Popular Health Insurance Plans for Preventive Health Checkups

Most of us skip our annual health checkup. Between work commitments and giving time to family, it always feels like something that can be done later. But by the time symptoms show up, a small issue can turn into an expensive one.

Here's the good news. Many health insurance plans already pay for this checkup, whether it's built in or offered as a low-cost add-on. So, you're likely paying for a benefit you've never used.

This article walks you through which popular plans offer preventive checkups, what they cover, their waiting periods, and how to claim them. By the end, you'll know exactly where to look in your own policy.

Why Preventive Health Checkups Matter in Insurance

The benefit of a preventive health checkup package isn't just a good-to-have benefit. It changes how insurance works for you in a few important ways.

Now let’s have a look at some popular health insurance plans for preventive health checkups. 

Star Health Preventive Health Checkup Benefit

The Star Health Preventive Health Checkup benefit is bundled with Star Super Star and offered as an add-on rather than built into the base plan. It's available from day 1 of your policy.

Coverage is capped at 1% of your sum insured, up to ₹25,000 per policy year. This same limit also covers vaccination costs, not just diagnostic tests, which makes it more flexible than most.

The benefit is processed on a cashless basis at Star's network facilities. Here’s how the premiums look with the add-on for different profiles:  

Note: In this table, A refers to adult and C refers to child. Premiums shown are for a ₹15 lakh sum insured for healthy individuals in Delhi (110010). Your final premium will depend on factors like age, city, underwriting, add-ons, and medical history.

HDFC ERGO Optima Secure Plus Health Checkup Benefit

Optima Secure Plus gives every policyholder access to annual preventive checkups as a standard, built-in feature. It only becomes available after you complete the first year of the policy, so there's a 1-year waiting time before your first use.

The benefit works on a reimbursement basis. You pay for the tests first, then submit your bills for reimbursement based on your policy's sub-limit. The limit depends on your sum insured and whether you hold an individual or floater policy:

Care Supreme Annual Health Checkup Benefit

Care Supreme's annual checkup benefit isn't part of the base plan. You need to opt in and pay a small additional premium at the time of purchase or renewal.

The benefit activates from the 31st day of the policy, so there's a short waiting period before you can use it. It's processed on a cashless basis, meaning you don't pay anything upfront, but you must get the tests done at Care's partner diagnostic facilities.

Tests covered scale based on your age and sum insured. Here’s the list of tests covered for members below the age of 18.

For ages 18 and above, the following tests are available, with additional coverage for higher sum insured.

Let’s have a look at the cost of the add-on for some common profiles.

Note: A stands for adult and C stands for child in this table. These figures are based on a ₹15 lakh sum insured for healthy individuals living in Delhi (110010). Your actual premium may vary based on age, city, underwriting, add-ons, and medical history.

Aditya Birla Activ One MAX Annual Health Checkup Benefit

Activ One MAX includes the checkup benefit as part of its base coverage, so there's no add-on premium. The benefit is available from the 31st day of the policy, similar to Care Supreme's timeline.

It's offered on a cashless basis through Aditya Birla's network of partner facilities. The specific list of tests is predefined based on your sum insured and is available only to members aged 18 and above. The list of tests covered is as follows: 

Niva Bupa ReAssure 2.0 Health Checkup Benefit 

ReAssure 2.0 stands out because the checkup benefit is available right from day 1, with zero waiting period. It's built into the base plan, so you don't pay any add-on premium.

The benefit is cashless, and coverage is capped at ₹500 for every ₹1 lakh of your base sum insured. For an individual policy, it is available up to ₹5,000 per insured member. For a family floater, the cap is up to ₹10,000 across all members for the entire policy. The tests covered under the plan are as follows: 

SBI Super Health Platinum Infinite Health Checkup Benefit

This benefit is included in the base plan for all variants, including Platinum and Platinum Infinite, so there's no add-on cost. It's available from policy inception for these two variants, so you don't need to wait a full year, as with some other plans.

Coverage limits vary by variant, generally ranging from ₹2,500 to ₹10,000 for one health checkup per policy year. All the tests you opt for must be completed on the same day, as per the policy terms.

It is available for adult members aged 18 years and above. Here’s the scope of coverage based on the opted variant: 

ICICI Lombard Elevate 

The Elevate plan’s checkup benefit is an add-on to the base plan, with a separate limit over and above your sum insured. It's available only on a cashless basis and must be booked through ICICI Lombard's app or by calling their toll-free number.

Coverage is capped at 0.5% of your annual sum insured, subject to a maximum of ₹5,000, and applies only to members aged 18 and older. Using this benefit does not reduce your base sum insured because it is kept in a separate bucket.

For long-term policies spanning two to five years, you get one checkup per policy year rather than one for the entire tenure, so make sure you're using it annually rather than saving it up.

Here’s the list of tests covered under the add-on:

Here’s how much the add-on costs annually for some profiles.

How to Claim the Preventive Checkup Benefit? 

The steps you follow depend on whether your insurer offers this benefit as cashless or reimbursement. Here's how each one works.

Cashless Claims: Insurers like Niva Bupa, Care, Star, and ICICI Lombard handle this the easy way.

• Open your insurer's app and check the list of network hospitals or diagnostic centers near you.
• Book your checkup slot directly through the app.
• Walk in on the scheduled date and get your tests done.
• Walk out without paying anything, since the insurer settles the bill directly with the center.

Reimbursement Claims: With insurers like HDFC ERGO, you pay first.

• Book your checkup at any diagnostic center of your choice.
• Pay for the tests out of your own pocket.
• Collect the original bill and test reports as proof.
• Log a reimbursement request through your insurer's app or website and upload the documents.
• Wait for approval, after which the payout is deposited directly into your bank account.

Before you book anything, open your policy app or document and check two things: which of these two routes applies to you, and what your yearly limit is.

What to Look for in a Plan with Checkup Benefits

Look at the infographic below to know what to look for in a plan with checkup benefits.

Ditto’s Take: This is a good-to-have benefit, not something to base your entire policy decision on. Focus first on the must-haves, like adequate sum insured, room rent limits, and claim settlement ratio. Check out Ditto's health insurance checklist to know what really matters before you buy. Also, if you have bought your policy through us, our renewals team reminds you of the unused health checkup benefit available in your comprehensive plan, so you do not let it go unused.

Why Choose Ditto for Health Insurance?

At Ditto, we’ve assisted over 8,00,000 customers with choosing the right insurance policy. Why customers like Pallavi below love us:

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Confused about the right insurance? Speak to Ditto’s certified advisors for free, unbiased guidance. Book your call or chat with us on WhatsApp now!

Conclusion

A yearly health checkup is easy to keep postponing until one test flags something you're glad you caught early. If your plan already includes this benefit, there's no reason to let it go unused, since it costs you nothing and could catch a problem before it's too late. And if it comes as an add-on, the math still favors you, since the extra premium usually costs far less than paying for a checkup on your own.

Here's your next step. Open your policy document or app and check whether this benefit is already built in or an unused add-on on your plan. If your policy doesn't have it yet, consider adding it the next time you renew. Also, under the old tax regime, Section 80D (Now Section 126) allows up to ₹5,000 for preventive health checkup expenses, but this is within your overall 80D limit and applies only to checkups you pay for yourself. In that case, keep the bill or receipt safe, since it works as valid proof if you want to claim it.