Best Health Insurance Company in India? What the Data Says
Every health insurer compared on three things that matter when you claim: whether it pays, how often its customers end up at the Ombudsman, and whether it can pay. Official data, no sales pitch.
On 2024-25 data, New India Assurance, Bajaj Allianz General, Go Digit General, Universal Sompo and HDFC ERGO clear all three tests: they paid claims at least as often as the industry, drew fewer health complaints at the Insurance Ombudsman for their size, and hold the solvency IRDAI requires. Star Health, the largest health insurer, drew 10,357 Ombudsman complaints, 620 per ₹1,000 crore of premium against 254 for the industry. United India Insurance, Oriental Insurance and National Insurance were below IRDAI's minimum solvency of 1.50.
The words on this page, explained simply
New to this? Here is what each term means, in plain English.
- Claim settlement ratio
- The share of claims an insurer pays out of all the claims it had to decide in a year. Check it by number and by amount: an insurer can pay most small claims and dispute the big ones.
- Insurance Ombudsman
- A free, official forum for insurance complaints. If your insurer rejects your complaint or does not answer within a month, you can go to the Ombudsman, who can order the insurer to pay.
- Solvency ratio
- How much money an insurer holds compared with the minimum IRDAI requires, so it can still pay claims in a bad year. IRDAI requires at least 1.50; below that, the regulator steps in.
- Incurred claims ratio
- The share of the premium an insurer spent on claims in the year. Above 100% means it paid out more than it earned in premium.
- Repudiated claim
- A claim the insurer refuses to pay, most often because facts were not disclosed on the proposal form.
"Best" lists online are usually ads. This one uses only official data: IRDAI's claims statistics, the Insurance Ombudsman's complaint records and IRDAI's solvency figures, for every insurer that sells health cover.
The three things we check
Does it pay claims? The share of claims the insurer paid in the year, from IRDAI's statistics. IRDAI publishes this for all of an insurer's claims together, not for health or motor alone.
Do its customers end up at the Ombudsman? When an insurer turns down a claim or ignores a complaint, a customer can go to the Insurance Ombudsman for free. We count the complaints each insurer drew in the year, per ₹1,000 crore of premium, so big and small insurers can be compared. We also show how often the Ombudsman sided with the customer in the cases it decided.
Can it pay? The solvency ratio: the money an insurer holds against what IRDAI requires it to hold. IRDAI requires at least 1.50.
An insurer passes a test when it is at least as good as the industry figure for the same year. Insurers with under ₹500 crore of premium or 500 claims are listed but not tested: a handful of cases swings their figures.
What this cannot tell you
These are insurer-level figures for one year. They say nothing about a particular policy's terms, its price, or the hospitals or garages in its network. Two policies from the same insurer can differ a lot, so read the policy wording before you buy. Next year's figures can be different.
Sources
Claims: IRDAI Handbook on Indian Insurance Statistics 2024-25. Complaints: Council for Insurance Ombudsmen Annual Report 2024-25 (Statements L3, G3 and H3). Premium and solvency: IRDAI Annual Report 2024-25. All for 1 April 2024 to 31 March 2025; solvency at 31 March 2025. The Ombudsman's report is a scanned document: Strota typed in its tables and checked every row and column against the printed totals.
The big standalone health insurers
Star Health, Care Health, Niva Bupa and Aditya Birla Health draw far more Ombudsman complaints for their size than the industry: Star 620, Care 462 and Niva Bupa 547 per ₹1,000 crore of health premium, against 254. When those cases were decided, the customer won 83% of Star's, 73% of Care's and 84% of Niva Bupa's.
Key takeaways
- Clear all three tests in 2024-25: New India Assurance, Bajaj Allianz General, Go Digit General, Universal Sompo and HDFC ERGO.
- The large standalone health insurers draw several times the industry's Ombudsman complaints for their size.
- United India Insurance, Oriental Insurance and National Insurance: solvency below IRDAI's minimum at 31 March 2025.
Frequently asked questions
Which is the best health insurance company in India?
No single answer fits every policy, but on 2024-25 official data New India Assurance, Bajaj Allianz General, Go Digit General, Universal Sompo and HDFC ERGO pay claims at least as often as the industry, draw fewer Ombudsman complaints for their size and hold IRDAI's required solvency.
Is Star Health a good insurer?
Star Health paid 78.5% of its claims in 2024-25, below the industry's 88.7%, and drew 10,357 Ombudsman complaints, 620 per ₹1,000 crore of premium against 254 for the industry. The Ombudsman sided with the customer in 83% of the cases it decided. Its solvency, 2.21, is above IRDAI's minimum.
What is a good solvency ratio for an insurer?
IRDAI requires at least 1.50: the insurer must hold one and a half times the margin the rules require. Higher means more cushion to pay claims in a bad year.
How do I complain to the Insurance Ombudsman?
First complain to the insurer. If it rejects your complaint or does not reply within 30 days, you can go to the Insurance Ombudsman for free, within a year of the insurer's reply. Complaints can be filed online at cioins.co.in.
What is the incurred claims ratio?
The share of premium an insurer paid out as claims in the year. Very low means it pays out little of what it collects; above 100% means it paid out more than it earned in premium.