Introduction
Before we start comparing these two policies we have to set out some ground rules.
Both products are marketed by different insurance companies. Arogya Premier is sold by SBI and Health Insurance Gold is sold by Zuno (erstwhile Edelweiss). So any meaningful comparison should include a comparison of the product alongside the insurers themselves.
Second, we know that both products have massive differences in their core structure. Arogya Premier is quite basic. It offers little protection and may not be entirely suitable if you are looking for robust protection. However, Health Insurance Gold is more comprehensive. It covers a lot more use cases and doesn’t have any egregious conditions. So fundamentally, they’re two very different products.
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 Arogya Premier. The product comes from SBI’s stable:
SBI General Insurance Company Limited is a joint venture between the State Bank of India and Insurance Australia Group (IAG). The firm, which was founded in 2008, offers insurance products in the areas of auto, travel, home, and health.
However considering they are a part of India’s largest government-owned banking firm, you can expect a bit of dilly-dallying during the claims process. And their claim settlement ratio of 97% isn’t something to boast of either.
Health Insurance Gold meanwhile comes from Zuno (erstwhile Edelweiss)’s stable:
Zuno (erstwhile Edelweiss) Health Insurance company was founded in 2017 when they were hived off the homegrown Edelweiss Financial Services Limited. The company provides an array of products across multiple categories and they boast a claim settlement ratio of almost 92% with more than 6,200 network hospitals.
The only problem is - They’re still trying to find a firm foothold in the market.
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Compare Insurances Insurance Parameters Recommended Not Recommended | ||
---|---|---|
Network hospitals | 6,000+ | 6,200+ |
Claim settlement ratio (avg. of last 3 years) | 97% | 92% |
Co-payment | No | 20% (if purchased after turning 61) |
Room rent | Any Room | Single Private room |
Disease sub-limit | Yes | No |
Pre existing diseases waiting | 4 years | 3 years |
Pre/Post hospitalization | 60/90 days | 60/90 days |
No claim bonus | 10% per year (up to 50%) | 50% per year (up to 100%) |
Domiciliary | ||
Ayush treatments | ||
Restoration benefit | 100% restoration (once for any illness) | 100% restoration (once for different illness) |
Health check-up | Once every 4 years | Once every year |
Maternity | Available (Available upto defined limits) | Available (up to ₹50,000 after 4 years) |
Out Patient Department | ||
Day care |
Feature Comparison
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, Arogya Premier doesn’t impose a co-payment clause whereas Health Insurance Gold requires you to co-pay a part of the bill 20% if you purchase after turning 61
Room rent
If the policy does impose room rent restrictions then the insurer may only let you stay in a room of a certain specification or impose a cap on the total room rent. If you were to breach either criterion then the insurance company may ask you to pay a portion of all the expenses you incurred while staying in the room. In this case, however, you can pick any room you want with Arogya Premier but Health Insurance Gold only lets you stay in a single private room. Nothing fancy.
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, Arogya Premier imposes disease-wise sub-limits on Modern treatments whereas Health Insurance Gold doesn’t impose a disease wise sub-limit.
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, Arogya Premier imposes a waiting period of 4 years on pre-existing diseases while Health Insurance Gold extends a waiting period of 3 years on existing conditions.
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, Arogya Premier covers expenses incurred 60 days before hospitalization and expenses incurred 90 days post-hospitalization. Meanwhile, Health Insurance Gold covers expenses incurred 60 days before hospitalization and expenses incurred 90 after hospitalization, although there may be different sub-limits
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, Arogya Premier offers a no-claim bonus of 10% whereas Health Insurance Gold offers a no-claim bonus of 50%. And the no-claim bonus may be capped at different levels too.
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, Arogya Premier offers domiciliary cover. And Health Insurance Gold also coves domiciliary expenses.
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, Arogya Premier covers Ayush procedures and Health Insurance Gold also extends coverage for Ayush treatments.
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, Arogya Premier offers maternity cover and Health Insurance Gold offers maternity cover too, although the sub-limits for normal delivery and C-section procedures may be different, including the waiting period.
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, neither Arogya Premier extends coverage for outpatient consultations, nor does Health Insurance Gold.
Final Conclusion
After considering all the features on hand, we believe that Arogya Premier is a better alternative to Health Insurance Gold for most use cases that we’ve evaluated so far.
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