Complete guide on portability of health insurance policies 14^th October 2022

Health insurance policies now come with the portability feature in which you can transfer your current health insurance policy to a new service provider, subject to certain terms and conditions. You may look to port your policy for several reasons, such as poor service quality, a slow claim settlement process, higher premiums, and room rent restrictions.

Your NCB (No-claim bonus) amount accrued to date is also transferred along with the policy. Moreover, the waiting period served to date with the existing insurance provider is also considered and adjusted with the new company.

Here’s a complete guide to making the portability of health insurance policies clearer.

1. Eligibility and charges:
Individuals with an active indemnity-based health insurance policy are eligible for the portability process. But the porting can be done only with a similar health insurance policy.
For example, we can port a top-up insurance plan to another similar plan only. There are no additional charges for the portability feature in a health insurance policy.

2. Portability time:
The option of portability of your health insurance policy is only available at the time of the renewal. The policy must be running continuously over time, without any break-in period.
Moreover, any insured should apply for portability of his policy at least 45 days before the premium gets due for renewal. Also, he cannot apply earlier than 60 days from the renewal date of the premium of his existing health insurance policy.

3. Portability benefits:
Portability of time-bound exclusions and the waiting period already served with the current insurance service provider gets transferred to the new policy. Other benefits, such as accrued NCB (No-claim Bonus), also get ported.

4. Pending acceptance:
Suppose the health insurance portability acceptance is pending with the new insurance service provider, and your policy expires with the current insurance provider. In that case, the new insurer can request the previous one to renew the policy for a few days. They will charge a pro-rata premium for that period to extend the policy validity.
Your current insurer cannot cancel your policy until the new service provider confirms the issuance of the new policy or a specific request to your current insurer is made to cancel your policy.
If you raise a claim in this extended period, your existing health insurance company can agree to settle the claim after you pay the balance premium for that full year. Also, you will have to continue with that insurer for that year.

5. Higher SI (Sum Insured):
Opting for a higher SI or sum insured is permitted when porting your health insurance. However, the existing benefits, such as the NCB, will be the same as per the terms of the existing service provider when porting the policy.

6. Waiting period:
You need to be careful with the waiting periods offered by the new insurance company. All the terms and conditions of the new insurance company are applicable to the policy after you make the shift, including additional waiting periods, if any. However, the waiting period served under the current insurance policy will count and be adjusted with the new insurance company.

7. Group health insurance policy:
Suppose you are a part of a group policy and intend to change the service provider. In that case, you can do it by migrating to an individual health insurance policy with the same insurance company. You can then start the porting of your policy to another insurance company.

The portability of health insurance policies is a favourable option provided by the IRDAI. Being a valued customer, you have the right to receive the best services from your insurance provider. You can always port your health insurance to a better insurer if your current insurance company fails to provide adequate services.

Browse through all the available options and substitutes for your existing policy. It is preferred to opt for online health insurance, understand the terms and conditions of different options, and choose the best one for you!

Click HERE to buy online health insurance.

Disclaimer: The information provided above is for illustrative purposes only. To get more details, please refer to policy wordings and prospectus before purchasing a policy.