Health insurance plans allow lifelong renewability. This means that you can enjoy the coverage for as long as you live. But does that mean that you need to stay with only one insurance company?
In reality, you don’t. The Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI) has introduced the concept of health insurance portability. Under this concept, you can switch between insurance companies and also between insurance plans. And that too, without losing on the continuity benefits!
So, switch between plans and retain the renewal benefits that your health insurance plan offers.
In simple terms, health insurance portability is the facility to change from one health insurance plan to another, either with the same insurance company or with another. You can port your health plan at the time of renewal. When you do so, you get to retain the renewal benefits that you would have availed yourself if you had stayed with the existing plan. These renewal benefits include –
● The no claim bonus that you would have earned for the last claim-free years (s)
● The reduction in the waiting period
You might choose to port your existing health insurance policy for various reasons. These reasons include the following –
HDFC ERGO can be the right insurance company to port your health insurance policy to. Here are some reasons why –
HDFC ERGO has a wide range of health insurance plans to choose from. From COVID cover to comprehensive indemnity and fixed benefit plans, you can find everything you are looking for under one roof.
HDFC ERGO is tied-up with more than 16,000 hospitals across India. This helps you locate a cashless hospital easily and get your claims settled on a cashless basis.
HDFC ERGO offers digitally-enabled services so that you can buy, renew and even make a claim on your policy online. Digital services allow convenience and simplicity.
HDFC ERGO enjoys the trust of more than 1.6 crore customers for its products and services.
The company believes in transparency with its customers. You get transparent products that cater to all your insurance needs. The pricing is also transparent so that you know what you are paying for.
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Coverage under HDFC ERGO health insurance plans depends on the type of policy that you buy. Usually, you get coverage for the following –
If you get hospitalized for 24 hours or more, you get covered for the hospital bills that you incur. These bills include room rent, nurses, surgeons, doctors, etc.
The medical expenses you incur before being hospitalized or after being discharged from the hospital are covered under the plan. Coverage is allowed for a specified number of days.
If you hire an ambulance to transport you to the hospital, the cost of such an ambulance would also be covered under HDFC ERGO health insurance plans.
Daycare treatments are those that do not require you to be hospitalized for 24 hours or more. Such treatments get completed within a few hours. HDFC ERGO health plans cover all daycare treatments.
Free preventive health check-ups are allowed under HDFC ERGO plans so that you can monitor and track your health regularly.
If you get hospitalized at home and are treated, the cost of such treatments would be covered under the policy.
The cost of harvesting an organ from a donor would be covered under HDFC ERGO health insurance plans.
Alternative forms of treatments are also covered under HDFC ERGO plans. You can avail of treatments through Ayurveda, Unani, Siddha, and Homeopathy forms of treatments.
HDFC ERGO health plans allow lifelong renewals so that you can enjoy uninterrupted coverage throughout your life.
Porting a health insurance plan is beneficial because of the following reasons –
If you find a better health plan offering wider coverage, porting would help you enjoy better coverage. You would be able to switch the plan and get financial security with an all-inclusive plan.
Portability can help you lower your health insurance premium. Different plans have different premium rates, and when you compare and find a better-priced plan which offers a better scope of coverage, you can port and save on the premium costs.
When you port to an insurance company that delivers excellent customer service, you can get better post-sale services and claim-related assistance in your health insurance plan.
The best part about portability is that you get to enjoy continuity benefits in the plan. Your coverage continues, and the waiting period is also reduced.
When you port, you get to retain your no-claim bonus. The bonus gets transferred to your new health insurance policy so that you can enjoy the benefit even in the new plan.
Switching your health insurance policy to HDFC ERGO is quite simple. Just inform us of your decision to port at least 45 days before the renewal date of your existing policy. Inform us, and that’s all! We would guide you and help you port and switch to HDFC ERGO to unlock the world of possibilities.
Intimate us at least 30 days prior to previous year policy expiry date, along with few details of expiring policy like Sum Insured, members covered, previous policy inception date etc.
We shall check your medical history and claim track to comprehend the risk.
In case your age is beyond the requisite age group for the policy of choice or you are declaring a pre existing disease, we may ask you to undergo a health check-up.
Once your portability request is approved your policy gets ported. And, you shall then be covered under HDFC ERGO Health Insurance.
You can port your existing sum insured to HDFC ERGO. What’s more, you can also choose a higher sum insured when you port to HDFC ERGO’s health insurance plans.
The no-claim bonus that you earned in the previous policy can also be ported to your HDFC ERGO health plan. This bonus can help you enjoy the benefit of not claiming your last policy.
Even the waiting period gets reduced when you port to HDFC ERGO. We deduct the years you have already waited out in your last policy so that you don’t repeat them with us.
Usually, portability does not require many documents as the process has gone online. However, you might have to submit the following types of documents to port the policy –
You have the following rights when you port your health insurance plan –
Here are some of the portability rules that you should know about –
Usually, HDFC ERGO does not deny health insurance portability requests. You can easily port your old plan to a new and comprehensive HDFC ERGO policy. However, in certain instances, we might deny your porting request. These instances include the following –
If you provide inadequate information
If you delay in making the porting request and your existing health plan has already been renewed
If you have made multiple claims on your existing policy in the past
If your last policy document is not available
If your age exceeds the maximum age limit allowed under the new plan that you request to port to
If your pre existing illness is not covered under our health insurance plan
If the answers to the questions asked while porting from family floater to individual plan, are unsatisfactory
If your policy has already expired
Here are some other aspects of health insurance portability that you should know more about –
Yes, you can transfer your health insurance policy to another company. This is called porting, and you would have to transfer your existing health plan to a new one offered by the other company that you choose to switch to.
There is no right time to port a health plan. You can port whenever you find a better policy that offers a better scope of coverage at a lower premium. However, remember that porting is allowed only at the time of renewal of the existing policy.
No, no additional premium is required to port your health insurance policy. However, the premium for the new policy might change depending on the premium that the new insurance company charges.
Yes, you can port your group health plan to an individual policy. This porting is allowed when you exit from the group and want to continue the coverage.
There is no fixed time. It depends on the insurers and how long they take to complete the porting process. Porting is usually done within a week or 10 days after you submit the request for the same.
Some insurance companies might allow the online facility for porting. You can, thus, port online. However, the insurance company might require you to submit some of your documents physically before the porting is complete.
You can apply for portability at the time of renewing your existing health insurance plan.
No, your waiting period would not be affected when you port. The period would be reduced by a year even when you switch to a new health insurance policy. However, if you choose to increase the sum insured when you port, the waiting period would apply from the start on the amount of sum insured that you increase.
No, you don’t lose on anything when you port. You can retain your renewal benefits and get better coverage, lower premiums, and better service when you switch to a better policy than your existing one.
Usually, porting is a simple and hassle-free process. However, depending on your age, the coverage is chosen, and your existing medical history, the insurance company might require you to undergo a pre-entrance health check-up before allowing you to port the policy. Moreover, in some cases, the insurer might deny the porting request.
Yes, the portability request can get rejected by the chosen insurance company. The reasons for this rejection might include any of the following –
● A bad medical history
● Inadequate information provided to the company
● Multiple claims in the last policy
● Porting request made after the renewal date
● Unavailability of your existing policy document
● Your age is higher than the maximum limit allowed in the new policy
● You do not complete the porting formalities correctly.
No, porting is allowed only at the time of renewing your existing policy. You need to initiate the process a minimum of 45 days before renewal.
No, porting is allowed only when your health insurance policy is due for renewal.
If your porting request gets rejected, you would have to stay with your existing insurance company. The rejection of the request can be for any of the following reasons –
● You do not give adequate information to the insurance company
● You make the porting request after the renewal date
● Your medical history is not favourable, and the insurer deems your health risk to be high
● You do not complete the porting formalities
● You do not provide the required documents
● You have made multiple claims in your past policy.
Yes, the age of the policyholder is an important criterion when porting a health insurance policy. Your age should be in the bracket allowed by the health insurance company. The porting request will be denied if your age exceeds the allowed limit.
Yes, you can buy a health plan from two different health insurance providers. However, in the new plan, you would have to face a fresh waiting period for pre-existing conditions, specified illnesses, and maternity (if included). So, check the coverage limitations when you choose to buy a new policy altogether.
People port their health insurance plan for any of these reasons –
To get a wider coverage
To reduce their premium outgo
To get better service from another insurance company
To get coverage that has lower restrictions
To enjoy a better and fast-tracked claim process.
Yes, you can change your plan with your current health insurance provider. However, if you buy the plan afresh, the waiting period will apply from the start. Moreover, you would lose your no-claim bonus too. Instead, you can port to another plan of the same insurer to retain the reduction in the waiting period and the no claim bonus too.
Your cumulative bonus would be transferred to your new health insurance plan. Moreover, you would also get credit for the waiting period that you have waited out in the last policy. The waiting period in the new policy would be reduced by the tenure of your existing policy.
No, there are no additional portability charges. Porting is free of cost.