All You Need To Know About Super No Claim Bonus In Health Insurance

A health insurance feature that rewards you for not making a claim! Sounds interesting?

Well, there is a feature called the ‘No Claim Bonus’ under some health insurance policies - where, for every claim-free year, the insurer rewards you with a bonus. Insurers have been offering the No Claim Bonus benefit for quite some time. Some insurers even offer a 'Super No Claim Bonus' - a feature that amps up your No Claim Bonus.

In this article, let’s take a look at how a Super No Claim Bonus works, its drawbacks, and more. Let’s begin by understanding how a No Claim Bonus works. 

A No Claim Bonus (NCB) is a reward the insurance company gives you for each year you don’t make a claim under your health insurance policy.

Different insurance companies offer different rewards. Under some policies, you get the reward (NCB) in the form of an increase in sum insured, whereas in others, you get it in the form of premium discounts. 

➡️ Decrease In Premium 

Instead of increasing the sum insured, some insurance companies will decrease your premium amount by a specific percentage every year you don’t make a claim. Please note that only a few insurance companies offer you this option.

Suppose Ranbir buys a health insurance plan with a base cover of INR 15 Lakhs. He is required to pay a premium of Rs. 30,000 every year. And, for every claim-free year under the policy, the insurer will offer a 10% discount on the premium amount.

👉 10% of 30,000 = Rs. 3000. 

So, every year Ranbir doesn’t make a claim, his premium will be reduced by Rs 3000. His policy sum insured will not be affected even though his premium decreases.

➡️ Increase In Sum Insured

Here, insurance companies increase your sum insured by a certain % for every claim-free year, until it hits a maximum limit. 

Suppose Alia has a health plan with a base sum insured of INR 10 Lakhs. Under the plan, the NCB is 10% for every claim-free year, up to a maximum of 100% of the sum insured. 

In this case, Alia’s policy sum insured will increase by 10% every year she doesn’t make a claim. It will increase until it reaches INR 20 Lakhs (100% of the base sum insured).

Now, in most health insurance policies, when you make a claim, the No Claim Bonus reduces at the same rate that it increases when you don’t make a claim. 

Let’s understand this better with the help of an example. 

Suppose Aayushi, 30, buys a health insurance plan with INR 5 Lakh sum insured. Under the plan, the NCB is 50% for every claim-free year, up to a maximum of 100% of the sum insured. Let’s assume she doesn’t make any claims for two years. This is how her cover will grow - 

👉 At 31, it will increase to INR 7.5 Lakhs. 

👉 At 32, it will increase to INR 10 Lakhs.

Thus, her plan will hit the maximum sum insured in two years and she can carry this bonus until she doesn’t make a claim. Let’s say she makes a claim under the policy at the age of 51 and 52. This is how her sum insured will reduce - 

👉 At 51, it will reduce to INR 7.5 Lakhs. 

👉 At 52, it will reduce to INR 5 Lakhs.

So, this is how a No Claim Bonus can be reduced if a claim is made under the health insurance policy. Besides this, a No Claim Bonus comes with several other restrictions. Learn about them in detail in this article here: 4 Things You Must Know About The No Claim Bonus In Health Insurance

Now, if you’re confident that you won’t make a claim under your health insurance plan, and want the insurer to reward you with more bonus, you can consider opting for ‘Super No Claim Bonus’.  

Simply speaking, the Super No Claim Bonus can be called an accelerated version of the No Claim Bonus. It is also known as ‘No Claim Bonus Booster’, or ‘Super Cumulative Bonus’ under some health insurance policies. 

While it is available as an in-built feature under some policies, you can buy it as an add-on by paying an extra premium in other policies.

A Super No Claim Bonus works in the same way as a No Claim Bonus. The only difference is that the Super No Claim Bonus increases your sum insured by an additional percentage on top of the No Claim Bonus already applied to your policy. 

And, a Super No Claim Bonus is calculated on the base sum insured only. Suppose you have a policy with a base sum insured of INR 5 Lakhs. A reinstated sum insured of INR 2 Lakhs and a No Claim Bonus of INR 3 Lakhs has been accrued under your policy.

So - 

• Base sum insured = INR 5 Lakhs
• Restored sum insured = INR 2 Lakhs
• No Claim Bonus amount = INR 3 Lakhs
• Total = INR 10 Lakhs 

Now, here, the Super No Claim bonus will be calculated on INR 5 Lakhs, i.e., the base sum insured. It won’t be calculated on the total amount of INR 10 Lakhs.

Here are a few conditions under a Super No Claim Bonus you should be aware of - 

1️⃣ Reduces If A Claim Is Made

If you make a claim under your policy, the Super No Claim Bonus will reduce at the same rate it increased. However, this condition may not be applicable to all plans. For example, when you talk about the Care Supreme Plan, your Cumulative Bonus Super (i.e. the Super No Claim Bonus) will not reduce if you make a claim.

2️⃣ Maximum Limit

Insurance companies will specify a maximum limit up to which the Super No Claim Bonus will accrue under your policy. Let’s have a look at some plans and their limits - 

Note: This data has been taken on 25th August, 2023.

3️⃣ Can’t Be Used For Some Benefits

Under some plans, you cannot use the accrued Super NCB while making a claim under some health insurance benefits like maternity cover, newborn baby cover, etc. For instance, Manipal Cigna’s ProHealth Plan mentions that you can use the Super No Claim Bonus while claiming under specific benefits, like the maternity cover, newborn baby cover, and first-year vaccinations of the baby.

However, some plans may not have any such restrictions. For instance, under Care Insurance’s Care Plan, it is mentioned that the Super No Claim Bonus will be available for the base benefits as well as specific optional benefits. 

4️⃣ Choice Between No Claim Bonus And Super No Claim Bonus

Under some plans, the Super No Claim Bonus is a substitute for the No Claim Bonus rather than an addition to it. By selecting the add-on, you replace the available base No Claim Bonus with the accelerated Super No Claim Bonus.

For instance, Manipal Cigna’s ProHealth Plan provides either of the bonuses. Meaning, the benefit of NCB will not be available if your policy has a Super No Claim Bonus. 

Please note, the above conditions may differ across policies. So, make sure you go through the policy wordings carefully before going ahead.

Here is quick comparison of the premiums of different health insurance plans that offer the Super No Claim Bonus benefit -

The premiums are for a 30-year-old residing in Zone 1, INR 10 Lakhs sum insured - as on 10th October, 2023.

So, that is all about how a Super No Claim Bonus works. If you have any further questions, you can post them on the Beshak Insurance Forum, and get answers from vetted insurance experts, for free!