Switching health insurance: Keep your benefits intact while changing plans

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Maybe your health premiums have crept up, hospital empanelment is thin, or claims are a headache. Switching isn’t just about a cheaper premium; it’s about better cover for your stage of life—higher room-rent limits, day-care coverage, OPD add-ons, or maternity—without starting from zero on waiting periods. Done right, you carry your hard-earned benefits to a policy that actually serves you.

Porting lets you move your existing health policy—individual or floater—to another insurer and keep continuity benefits. In plain English: the years you’ve already waited for pre- existing diseases, maternity, or specific illnesses don’t reset. Typically, you get credit up to your current sum insured plus accrued no-claim bonus. The new insurer can underwrite afresh (ask questions, call for tests), but can’t wipe your waiting-period history clean.

Switch when your policy structure, not a one-off claim dispute, is the problem: low room-rent caps, sub-limits everywhere, frequent co-pays, or poor network hospitals in your city. Also consider porting if you’ve outgrown a bare-bones plan and now need restoration benefits, no-claim bonus that compounds, or disease-wise high sub-limits (cardiac, cancer). If your insurer’s service is consistently poor, that’s a valid trigger too.

Apply about 45-60 days before renewal so there’s time for underwriting and paperwork. Share your existing policy, proposal form, and complete medical history—full disclosure protects your continuity. Keep uninterrupted coverage: do not let the old policy lapse while the new one is being processed. If there’s a delay, ask for a short-period extension from your current insurer so there’s no coverage gap on switch-over day.

Porting preserves time-bound waiting periods, not necessarily every feature. If you jump to a higher sum insured, the extra cover may carry fresh waiting periods for pre-existing conditions (your old SI + NCB usually gets full credit). Some insurers tweak sub-limits or co-pays at issue—read the quote, not just brochures. Ongoing claims typically continue with the old insurer; don’t switch mid-treatment expecting the new one to pick up the tab.

Compare beyond premium: room-rent or single-private-room eligibility, ICU limits, disease-wise sub-limits, modern treatment coverage, AYUSH, no-claim bonus design (simple vs super/booster), restoration rules, and cashless network in your city. Check claim-service metrics you can verify—turnaround times and cashless approval behaviour matter more than marketing promises.

Read your new policy schedule line by line: sum insured, riders, sub-limits, co-pays, exclusions, and the continuity endorsement that records your waiting-period credit. Save e-cards for each member, confirm your nearest cashless hospitals, and set up auto-renew. Update your insurer promptly about any major health change—clean records and quick disclosure make claims smoother.

Bottom line

Switch for better coverage, not just a smaller bill. Start early, disclose fully, avoid any lapse, and insist your continuity (waiting-period credit and NCB) is clearly recorded. Do that, and you’ll trade a frustrating policy for a stronger one—without giving up the benefits you spent years building.

FAQs

You port at renewal. Start the process 45-60 days prior to the renewal date.

No. Time already served toward waiting periods is credited—usually up to your existing SI + NCB. Any increase in SI may face fresh waits for the incremental layer.

The current insurer typically handles it. Port after treatment completes and the claim is settled, to avoid confusion.

They can underwrite and either accept, load, or decline. Apply early so you have time to reconsider or renew with your current insurer if needed.