Introduction
Before we start comparing these two policies we have to set out some ground rules.
Both products are marketed by different insurance companies. Red Carpet Senior Citizens is sold by Star Health 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 have massive differences in their core structure. Red Carpet Senior Citizens is specifically designed for senior citizens. However, iHealth is quite basic. It offers little protection and it’s a generic policy that anybody could pick off the shelf. 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 Red Carpet Senior Citizens. The product comes from Star Health’s stable:
Star Health Insurance is India's first standalone health insurance firm. And with an army of retail advisors pushing their products across the country, they’ve managed to capture a fair share of the Indian market.
The company also boasts a network of over 13,000+ hospitals and a decent claim settlement ratio of 83.07%.
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 86.67% and a measly network of 6,700+ hospitals, their performance needs significant improvement.
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Compare Insurances |  Star Health Red Carpet Senior Citizens |  ICICI Lombard iHealth |
|---|---|---|
| Network hospitals | 13,000+ | 6,700+ |
| Claim settlement ratio (avg. of last 3 years) | 83.07% | 86.67% |
| Co-payment | Yes | No |
| Room rent | Any Room (up to 1% of sum insured) | Any Room |
| Disease sub-limit | Yes | No |
| Pre existing diseases waiting | 1 years | 2 years |
| Pre/Post hospitalization | 30/60 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 year | Once every year |
| Maternity | ||
| Out Patient Department | Up to ₹1,000 (cap of ₹200 on each consultation) | |
| Day care |
Feature Comparison
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, Red Carpet Senior Citizens imposes a mandatory co payment of 30% and 50% for pre existing diseases whereas iHealth doesn’t impose a co-payment clause.
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, Red Carpet Senior Citizens only lets you stay in a room whose rent doesn’t exceed 1% of the total sum insured but you can pick any room you want with iHealth.
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, Red Carpet Senior Citizens imposes disease-wise sub-limits on Heart diseases, Major surgeries whereas iHealth doesn’t impose a disease wise sub-limit.
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, Red Carpet Senior Citizens imposes a waiting period of 1 years on pre-existing diseases while iHealth extends a waiting period of 2 years on existing conditions.
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, Red Carpet Senior Citizens covers expenses incurred 30 days before hospitalization and expenses incurred 60 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
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, Red Carpet Senior Citizens doesn’t offer a no-claim bonus whereas iHealth offers a no-claim bonus.
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, neither Red Carpet Senior Citizens offers domiciliary cover nor does iHealth
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 Red Carpet Senior Citizens doesn’t extend coverage for Ayush treatments whereas iHealth covers Ayush treatments.
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, neither Red Carpet Senior Citizens offers maternity cover nor does iHealth.
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, Red Carpet Senior Citizens offers OPD cover whereas iHealth doesn’t offer OPD protection.
Final Conclusion
Since this isn’t a fair comparison, to begin with, we will only tell you this much. If you want something that’s affordable, you could go for iHealth. However, if you are specifically looking to buy a policy for senior citizens, then it’s a no brainer, Red Carpet Senior Citizens is your go-to option.
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