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 Sixty Plus Mediclaim is sold by New India Assurance. 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 it’s a generic policy that anybody could pick off the shelf. However, Sixty Plus Mediclaim is specifically designed for senior citizens. So in many ways, you’re comparing apples and oranges here.

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 92.62% isn’t something to boast of either.


Sixty Plus Mediclaim meanwhile comes from New India Assurance’s stable:

New India Assurance, is a government-owned insurance firm that was established in 1919. Their insurance portfolio includes Health, Motor, Travel, and Marine products. But despite being in the business for so long, they’re not the most efficient when it comes to processing your application and dealing with your claims.

And that means, even with a relatively high claim settlement ratio and 3,000 network hospitals, the company isn’t exactly a stellar performer.

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Compare Insurances

Network hospitals10,9263,139
Claim settlement ratio

(avg. of last 3 years)

92.62%99.92%
Co-payment

No

10%

Room rent

Any Room

Any Room

(up to 1% of sum insured)

Disease sub-limit

No

Yes

Pre existing diseases waiting

4 years

4 years

Pre/Post hospitalization

60/90 days

30/60 days

No claim bonus

10% per year

(up to 50%)

Domiciliary
Ayush treatments
Restoration benefit

100% restoration

(once for different illness)

Health check-up
Once every 4 years
Maternity

Available

(up to sum insured)

Out Patient Department
Day care

Feature Comparison

co_pay

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 Sixty Plus Mediclaim imposes a mandatory co-payment of 10% .

room_rent

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 Sixty Plus Mediclaim only lets you stay in a room whose rent doesn’t exceed 1% of the total sum insured.

disease_sublimit

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 doesn’t impose a disease wise sub-limit whereas Sixty Plus Mediclaim imposes disease-wise sub-limits on Angiography, Joint replacement, major cancer surgeries.

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. This cooling period is referred to as the Pre-existing-disease waiting period. In this case, Arogya Premier imposes a 4 year waiting period on pre-existing diseases and Sixty Plus Mediclaim will similarly tell you to wait 4 years before making a claim related to your pre-existing diseases

pre_post

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, Sixty Plus Mediclaim 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. In this case, however, Arogya Premier offers a no-claim bonus whereas Sixty Plus Mediclaim doesn’t offer a no-claim bonus.

domiciallary

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 Sixty Plus Mediclaim 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 treatments whereas Sixty Plus Mediclaim doesn’t extend 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 Sixty Plus Mediclaim 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 Sixty Plus Mediclaim.

Final Conclusion

If you’re specifically looking to buy a policy for senior citizens, Sixty Plus Mediclaim makes a lot of sense. But considering SBI has a claim settlement ratio that can only be considered sub-par at best, we would still recommend going with anything that New India Assurance has to offer, if the policy is made available to you.

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