization expenses

Most people aren’t hospitalized right off the bat. Instead, they’ll have to go through a whole series of diagnostic tests before hospitalization and take medication post-discharge. These costs are outlined as pre-hospitalization expenses and post-hospitalization expenses respectively. In this case, Medi Classic covers expenses incurred 30 days before hospitalization and expenses incurred 60 days post-hospitalization. Meanwhile, Premier Mediclaim Plan covers expenses incurred 60 days before hospitalization and expenses incurred 90 after hospitalization, although there may be different sub-limits

ncb

No claim bonus

Some policies will tell you that they will incentivize you for not making a claim in any given year. And they offer such incentives by offering extra cover on top of the existing sum insured. This extra cover is categorized as a no-claim bonus. In this case, however, Medi Classic offers a no-claim bonus whereas Premier Mediclaim Plan doesn’t offer a no-claim bonus.

domiciliary

Domiciliary

Imagine you are forced to treat yourself at home because you don’t find a hospital bed, or you have a chronic condition that prevents you from visiting one, then, insurers may choose to cover your treatment even if you’re hospitalized at home. And such costs are collectively categorized as domiciliary treatment costs. In this case, however, neither Medi Classic offers domiciliary cover nor does Premier Mediclaim Plan

ayush

Ayush treatments

Most policies only cover treatments administered in a registered medical facility. However, on some occasions, you may want to pursue alternative treatments including homoeopathy, Ayurveda, Unani and Siddha. These treatments are collectively categorized as Ayush treatments. And in this case, Medi Classic covers Ayush procedures and Premier Mediclaim Plan also extends coverage for Ayush treatments.

maternity

Maternity benefits

If you’re hospitalized during childbirth, then you may have to incur significant costs during delivery of your newborn, child care and other related matters during the course of the hospitalization. These costs are collectively termed maternity costs. And in this case, however, Medi Classic doesn’t offer protection for maternity-related hospitalizations whereas Premier Mediclaim Plan offers maternity cover.

opd

Out Patient Department (OPD)

Doctor visits and regular consultations aren’t usually covered by health insurance policies. They are categorized as Outpatient consultations (or OPD treatments) and patients have to bear the cost on their own. In this case, however, Medi Classic doesn’t offer OPD protection whereas Premier Mediclaim Plan offers OPD cover.

Final Conclusion

After considering all the features on hand and the claim settlement ratio of New India Assurance, we believe that Premier Mediclaim Plan is a better alternative to Medi Classic for most use cases that we’ve evaluated so far.

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