Why did my health insurance renewal premium rise?
Compare the renewal notice with last year’s documents and ask for the unexplained amount.
“Which part of the increase can the renewal documents explain?”
Check age, insured members, cover, location, discounts and the product’s rate table. More than one may have changed. A claim-related discount can change too, even where the policy prohibits an extra premium based on your individual claims. Ask the insurer to explain the difference in rupees, and keep the renewal due date in view while you wait. [1] [2] [3]
About 5 min · 2 figuresSources checked 25 September 2026
Put the renewal notice beside last year’s policy
Take the old schedule and premium receipt, then the renewal notice. Compare a full year with a full year, the same members and the same base cover and optional benefits. Put taxes and payment adjustments on separate lines. [3]
Record the base Sum Insured, the amount of cover, separately from any bonus. A cumulative bonus adds cover without an associated premium increase, so a larger cover figure does not by itself explain a higher premium. [1]
A renewal worksheet
Compare the two years on the same basis
| What to compare | Last policy | Renewal notice |
|---|---|---|
| Product, plan and version | ______ | ______ |
| Policy duration and instalment basis | ______ | ______ |
| Members, ages and dates of birth | ______ | ______ |
| Base Sum Insured / bonus | ______ | ______ |
| Optional benefits, deductible and co-pay | ______ | ______ |
| Address and pricing zone or tier | ______ | ______ |
| Discounts and any existing loading, by name | ______ | ______ |
| Premium before tax / tax / total payable | ______ | ______ |
A blank becomes a question for the insurer. Also check any change in the amount the policy leaves you to pay: a deductible is a specified amount the policy does not pay, per claim or across the policy year as the wording sets; a co-pay is a percentage of the eligible claim that you pay. [2] [3]
Could an age band explain the increase?
Some products price several ages together, then charge more in the next band. Care Supreme’s rate chart captured on 25 August 2026 gives this example for individual cover of ₹10 lakh in Zone 1: [4]
A dated rate-table example
One age-band boundary adds ₹8,791
| Age band | Annual premium in that chart |
|---|---|
| 51–55 | ₹26,690 |
| 56–60 | ₹35,481 |
| Difference | ₹8,791, or 32.9% |
If an insured member has just turned 56, ask whether an age-band change explains part of the increase. Confirm the rate-table version and age rule used. Other products price individual ages separately, and future tables can change. This example does not establish what your renewal should cost. [4] [5]
Check changes to people, cover and discounts
An added family member can change the premium. Under Optima Secure’s published floater formula, for example, the eldest member’s individual premium is taken in full; each additional member’s premium receives a 55% floater discount. Location matters too: that prospectus uses the declared city of residence to choose the premium tier. [5]
Check these against the renewal notice, particularly after a move or a change in family cover. Then compare each discount by name and amount. Has an introductory discount ended? Was a renewal condition unmet? Treat these as questions for the documents, rather than explanations to assume. [3]
Product rates can also change. Care Supreme’s wording provides for rate changes with notice. Ask for the effective date and the notice applying to this renewal. [6]
Send a request before the due date
Send this to the insurer’s customer-service contact shown on the renewal notice or official website, with the old receipt and new notice attached: [3]
Please explain the difference between my last premium and this renewal notice in rupees. My policy number is [number] and the renewal due date is [date]. Confirm the age and rate-table version used, changes to members or benefits, the pricing zone and each discount or loading. If product rates changed, please share the effective date and notice. Please show tax and payment-period adjustments separately.
The grace period is 15 days for monthly premium payments and 30 days for other payment modes. Renewal within the applicable period protects continuity credits. Whether claims during that period are covered is a separate question: the circular requires cover when premiums are paid in instalments during the policy period. Do not assume an unpaid annual renewal gives the same protection, or that a complaint extends the due date. [1] [2]
This sheet helps explain a renewal price; it cannot tell you whether another policy is a better fit. If a deductible is proposed to reduce the premium, check what that saving would leave you paying. If the insurer’s explanation leaves a specific discrepancy, the complaint guide shows how to request a review.
Where the numbers come from
Sources checked on 25 September 2026; the rate-chart figures are from a capture dated 25 August 2026, and the live chart was not reopened on 1 October 2026. Product facts describe the cited document versions. Worked examples and worksheets are labelled in their captions.
- Health Insurance Master Circular. 29 May 2024, ref. IRDAI/HLT/CIR/PRO/84/5/2024, paras 8–10 and 14, pp.7–8: renewal, grace period and cumulative bonus. Checked 25 September 2026.Read the sourceRead the circular PDF (mirror), opens in a new tababcd
- HDFC ERGO, Optima Secure. Prospectus, UIN HDFHLIP26058V082526, renewal §12.9. Same-version wording: definitions and aggregate deductible §2.7.Read the source (PDF), opens in a new tabRead the policy wording (PDF), opens in a new tababcd
- Editorial guidance. The comparison sheet and request help reconcile two documents. They are not an exhaustive list of pricing inputs or a claim that all inputs appear on every schedule.abcdef
- Care Health, Care Supreme rate chart. UIN CHIHLIP27061V032627. Chart captured 25 August 2026, Zone 1 individual ₹10 lakh: ages 51–55 ₹26,690 and 56–60 ₹35,481, before tax and discounts. Difference ₹8,791; ₹8,791 ÷ ₹26,690 × 100 = 32.94%, rounded to 32.9%. Two age bands in one historical table, not current quotes or a renewal forecast.Read the sourceabc
- HDFC ERGO, Optima Secure. Prospectus, UIN HDFHLIP26058V082526. Tier 1 rate tables; §14 premium tier, §15 favourable claims experience discount and §16 floater calculation. These are version-specific terms, not discounts available to every insured person.Read the source (PDF), opens in a new tababc
- Care Health, Care Supreme. Policy wording, UIN CHIHLIP27061V032627, cl.5.14, printed p.46. Provides for revision of terms and premiums with notification. This article does not identify the cause of an individual renewal increase. Insurer-authored wording linked through a public mirror.Read the wording (mirror, PDF), opens in a new taba