About the Health Insurance Estimator
What is the Health Insurance Estimator?
How much health insurance is enough? This estimator starts from the cost of a major hospitalisation in your city, scales it for family size and age, and shows how much more cover you need beyond your employer's policy.
Because medical costs rise 10–14% a year in India, it also shows what the same protection will cost in five years, and the tax you save on premiums under Section 80D.
How to use the Health Insurance Estimator
- Family Members to Cover (sample: 4)
- Age of the Eldest Member (sample: 42)
- City (sample: Metro (₹10 lakh base))
- Existing Cover, e.g. from Employer (₹) (sample: 5,00,000)
- Medical Inflation (% per year) (sample: 12)
- Premium You Pay for Self & Family (₹ per year) (sample: 28,000)
- Premium for Parents (₹ per year) (sample: 0)
- Parents Aged 60+? (sample: Yes)
- Your Tax Slab (old regime) (sample: 30%)
- Press Estimate My Health Cover (results also refresh as you type). The result card shows the Recommended Health Cover, along with Gap after existing cover, Same protection in 5 years (medical inflation), Section 80D deduction and Tax saved (old regime, incl. cess).
Formula used
Recommended cover = City base × Family factor × Age factor
- City base = metro ₹10 lakh, tier-2 ₹7 lakh, tier-3 ₹5 lakh
- Family factor = 1 + 0.5 per additional member, up to 2.5
- Age factor = 1.25 if the eldest is 45+, 1.5 if 60+
- Section 80D = up to ₹25,000 for self and family (₹50,000 if senior) plus ₹25,000 for parents (₹50,000 if senior)
A rule-of-thumb estimate; review policy features such as room-rent limits and waiting periods.
Worked example
These are the sample values already filled in the calculator above, and the result it returns for them:
| Input | Sample value |
|---|---|
| Family Members to Cover | 4 |
| Age of the Eldest Member | 42 |
| City | Metro (₹10 lakh base) |
| Existing Cover, e.g. from Employer (₹) | 5,00,000 |
| Medical Inflation (% per year) | 12 |
| Premium You Pay for Self & Family (₹ per year) | 28,000 |
| Premium for Parents (₹ per year) | 0 |
| Parents Aged 60+? | Yes |
| Result | Value |
|---|---|
| Recommended Health Cover | ₹25,00,000 |
| Gap after existing cover | ₹20,00,000 |
| Same protection in 5 years (medical inflation) | ₹44,05,854 |
| Section 80D deduction | ₹25,000 |
| Tax saved (old regime, incl. cess) | ₹7,800 |
| Tip | Employer cover ends when you change jobs – keep a personal policy too; a super top-up is a cheap way to add cover |
Tips for using the Health Insurance Estimator
- A super top-up policy is an inexpensive way to raise cover above a base policy.
- Buy cover while young and healthy, before pre-existing conditions appear.
- Section 80D is available only in the old tax regime.