Hey Shubham,

In Star Comprehensive, the room limit is defined as a Single Pvt Ac room. There are at least 20 insurance products in the market that define room limit as Single Pvt ward.

The thing that's left unsaid in the policy wordings is that it is single Pvt Ac ward of the lowest category.

Let me explain using an example.

In any decent size hospital, there are multiple types of private wards with single patient occupancy. There would be a single private room in the hospital or an entry-level Pvt ward, which normally has a small area and an attender bed. It may or may not have an attached toilet facility. Then there would be a deluxe ward a step above. Such a room will be bigger in the area and may have some additional facilities.

Top-end Pvt wards in hospitals are generally called ultra-deluxe rooms or VIP rooms. These may have great views, bigger spaces, high-end medical infrastructures such as electronically operated beds, and swanky private meeting areas for visitors.

Keep in mind that cost of treatment goes up by 20-30% as you opt for high-end wards.

Therefore, for people with a Single Pvt room limit defined in the policy, always check with the hospital for the cheapest single ward.

Now you may ask me, how will the insurer know which Pvt ward is assigned to the patient because of this variety. Good question.

If it is cashless admission, due to existing tie-up between insurer and hospital, your insurer knows which one is the basic Pvt ward and its rental in the hospital. For non-empaneled hospitals, general insurers have hospital tariffs already available with them from previously processed claims, or at times insurers ask patients to submit the hospital's room tariff chart.

Another question coming to your mind would be, what happens when you opt for any Pvt ward that costs higher than the entry-level Pvt room in the hospital? In that case, the insurer will deduct money in your claim using the principle of Proportionate deduction (PD). They will check the difference of room rent of ward you admitted in and rent of entry-level Pvt room to proportionately deduct claim amount.

Happy to answer any follow-up questions.

Anuj Jindal

Co-founder

SureClaim

The answer is No to your first question and Yes to your second question

Your observation is right Shubham. ICICI Lombard has a much better product vs Star as in it reduces the uncertainties related to claim in future.

Every insurance product has a target market and they try to optimize for it. Some products have a premium appeal, some are meant for customers seeking affordable cover. All these considerations go into underwriting and product design. There is never a right or a wrong answer in product design, it's all about target customer profiles they are going after. You are a more evolved insurance buyer, you've asked several questions to build your nuanced understanding of the market, so some products like Star Comprehensive won't make sense to you as you can discover products who deliver same or more value at comparable price-points.