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/Aggregate Deductible
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Big hospital bills
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What is Aggregate Deductible in health insurance?
An optional feature where you agree to pay the first fixed amount of medical expenses yourself each year, in exchange for a significantly lower premium. Once you cross that threshold, your insurer covers everything above it fully. A smart way to reduce premium if you are generally healthy.
Also called: annual aggregate deductible · voluntary deductible · super top-up deductible
Every plan, ranked11 · 1 standard · 7 limited · 3 not covered
HDFC ERGOStandardOptima Secure · Optima-LiteAvailable after 5 years - eldest insured up to 50 years at purchase, up to 61 years at waiver time
Standard
An optional feature on every plan: you agree to pay the first fixed amount of admissible expenses each policy year yourself, from ₹10,000 up to ₹25 lakh depending on the plan, and the insurer pays only above it. It resets every policy year. You can choose it at inception or at a renewal and raise it later, and once in the life of the policy you can reduce or waive it after 5 continuous years, subject to age limits.
Coverage detailstap any row to understand it
AvailabilityOffered as an optional feature
Deductible waiverAvailable after 5 years - eldest insured up to 50 years at purchase, up to 61 years at waiver time
Deductible Resets EveryPolicy Year
High Deductible Levels Restrict Other BenefitsNo
Deductible Can Only Be Increased at RenewalYes
Star HealthLimitedSuper StarNo waiver option
Limited
You can choose a voluntary deductible from ₹10,000 up to ₹5 lakh, capped at 20% of your Sum Insured. It works across the whole policy year: you pay hospital bills yourself until they add up to that amount, and the policy pays only after that. Once chosen it cannot be reduced or dropped, and it is not offered on the Unlimited Sum Insured.
Coverage detailstap any row to understand it
AvailabilityOffered as an optional feature
Deductible waiverNo waiver option
Deductible Resets EveryPolicy Year
High Deductible Levels Restrict Other BenefitsNo
Deductible Can Only Be Increased at RenewalYes
Watch out
Once the deductible is on your policy you cannot lower it or remove it at any renewal.
HDFC ERGOLimitedOptima RestoreNo waiver option
Limited
You can choose an Aggregate Deductible of Rs. 25,000, Rs. 50,000 or Rs. 1 lakh and cut the premium by 15% to 50%. You then pay hospital bills yourself until that amount is used up in the policy year, and only after that does the insurer start paying. The deductible does not reduce your sum insured.
Coverage detailstap any row to understand it
AvailabilityOffered as an optional feature
Deductible waiverNo waiver option
Deductible Resets EveryPolicy Year
High Deductible Levels Restrict Other BenefitsNo
Deductible Can Only Be Increased at RenewalYes
Watch out
Once you opt in you cannot opt out or reduce the deductible, during the year or at any later renewal; you can only raise it.
ICICI LombardLimitedElevateNo waiver option
Limited
Optional Cover 20 - Voluntary Deductible lowers your premium in return for you paying the first slice of each year's hospital bills yourself. It works on an aggregate basis across all base covers: the insurer starts paying only once your claims for the period add up past the deductible written in your Policy Schedule. The amount you pay does not reduce your Sum Insured.
Coverage detailstap any row to understand it
AvailabilityOffered as an optional feature
Deductible waiverNo waiver option
Deductible Resets EveryPolicy Year
High Deductible Levels Restrict Other BenefitsNo
Deductible Can Only Be Increased at RenewalNo
Watch out
You cannot take this and the Voluntary Co-Payment option together, and the Vital Essence add-on rules out both. Once chosen, the deductible is fixed for the policy term - you can change it only at renewal, and only if underwriting agrees. It applies per person on an individual policy and on a floater basis on a family floater, so a family's bills count together towards one figure.
Care HealthLimitedCare AdvantageNo waiver option
Limited
Optional Cover 3 lets you take a ₹3 Lakh, ₹5 Lakh or ₹10 Lakh deductible in exchange for a lower premium. The amount applies once across all claims in a policy year, not on each claim, and the insurer pays only what is above it. The deductible does not reduce your Sum Insured, and it starts again every policy year.
Coverage detailstap any row to understand it
AvailabilityOffered as an optional feature
Deductible waiverNo waiver option
Deductible Resets EveryPolicy Year
High Deductible Levels Restrict Other BenefitsNo
Deductible Applies to Claims FromIndia Only
Watch out
With a ₹10 Lakh deductible you pay the first ₹10,00,000 of your hospital bills in a policy year from your own pocket. In a year where your claims never add up past that, the insurer pays nothing at all.
Care HealthLimitedCare SupremeNo waiver option
Limited
You can add a deductible - ₹10,000, ₹25,000, ₹50,000, ₹1 lakh, ₹2 lakh, ₹5 lakh or ₹10 lakh - and pay a lower premium for it. It works on an aggregate basis: the insurer starts paying only once your claims in that policy year add up to more than the deductible you chose. The count resets at the start of every policy year, and the policy has no clause to waive or remove it later.
Coverage detailstap any row to understand it
AvailabilityOffered as an optional feature
Deductible waiverNo waiver option
Deductible Resets EveryPolicy Year
High Deductible Levels Restrict Other BenefitsNo
Deductible Applies to Claims FromIndia Only
Star HealthLimitedStar Health AssureNo waiver option
Limited
You can choose an aggregate deductible of ₹50,000 or ₹1,00,000 when you buy, and pay 35% to 55% less premium depending on your Sum Insured. The company starts paying only after your claims in that policy year add up to the deductible you chose. The deductible starts again from zero every policy year.
Coverage detailstap any row to understand it
AvailabilityOffered as an optional feature
Deductible waiverNo waiver option
Deductible Resets EveryPolicy Year
High Deductible Levels Restrict Other BenefitsNo
Deductible Applies to Claims FromIndia Only
Niva BupaLimitedReAssure 3.0 · ClassicNo waiver option
Limited
You can choose an annual aggregate deductible from nine levels, from ₹10,000 up to ₹5,00,000, on any variant. You pay hospital costs from your own pocket until your spending for the year crosses the level you picked; after that the insurer pays. It resets every policy year, and you cannot take it together with the co-payment option.
Coverage detailstap any row to understand it
AvailabilityOffered as an optional feature
Deductible waiverNo waiver option
Deductible Resets EveryPolicy Year
High Deductible Levels Restrict Other BenefitsNo
Cannot Be Combined with Co-payment OptionYes
Watch out
The deductible applies to reaching the hospital, hospitalisation, pre and post hospitalisation, home care or domiciliary treatment, and organ donor costs. It does not apply to the health check-up, second opinion, e-consultation, personal accident, shared accommodation cash or hospital daily cash benefits. The amount you pay yourself must still be a cost the policy would otherwise pay.
Star HealthNot coveredStar ComprehensiveNot offered
Not covered
This policy offers no deductible. You cannot agree to pay the first fixed amount of a year's medical bills yourself in return for a lower premium.
Coverage detailstap any row to understand it
AvailabilityNot offered
Watch out
Do not read the 10% co-payment as a deductible. If your age when you joined was 61 or above, you pay 10% of every claim, on every claim; a deductible would instead be one yearly amount you clear before the cover starts paying.
Star HealthNot coveredFamily Health OptimaNot offered
Not covered
This policy has no aggregate deductible option. There is no version where you pay the first fixed amount of a year's medical bills yourself in return for a lower premium. The only cost-sharing you can choose is a voluntary co-payment of 10% or 20% on every claim, which earns a matching premium discount.
Coverage detailstap any row to understand it
AvailabilityNot offered
Aditya BirlaNot coveredActiv One · VYTLNot offered
Not covered
This product does not offer an aggregate deductible. The only deductible on sale is a per-claim deductible of INR 15,000 or INR 25,000, which you pay on each admissible claim instead of once a year, so a year with three claims costs you the deductible three times.
Coverage detailstap any row to understand it
AvailabilityNot offered
Watch out
The per-claim deductible can only be chosen when your first policy with the insurer starts, and it cannot be dropped at renewal. It is not offered on VIP or VIP+.
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Or read one we prepared for Aggregate DeductibleSuper Star vs Optima RestoreSuper Star vs Star ComprehensiveOptima Restore vs Star Comprehensive
Related reading
From the Guide
- Why your health insurance claim pays less than the hospital billI had enough cover. Why do I still have to pay?8 min article
- A hospital bill: which savings would you use?Could we pay a hospital bill without putting other plans on hold?4 min article
- Why did my health insurance renewal premium rise?My renewal costs more. What changed?5 min article
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