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India · Senior health · Questions

Does Your Health Insurance Premium Increase Every Year?

By Best Worst Insurance Editorial TeamUpdated 12 October 2026

Not automatically. An Indian health insurance premium goes up for three separate reasons, and none of them is the calendar. The first is age: insurers price in age bands, usually five years wide, and the premium steps up when you enter the next one [1]. The second is repricing: the insurer raises the whole chart for everyone on the plan. Below 60 no rule limits how much or how often [2,3,4]; from 60 the limit is 10% a year [5]. The third is personal: a discount you had last year is gone. In a year when none of the three happens, the chart price for your renewal is the same as last year's.

Three things that raise a health insurance premium

CauseHow oftenHow much, in the charts we comparedIs there a limit?
You enter a higher age bandAbout every five years on most charts3% to 30% a step before 60; 58% at 61 on Star's Super Star [1]No. The bands are printed in the chart you bought into
The insurer reprices the planIrregular. Some charts have not moved in three years [7]5.0% to 59.5% under 60; exactly 10.0% from 60 since the 2025 rule [8,9][12,13][8,9]Only from age 60: 10% a year [5]
You lose a discountAfter a claim, or when a first-year offer endsDepends on the discountA discount can be withdrawn; a loading for your own claims cannot be added [3,4]

1. The short answer

A premium does not rise because a year has passed. It rises because something specific changed, and there are only three things that can: you entered a higher age band, the insurer repriced the plan, or you lost a discount.

The first two are visible in the insurer's own rate chart, if you have this year's and last year's. The third is on your renewal notice. The rest of this page takes them in turn, using charts we have read ourselves.

2. Age: the premium climbs in steps

Insurers do not charge a little more for each birthday. They group ages into bands and charge one price for the whole band. Star's Super Star prospectus makes this easy to see, because it prints a separate row for every age and the numbers repeat five rows at a time.

Star Super Star, one adult, ₹10 lakh, Zone A, one-year base premium in rupees, excluding GST. The chart prints a row for every age; the price changes only at the ages shown.

AgePremiumStep up from the band before
18-256,721n/a
26-307,345+9%
31-357,566+3%
36-409,042+20%
41-4510,815+20%
46-5014,027+30%
51-5517,880+27%
56-6022,315+25%
61-6535,270+58% [1]
66-7050,201+42%
71-7565,440+30%
76-8085,323+30% [1]

Two things are worth noticing. The steps get bigger with age, from 3% in the early thirties to 30% around fifty. And the step at 61 is in a class of its own: the same ₹10 lakh costs 58% more at 61-65 than at 56-60 [1]. Across the whole chart, an 80-year-old pays 12.7 times what a 25-year-old pays [1].

Not every plan works this way. Star's Senior Citizens Red Carpet charges one price at every age from 60 to 75 [11]. The full Super Star and Red Carpet tables, with the files, are on Star Health's premium charts.

3. Repricing: the insurer raises the whole chart

This is the increase people usually mean, and it is the one nobody announces. The insurer files a new version of the plan with higher rates, and your next renewal is priced from the new chart.

We compared two official versions of the same chart for thirteen plan-and-age combinations.

The same cell in two official versions of each chart: one adult, one-year premium in rupees, before tax.

Plan and buyerBeforeAfterChange
Star Super Star, age 41-45, ₹10 lakh, Zone A10,815 (2024)10,815 (2026)None [1,6]
Star Health Assure, age 36-45, ₹10 lakh, Zone A11,540 (2024)12,290 (2026)+6.5% [14,15]
Star Comprehensive, age 36-45, ₹10 lakh, Zone A12,717 (2024)15,896 (December 2025)+25.0% [8,9]
Star Comprehensive, age 36-45, ₹10 lakh, Zone E12,717 (2024)13,353 (December 2025)+5.0%
Star Comprehensive, age 61-65, ₹10 lakh, Zone A37,039 (2024)40,743 (December 2025)+10.0% [8,9]
Star Arogya Sanjeevani, age 36-45, ₹5 lakh5,420 (2024)5,962 (2025)+10.0% [16,17]
Star Senior Citizens Red Carpet, ₹5 lakh20,315 (2024)22,347 (2025)+10.0% [10,11]
Niva Bupa Senior First, age 61-65, ₹5 lakh, Zone 113,665 (2022)15,032 (current)+10.0% [18,19]
SBI General Arogya Supreme, age 61-65, ₹5 lakh, Zone 128,766 (2022)31,643 (July 2026)+10.0% [20,21]
Tata AIG Elder Care, age 61-65, ₹5 lakh, Zone A27,844 (2023)27,844 (current)None [7]
HDFC ERGO Optima Senior, age 61-65, ₹5 lakh22,553 (January 2013)22,553 (current)None in the printed table [22,23]
New India Mediclaim, age 36-45, ₹10 lakh, per member8,062 (2020 chart)12,862 (from April 2023)+59.5% [12,13]
New India Senior Citizen Mediclaim, age 60-65, ₹1.5 lakh6,006 (from 1 October 2020)6,607 (from 1 November 2024)+10.0% [24,25]

The table does not show a yearly drumbeat. Three of these charts did not move at all. Niva Bupa's Senior First moved once in about four years [18,19], and SBI General's Arogya Supreme held its 2022 rates until July 2026 [20,21].

When a revision does come, your age decides how large it can be. Star Comprehensive shows both cases in one revision: 25.0% for a 36-45 year old in Delhi or Mumbai, and exactly 10.0% for a 61-65 year old on the same chart [8,9][8,9]. Where you live matters too. The same revision was 5.0% in Star's cheapest zone. The largest single rise in the table is New India's in 2023: 59.5% for a 36-45 year old, on a chart that had not moved in years [12,13].

The reason for the split is a rule. Since 30 January 2025 an insurer may not raise a senior citizen's premium by more than 10% a year, and a senior citizen is anyone aged 60 or above [5][5]. Below 60 there is no number. The insurer's own product committee approves the new rates, and the rule that once froze a plan's price for three years was repealed in 2024 [2,3,4]. What the 10% rule covers, and what to do if a renewal breaks it, is on can your insurer raise a senior's premium by more than 10%.

4. Your own renewal: discounts and loadings

The chart is the standard price. Your bill can differ from it, and some of the differences are allowed and some are not.

An insurer may not add a loading to your policy because you made a claim. Loadings on individual policies have to be applied to everyone on the plan [3,4]. It may take away a discount you earned for not claiming. On the notice the two look the same, so ask which one it is.

Tax is the one thing that went down. Individual and family floater health policies have carried no GST since 22 September 2025 [26,27][26]. A renewal that is the same before tax should be lower than the last one you paid with 18% on top.

5. What to check on a renewal notice

Start by asking the insurer to split the increase into three lines: the change in the plan's rates, the change from your age band, and any discount withdrawn. Then:

  • If you crossed an age band, look at the chart. The step should match what the chart prints for the new band. It is not a revision and no ceiling applies to it.
  • If the plan was repriced and you are 60 or older, the rate change may not be more than 10% [5].
  • If the plan was repriced and you are under 60, there is no ceiling to cite. Your option is to compare other plans before the renewal date.
  • If 18% GST appears, it should not [26,27].

What senior plans cost against each other at the same co-payment is on what senior health insurance costs in India, and the full ranking is on the best and worst senior health insurance in India.

Frequently asked questions

Does health insurance premium increase every year in India?
No. It increases in the years when you cross into a higher age band, when the insurer reprices the plan, or when you lose a discount. Star's Super Star rates, for example, were identical in its 2024 and 2026 prospectuses [1,6], so a customer who stayed in the same age band saw no change in the chart price over that time.
Does health insurance premium increase with age?
Yes, in steps. Most charts price in five-year age bands. On Star's Super Star chart ₹10 lakh for one adult in Zone A costs ₹6,721 a year at 18-25 and ₹85,323 at 76-80, with the largest single step, 58%, at age 61 [1] [1]. A few plans do not price by age at all: Star's Red Carpet charges the same at every age it accepts [11].
By how much can an insurer increase the premium at renewal?
If you are under 60, no rule sets a number. Repricing is signed off by the insurer's own product committee, and the old rule that froze a product's price for three years was repealed in 2024 [2,3,4]. If you are 60 or older, the insurer may not raise the premium by more than 10% a year [5] [5].
Does the premium increase after a claim?
The insurer may not add a loading to your individual policy because you claimed; loadings have to be applied to the whole portfolio [3,4]. What it can do is withdraw a no-claim discount, and that makes the bill higher than last year's.
Why did my premium jump when I turned 61?
Because 61 starts a new age band, and on many charts it is the steepest one. Super Star charges 58% more at 61-65 than at 56-60 for the same cover [1]. That is an age-band change, not a premium revision, so the 10% ceiling for senior citizens does not limit it. Ask the insurer to split the increase into the two parts.
Is GST still charged on a health insurance premium?
Not on an individual or family floater policy. GST on those has been nil since 22 September 2025 [26,27][26]. If a renewal notice still adds 18%, that part is wrong.

Sources

Every figure on this page is footnoted to one of the primary documents below. Reliability tiers: A = regulator, court or filed document; B = reputable publisher or carrier official page; C = user-generated (reported by users).

  1. 1.Star Health and Allied Insurance Company Limited — Super Star — Prospectus with base premium tables (PROS / SS / V.3 / 2026). https://d28c6jni2fmamz.cloudfront.net/Prospectus_Super_Star_V_1_without_Premium_Chart_Single_Page_25b70db850.pdfTier A · Regulator / court / filed document · Published 2026-05-26 · Accessed 2026-10-12
  2. 2.Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India — Master Circular on Health Insurance Business (Master Circular on IRDAI (Insurance Products) Regulations 2024 – Health Insurance), Ref. IRDAI/HLT/CIR/PRO/84/5/2024. https://irdai.gov.in/document-detail?documentId=4942918Tier A · Regulator / court / filed document · Published 2024-05-29 · Accessed 2026-08-18
  3. 3.Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India / Gazette of India — Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (Insurance Products) Regulations, 2024 — F. No. IRDAI/Reg/8/202/2024. https://egazette.gov.in/WriteReadData/2024/253325.pdfTier A · Regulator / court / filed document · Published 2024-03-22 · Accessed 2026-08-18
  4. 4.Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India — IRDAI (Health Insurance) Regulations, 2016 — F. No. IRDAI/Reg/17/129/2016 [REPEALED 1 April 2024]. https://irdai.gov.in/documents/37343/366405/IRDAI+(Health+Insurance)+Regulations%2C+2016.pdf/d2020b8b-38c4-fff9-ee92-9969906b26f8Tier A · Regulator / court / filed document · Published 2016-07-12 · Accessed 2026-08-18
  5. 5.Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India — Circular — Review of revision in premium rates under health insurance policies for senior citizens (Ref. IRDAI/HLT/CIR/MISC/27/1/2025). https://irdai.gov.in/documents/37343/365525/Circular+-+Review+of+revision+in++premium+rates+under+health+insurance+policies+for+senior+citizens.pdf/b703b6bf-d407-e8f0-a302-c17260bec4a5Tier A · Regulator / court / filed document · Published 2025-01-30 · Accessed 2026-08-18
  6. 6.Star Health and Allied Insurance Company Limited — Super Star — Prospectus with base premium tables (PROS / SS / V.2 / 2024). https://d28c6jni2fmamz.cloudfront.net/Prospectus_Super_Star_V_1_21e5a78563.pdfTier A · Regulator / court / filed document · Published 2025-04-26 · Accessed 2026-10-12
  7. 7.Tata AIG General Insurance Company Limited — Tata AIG Elder Care — rate chart (UIN TATHLIP23179V012223), file of September 2025. https://www.tataaig.com/s3/elder_care_rate_chart_302ed17eca.pdfTier A · Regulator / court / filed document · Published 2025-09-19 · Accessed 2026-10-12
  8. 8.Star Health and Allied Insurance Company Limited — Star Comprehensive Insurance Policy — Prospectus with premium chart (PROS / COMP / V.13 / 2024), Wayback capture of 6 March 2025. https://web.archive.org/web/20250306112459id_/https://d28c6jni2fmamz.cloudfront.net/Prospectus_Star_Comprehensive_Insurance_Policy_V_12_dc6058c95e.pdfTier A · Regulator / court / filed document · Published 2024-11-02 · Accessed 2026-10-12
  9. 9.Star Health and Allied Insurance Company Limited — Star Comprehensive Insurance Policy — Prospectus with premium chart (PROS / COMP / V.15 / 2025). https://d28c6jni2fmamz.cloudfront.net/Prospectus_Star_Comprehensive_Insurance_Policy_V_12_dc6058c95e.pdfTier A · Regulator / court / filed document · Published 2025-12-23 · Accessed 2026-10-02
  10. 10.Star Health and Allied Insurance Company Limited — Senior Citizens Red Carpet Health Insurance Policy — Prospectus (PROS / SCRC / V.11 / 2024), Wayback capture of 5 March 2025. https://web.archive.org/web/20250305193825id_/https://d28c6jni2fmamz.cloudfront.net/Prospectus_Senior_Citizens_Red_Carpet_Policy_V_11_ed34026052.pdfTier A · Regulator / court / filed document · Published 2024-09-18 · Accessed 2026-10-12
  11. 11.Star Health and Allied Insurance Company Limited — Senior Citizens Red Carpet Health Insurance Policy — Prospectus (PROS / SCRC / V.13 / 2025). https://d28c6jni2fmamz.cloudfront.net/Prospectus_Senior_Citizens_Red_Carpet_Policy_V_11_ed34026052.pdfTier A · Regulator / court / filed document · Accessed 2026-08-17
  12. 12.The New India Assurance Company Limited — New India Mediclaim Policy — Premium Chart Per Member (Excluding GST), applicable with effect from 1 October 2020, Wayback capture of 30 March 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220330012057id_/https://newindia.co.in/cms/dbe1552e-6aaf-4083-95d1-6b22f6c19b10/New%20India%20Mediclaim%20Policy%20Premium%20Chart.pdf?guest=trueTier A · Regulator / court / filed document · Published 2021-01-21 · Accessed 2026-10-12
  13. 13.The New India Assurance Company Limited — New India Mediclaim Policy — Premium chart applicable from 1 April 2023 for fresh policies and 1 July 2023 for renewals (UIN NIAHLIP23187V052223), Wayback capture of 20 October 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20231020064512id_/https://newindia.co.in/assets/docs/know-more/health/new-india-mediclaim-policy/FinalPremiumNewIndiaMediclaimPolicy(NIAHLIP23187V052223).pdfTier A · Regulator / court / filed document · Published 2023-03-24 · Accessed 2026-10-12
  14. 14.Star Health and Allied Insurance Company Limited — Star Health Assure Insurance Policy — Prospectus with premium chart (PROS / SHA / V.6 / 2026). https://d28c6jni2fmamz.cloudfront.net/Prospectus_Star_Health_Assure_Insurance_Policy_V_3_9b8479dfdd.pdfTier A · Regulator / court / filed document · Published 2026-04-09 · Accessed 2026-10-12
  15. 15.Star Health and Allied Insurance Company Limited — Star Health Assure Insurance Policy — Prospectus with premium chart (PROS / SHA / V.3 / 2024), Wayback capture of 6 March 2025. https://web.archive.org/web/20250306112510id_/https://d28c6jni2fmamz.cloudfront.net/Prospectus_Star_Health_Assure_Insurance_Policy_V_3_9b8479dfdd.pdfTier A · Regulator / court / filed document · Published 2024-10-29 · Accessed 2026-10-12
  16. 16.Star Health and Allied Insurance Company Limited — Arogya Sanjeevani Policy, Star Health — Prospectus with premium chart (PROS / ASP / V.8 / 2024), Wayback capture of 6 March 2025. https://web.archive.org/web/20250306112504id_/https://d28c6jni2fmamz.cloudfront.net/Prospectus_Arogya_Sanjeevani_Policy_V_8_9a95b2c87f.pdfTier A · Regulator / court / filed document · Published 2024-09-19 · Accessed 2026-10-12
  17. 17.Star Health and Allied Insurance Company Limited — Arogya Sanjeevani Policy, Star Health — Prospectus with premium chart (PROS / ASP / V.10 / 2025). https://d28c6jni2fmamz.cloudfront.net/Prospectus_Arogya_Sanjeevani_Policy_V_8_9a95b2c87f.pdfTier A · Regulator / court / filed document · Published 2025-12-19 · Accessed 2026-10-02
  18. 18.Niva Bupa Health Insurance Company Limited — Senior First — Prospectus with premium annexure (UIN MAXHLIP21575V012021), Wayback capture of May 2024. https://web.archive.org/web/20240508184708id_/https://transactions.nivabupa.com/pages/doc/prospectus/Senior-First-Prospectus.pdfTier A · Regulator / court / filed document · Published 2022-06-08 · Accessed 2026-10-12
  19. 19.Niva Bupa Health Insurance Company Limited — Senior First — Prospectus with premium annexure (UIN NBHHLIP27053V022627). https://transactions.nivabupa.com/pages/doc/prospectus/Senior-First-Prospectus.pdfTier A · Regulator / court / filed document · Published 2025-01-10 · Accessed 2026-10-12
  20. 20.SBI General Insurance Company Limited — Arogya Supreme — rate chart of April 2022 (launch rates, UIN SBIHLIP21043V012122). https://content.sbigeneral.in/uploads/Arogya_Supreme_Rate_Chart_b49a9bc664.pdfTier A · Regulator / court / filed document · Published 2022-04-26 · Accessed 2026-10-12
  21. 21.SBI General Insurance Company Limited — Arogya Supreme — rate chart with effect from 10 July 2026 (UIN SBIHLIP27036V022627). https://content.sbigeneral.in/uploads/Arogya_Supreme_Rate_Chart_w_e_f_10th_July_2026_58b528f422.pdfTier A · Regulator / court / filed document · Published 2026-08-20 · Accessed 2026-10-12
  22. 22.Apollo Munich Health Insurance Company Limited (now HDFC ERGO) — Optima Senior — Prospectus with premium rates, Apollo Munich, Wayback capture of 21 August 2013. https://web.archive.org/web/20130821131022id_/http://www.apollomunichinsurance.com/Downloads/Optima-Senior-Prospectus.pdfTier A · Regulator / court / filed document · Published 2013-01-04 · Accessed 2026-10-12
  23. 23.HDFC ERGO General Insurance Co. — Optima Senior — Prospectus (UIN HDHHLIP21379V022021). https://www.hdfcergo.com/docs/default-source/downloads/prospectus/optima-senior---prospectus.pdfTier A · Regulator / court / filed document · Accessed 2026-08-17
  24. 24.The New India Assurance Company Limited — Senior Citizen Mediclaim Policy — Premium Chart, applicable with effect from 1 October 2020, Wayback capture of 1 November 2024. https://web.archive.org/web/20241101205454id_/https://www.newindia.co.in/assets/docs/know-more/health/senior-citizen-mediclaim-policy/Senior%20Citizen%20Mediclaim%20Policy%20Premium%20Chart%2001102024.pdfTier A · Regulator / court / filed document · Published 2024-10-21 · Accessed 2026-10-12
  25. 25.The New India Assurance Company Limited — Senior Citizen Mediclaim Policy — Premium Chart, applicable with effect from 1 November 2024. https://www.newindia.co.in/assets/docs/know-more/health/senior-citizen-mediclaim-policy/Senior%20Citizen%20Mediclaim%20Policy%20Premium%20Chart.pdfTier A · Regulator / court / filed document · Published 2025-09-18 · Accessed 2026-10-12
  26. 26.Ministry of Finance (Department of Revenue), Government of India — Notification No. 16/2025-Central Tax (Rate), dated 17 September 2025 — amends Notification No. 12/2017-Central Tax (Rate) to implement the recommendations of the 56th GST Council. https://taxinformation.cbic.gov.in/view-pdf/1010454/ENG/NotificationsTier A · Regulator / court / filed document · Published 2025-09-17 · Accessed 2026-08-18
  27. 27.GST Council / Ministry of Finance, Press Information Bureau — Recommendations of the 56th Meeting of the GST Council. https://gstcouncil.gov.in/sites/default/files/2025-09/press_release_press_information_bureau_0.pdfTier A · Regulator / court / filed document · Published 2025-09-03 · Accessed 2026-08-17