Office Health Cover: 5 Gaps That Could Cost You

Your company's group health insurance feels free and safe — but it has serious limits. Job loss, family exclusions, and low sum insured mean one bad hospital bill could wipe out your savings without a personal policy backing you up.

Here's what happened: Corporate group health insurance is an employer-paid benefit covering hospitalisation, but coverage typically ranges from ₹2–5 lakh per family — far below actual major surgery or cancer treatment costs today.. The policy exists only as long as you are employed — resignation, layoff, or retirement instantly cancels your coverage, leaving you uninsured at potentially the worst time.. Many group policies exclude pre-existing conditions for dependents, have room-rent sub-limits, and do not cover daycare procedures, critical illness, or post-hospitalisation expenses beyond 30–60 days..

What you should do: Check your company's policy document today — note the sum insured, room-rent cap, and which family members are actually covered.. Buy a separate personal health insurance policy of at least ₹10–15 lakh now, while you are young and healthy, so premiums stay low and pre-existing conditions are not an issue.. If your parents depend on your office cover, enrol them in a senior citizen health plan immediately — group policies often have age-based exclusions or higher co-pay clauses for older dependents..

Port your group policy to an individual plan within 30 days of leaving a job — IRDAI portability rules let you carry over waiting period credits, so you don't restart the clock on pre-existing diseases.