<img height="1" width="1" style="display:none" src="https://www.facebook.com/tr?id=7698356820180471&ev=PageView&noscript=1" />

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 iHealth is sold by ICICI Lombard. 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 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.


iHealth meanwhile comes from ICICI Lombard’s stable:

ICICI Lombard Health Insurance company is a joint venture between India's ICICI Bank and Canada's Fairfax Holdings. They are one of the leading insurance companies with over 270 branches spread across India.

However, with a claim settlement ratio of 85% and a measly network of 7,500+ hospitals, their performance needs significant improvement.

talk to us

Talk to IRDAI-certified experts

If you want help with selecting the best health policy tailored to your needs, book a FREE call with our experts today by clicking here.

Compare Insurances

Insurance Parameters

Recommended
Not Recommended
Network hospitals
6,000+
7,500+
Claim settlement ratio

(avg. of last 3 years)

97%
85%
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

30/60 days

No claim bonus

10% per year

(up to 50%)

10% per year

(up to 50%)

Domiciliary
Ayush treatments
Restoration benefit

100% restoration

(once for different illness)

100% restoration

(once for different illness)

Health check-up
Once every 4 years
Once every year
Maternity

Available

(up to sum insured)

Out Patient Department
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, Arogya Premier doesn’t impose a co-payment clause. And neither does iHealth.

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, Arogya Premier doesn’t impose any restrictions on the kind of room you can pick. And iHealth 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 Arogya Premier imposes disease-wise sub-limits nor does iHealth

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, Arogya Premier imposes a waiting period of 4 years on pre-existing diseases while iHealth 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, Arogya Premier covers expenses incurred 60 days before hospitalization and expenses incurred 90 days post-hospitalization. Meanwhile, iHealth covers expenses incurred 30 days before hospitalization and expenses incurred 60 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. And in this case, Arogya Premier offers a no-claim bonus of 10% and iHealth similarly extends a 10% 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, Arogya Premier offers domiciliary cover whereas iHealth doesn’t offer domiciliary protection.

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, Arogya Premier covers Ayush procedures and iHealth 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, Arogya Premier offers maternity cover whereas iHealth doesn’t offer protection for maternity-related hospitalizations.

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, neither Arogya Premier extends coverage for outpatient consultations, nor does iHealth.

Final Conclusion

After considering all the features on hand and the claim settlement ratio of SBI, we believe that Arogya Premier is a better alternative to iHealth for most use cases that we’ve evaluated so far.

talk to us

Select the best plan with our help!

Get in touch to find out what plan works best for you. Zero fuss. Zero spam. Zero charges. Book a call now. Limited slots available!