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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. Digit Insurance Comfort Option is sold by Digit and Lifeline Elite is sold by Royal Sundaram. So any meaningful comparison should include a comparison of the product alongside the insurers themselves.

Second, we know that both products have subtle differences in their core structure. Digit Insurance Comfort Option is reasonably comprehensive. Sure, it doesn’t have all the bells and whistles, but it also doesn’t impose any mindless restrictions. Lifeline Elite, meanwhile, is a relatively expensive premium policy tailored to cover as many use cases as possible. So while the differences in features may be subtle, the pricing could be drastically different depending on the cover amount you pick.

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 Digit Insurance Comfort Option. The product comes from Digit’s stable:

Digit Insurance is a 4-year-old InsurTech start-up financed by the Fairfax Group, a prominent Financial Services company. And despite not having the most extensive track record, they have managed to market products that are truly affordable.

They also have a claim settlement ratio of 97% alongside 16,400+ network hospitals and they are brimming with potential.


Lifeline Elite meanwhile comes from Royal Sundaram’s stable:

Founded in 2001, Royal Sundaram Alliance Insurance Company Limited was India's maiden private sector general insurance company. The insurer is a forerunner in the bancassurance department, extending deep ties with reputable banks and Non-Banking Finance Companies across the country.

They also have a claim settlement ratio of 94% and 10,000+ network hospitals dotted across the country.

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Insurance Parameters

Recommended
Not Recommended
Network hospitals
16,400+
10,000+
Claim settlement ratio

(avg. of last 3 years)

97%
94%
Co-payment

No

No

Room rent

Any Room

Any Room

Disease sub-limit

No

No

Pre existing diseases waiting

4 years

2 years

Pre/Post hospitalization

60/90 days

60/180 days

No claim bonus

50% per year

(up to 100%)

20% per year

(up to 100%)

Domiciliary
Ayush treatments
Restoration benefit

100% restoration

(once for different illness)

100% restoration

(once for different illness)

Health check-up
Once every year
Once every year
Maternity

Available

(up to ₹2,00,000 after 3 years)

Out Patient Department

Up to ₹10,000

(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, Digit Insurance Comfort Option doesn’t impose a co-payment clause. And neither does Lifeline Elite.

roomRent

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, Digit Insurance Comfort Option doesn’t impose any restrictions on the kind of room you can pick. And Lifeline Elite also doesn’t impose any restrictions on this front. You can pick any room you want.

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, neither Digit Insurance Comfort Option imposes disease-wise sub-limits nor does Lifeline Elite

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, Digit Insurance Comfort Option imposes a waiting period of 4 years on pre-existing diseases while Lifeline Elite extends a waiting period of 2 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, Digit Insurance Comfort Option covers expenses incurred 60 days before hospitalization and expenses incurred 90 days post-hospitalization. Meanwhile, Lifeline Elite covers expenses incurred 60 days before hospitalization and expenses incurred 180 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, Digit Insurance Comfort Option offers a no-claim bonus of 50% whereas Lifeline Elite offers a no-claim bonus of 20%. And the no-claim bonus may be capped at different levels too.

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, Digit Insurance Comfort Option offers domiciliary cover. And Lifeline Elite also coves domiciliary expenses.

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 Digit Insurance Comfort Option doesn’t extend coverage for Ayush treatments whereas Lifeline Elite covers 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, Digit Insurance Comfort Option doesn’t offer protection for maternity-related hospitalizations whereas Lifeline Elite 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, Digit Insurance Comfort Option doesn’t offer OPD protection whereas Lifeline Elite offers OPD cover.

Final Conclusion

It depends on your budget. Digit Insurance Comfort Option is relatively more affordable when you compare the common use cases but Lifeline Elite obviously offers better protection, since it offers a whole host of benefits that Digit Insurance Comfort Option simply doesn’t offer. So yeah, depending on the use case you’re trying to optimize for, you can make a choice.

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