How much health insurance cover do I need?

It depends on your city, the hospitals you would use, your family's ages and health, and whether you have employer cover. This calculator gives a starting point from family size and city tier, with a separate figure for dependent parents, who are usually better covered by their own senior citizen policy. Many families in metros choose ₹10–15 lakh or more as a base cover and add a super top-up for large bills.

Should I buy individual or family floater health insurance?

A family floater is usually more cost-effective because the entire family shares one sum insured. However, if any family member has a high-risk health condition, individual policies prevent one person's claims from reducing cover for others.

What is a waiting period in health insurance?

A waiting period is the time after you buy a policy during which certain claims are not paid. Most policies have an initial waiting period (commonly 30 days) for claims other than accidents. Under IRDAI's 2024 health insurance rules, the waiting period for pre-existing diseases can be at most 36 months, and for specific diseases or treatments also at most 36 months; many insurers offer shorter ones. After 60 months of continuous cover (the moratorium period), the insurer cannot contest a policy or claim for non-disclosure or misrepresentation, except for established fraud. This is why buying early, while healthy, helps.

Is health insurance premium tax-deductible?

Only in the old tax regime. Under Section 126 of the Income-tax Act, 2025 (formerly Section 80D), you can deduct up to ₹25,000 a year for yourself, your spouse and children (₹50,000 if you are a senior citizen), plus up to ₹25,000 for your parents (₹50,000 if they are senior citizens). Preventive health check-ups of up to ₹5,000 are included within these limits. The new regime, which is the default, gives no deduction for health insurance premiums.

Health Insurance Calculator

Estimate a starting health insurance cover for your family and your parents based on family size and city tier.

Adults

₹5L base cover per adult (assumption)

Children

₹3L base cover per child (assumption)

Dependent Parents

₹5L base per parent, shown as a separate policy

City Tier

Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore = Tier 1

Family floater cover you need

Base cover
City loading
Parents' policy: separate, not in the floater

Pro Tip

Consider a super top-up plan for additional coverage at a lower premium. For senior parents, a separate senior citizen policy avoids higher premiums on family floater.

What your cover is made of

Adults Children Parents (separate policy)

Your city adds

Cover amounts are a simple starting estimate: fixed base amounts per member (our assumption, not a regulatory norm) times a city multiplier. They do not use age or medical history. Actual medical costs vary significantly. Review your policy for sub-limits, co-pay clauses, and waiting periods. Results are indicative only.

What is a Health Cover Calculator?

This calculator starts from ₹5 lakh of cover per adult, ₹3 lakh per child and ₹5 lakh per dependent parent, then applies a 1.4× multiplier for metros like Mumbai, Delhi and Bangalore. Parents are shown on a separate policy, and the result is a minimum, not a target.

The base amounts and the city multiplier are our assumptions, set to allow for higher healthcare costs in Tier 1 cities, where a single serious hospitalisation in a private hospital can cost several lakh rupees. The calculator shows a family floater sum insured for you, your spouse and children, and a separate sum insured for dependent parents. Many families choose higher cover than this starting point.

How to Use This Health Cover Calculator

1
Enter number of adults
Count the earning members and non-earning spouse in the family. The calculator uses ₹5 lakh base cover per adult. Many families need more than that, especially if there is no employer cover.
2
Add children and dependent parents
Children have lower base cover needs (₹3L). For parents, a separate senior citizen policy is usually the better choice, because including them in a family floater significantly increases premiums and can complicate renewals.
3
Select your city tier
Tier 1 metros (such as Mumbai, Delhi and Bangalore) usually have higher hospital costs than smaller cities. The 1.4× multiplier is our assumption to reflect that; choose the tier that matches where you would be treated.
4
Use the result as a starting point
The recommended cover is a minimum. If you prefer premium hospitals or have family history of critical illness, consider a super top-up plan to layer additional cover cost-effectively.

Key Things to Look for in Health Insurance

Network Hospitals

Choose a policy with your preferred hospitals in the network, especially specialists and super-specialty hospitals near you. Cashless treatment in-network eliminates the need for upfront payments and reimbursement delays.

Waiting Periods

Under IRDAI's 2024 health insurance rules, the waiting period for pre-existing diseases (such as diabetes or hypertension) can be at most 36 months, and for specific diseases or procedures also at most 36 months; many policies offer shorter waits. After 60 months of continuous cover (the moratorium period), the policy or a claim cannot be contested for non-disclosure or misrepresentation, except for established fraud. Buy health insurance when you're young and healthy, when premiums are lower.

Avoid Sub-limits and Co-pay

Some policies cap room rent at 1% of sum insured, limiting actual coverage proportionally. Co-pay policies require you to pay 10–20% of bills. If you can, pick a policy with no room rent cap and no co-pay, so the full sum insured is actually usable.

Consider a Super Top-Up

A super top-up plan pays once your total claims in a year exceed its deductible (for example ₹5–10L), so it can add a large extra cover for a much lower premium than a base policy of the same size. It works well alongside your base plan; compare quotes to see the cost for your family.

Not sure what to do with this result?

Ask FinChat, our AI planning assistant, about your health insurance result. Free to try, no signup.

Ask FinChat