Understanding your policy
A claim dispute can come down to a few lines of a policy: a definition, a limit, a waiting period or a condition. The pages in this section show where those lines are, which document counts when two of them disagree, and how renewal, porting and corrections change what your policy says.
Start with how to read a health policy or which document counts. For other policies, see reading a motor policy schedule and reading a life policy. Single words — deductible, co-pay, moratorium — are explained in the insurance terms pages.
You are entitled to the core documents: within 15 days of accepting your proposal, the insurer must give you the policy document, a copy of your proposal form and the Customer Information Sheet, free of charge.[1]
Start here
- How do I read my health insurance policy and find the clause that answers my question?Where each answer sits in an Indian health policy: the schedule, CIS, definitions, limits, waiting periods, exclusions and claim conditions, in reading order.
- Policy schedule, policy wording or brochure: which one actually counts?Schedule, wording, endorsements, CIS, proposal form or brochure: what each insurance document holds, and which one prevails when two of them disagree.
- What does 'continuous coverage' mean in health insurance, and how do I prove it?What counts as a break in a health policy, which waiting periods depend on unbroken cover, and how to prove continuous cover with your schedules and receipts.
Questions people ask
- My insurer refused to renew, changed the terms or raised my premium after a claim — is that allowed?Can a health insurer refuse renewal, add a loading or change terms after you claim? What the 2024 rules allow, what they forbid, and how to complain in writing.
- There's a wrong name, age or detail in my policy — how do I get it corrected?How to get a wrong name, age, vehicle detail or nominee corrected in your policy: the request, the proof, the endorsement, and what to do if it is ignored.
Step-by-step guides
- How do I read my car insurance policy schedule — IDV, add-ons and deductibles?Find the IDV, add-ons, deductible and No Claim Bonus on your motor policy schedule, and see how the wording turns them into a claim amount after depreciation.
- How do I read my life insurance policy document — sum assured, nominee and riders?Where to find the sum assured, benefits, nominee, riders and key dates in an Indian life policy, and why the revival and rider dates matter under Section 45.
Explained
- How does waiting-period credit work when I port my health policy, and what if a claim is rejected after porting?How waiting-period and moratorium credit carries over when you port a health policy in India, and what to check if a claim is rejected after porting.
- What is the free-look period, and how do I return a policy I didn't want?Who gets the free-look period on life and health policies in India, how to return a policy you did not want, what is deducted, and how fast the refund is due.
- What does my policy's 'conditions' section expect me to do when I make a claim?What an insurance policy's conditions section expects when you claim — notice, documents, records, police reports — and what a late notice cannot do to a claim.
Free tools
Sources
The official documents this page relies on. Rules change: where it matters to your claim, check the current version at the source.
1. IRDAI (scanned verbatim copy hosted by TaxGuru)
Master Circular on Protection of Policyholders' Interests, 2024, Ref IRDAI/PP&GR/CIR/MISC/117/9/2024 dated 5 September 2024Dated 2024-09-05 · Accessed 2026-10-09 · Cited at: IRDAI Master Circular on Protection of Policyholders' Interests, IRDAI/PP&GR/CIR/MISC/117/9/2024, 5 Sep 2024, Section 1, Part B, 'Issuance of the insurance policy'; also Section 2, para 12.4
Read from a copy hosted at taxguru.in · Official page
ClaimAssure is an independent private platform. It is not an insurer, IRDAI, Bima Bharosa or the Insurance Ombudsman, it never files anything on your behalf, and it cannot promise any outcome. What it does is read your documents and show you what they say.