Star Health and Allied Insurance Company Limited

About Star Health and Allied Insurance

Star Health and Allied Insurance Company Limited, founded in 2006 and headquartered in Chennai, holds the distinction of being India's first standalone health insurance provider. Unlike general insurers that offer motor, travel, and home insurance alongside health products, Star Health is exclusively focused on health insurance — and that specialisation shows in the depth of its product portfolio and the strength of its claims infrastructure.

The company is listed on the NSE and BSE and operates under a direct, in-house model with no Third-Party Administrator (TPA) involvement in claims processing. Cashless and reimbursement claims are handled through Star Health's in-house claims team without involving a Third-Party Administrator (TPA), enabling faster coordination and claim processing.

Today, Star Health has settled over 1.4 crore claims since inception, maintains 15,000+ cashless network hospitals, operates 900+ offices, and works with over 8.3 lakh agents and 18,500+ employees — making it one of the most widely distributed health insurers in India. Its reach extends deep into Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities, which is a significant advantage for families spread across multiple locations.

Star Health Insurance — Key Facts (FY 2025-26)

Star Health FY26 Performance Snapshot

For the year ended March 31, 2026, Star Health reported a 16% year-on-year rise in profit after tax to Rs. 911 crore, with Gross Written Premium up 16% to Rs. 20,369 crore. The Company's combined ratio — a key measure of underwriting health, where lower is better — improved to 98.8% from 101.1% a year earlier, and retail health market share stood at 31%, the highest among Indian health insurers. Renewal persistence stood at 99%, and the Company's customer app crossed 14 million+ downloads.

Source: Star Health and Allied Insurance Company Limited, official FY2025-26 results disclosure, April 30, 2026.

Understanding Star Health's Incurred Claim Ratio (ICR)

Incurred Claim Ratio (FY 2024-25): 70.30% | Source: IRDAI Annual Report 2024-25 (Standalone Health Insurers)

What does this mean?
For every Rs. 100 collected as premium, Star Health paid out Rs. 70.30 in claims during FY 2024-25. IRDAI publishes ICR (not CSR) as the standard metric for standalone health and general insurers. Experts consider an ICR between 60-85% as a balanced range for standalone health insurers — indicating that the insurer pays claims reliably while maintaining financial stability.

How Star Health's ICR Compares to Peers
Among standalone health insurers, the combined ICR for FY 2024-25 was 68.06%. Individual insurer figures published by IRDAI: Aditya Birla Health Insurance 71.50%, ManipalCigna Health Insurance 74.81%, Star Health and Allied Insurance 70.30%, Care Health Insurance 64.53%, and Niva Bupa Health Insurance 61.22%. Star Health's ICR sits above the standalone-insurer average, consistent with the "balanced" 60-85% range noted above.

Note: SMC Insurance displays only IRDAI-published ICR data. We do not display third-party or self-reported claim settlement ratios to ensure accuracy and compliance.
 

Star Health Insurance Plans — Full List

Star Health offers 25+ IRDAI-approved products. Here is a structured overview of the key plans available, who they are designed for, and their standout features. You can compare all plans and get premium quotes through SMC Insurance.

Note: Plan names, sum insured bands, and features are subject to change; always confirm current terms on starhealth.in or the policy wording before purchase, as several of these plans have optional-cover variants (e.g., Super Star) not fully captured in a summary table.

Key Plan Details at a Glance

• Star Comprehensive Insurance Policy
  This is Star Health's most feature-rich plan for individuals and families. It comes with OPD (outpatient) coverage, no room rent cap, no room rent cap and comprehensive hospitalisation benefits and worldwide emergency hospitalisation benefits, subject to policy terms. The sum insured can go up to Rs. 1 Crore — making it suitable for urban families who want maximum coverage without restrictions. Pre-hospitalisation cover extends to 60 days and post-hospitalisation to 90 days.
• Family Health Optima Insurance Plan
  Star Health's most popular family floater plan. A single sum insured (ranging from Rs. 1 lakh to Rs. 25 lakh) covers the entire family — spouse, children, and dependent parents. The plan includes automatic restoration of the full sum insured up to 3 times per year, maternity cover, newborn coverage from day one, AYUSH treatments, and an annual health check-up. Pre- and post-hospitalisation are covered for 60 and 90 days respectively.
• Senior Citizens Red Carpet Policy
  Specifically designed for individuals aged 60 to 75 years, the Red Carpet plan has one of the shortest pre-existing disease (PED) waiting periods in the senior citizen category — just 12 months. No pre-policy medical screening is required for the base plan. The co-payment is 30% for pre-existing conditions, reducing the premium significantly. Sum insured ranges from Rs. 1 lakh to Rs. 25 lakh with lifelong renewability.
• Diabetes Safe Insurance Policy
  India has one of the highest diabetic populations globally, and this plan addresses that gap directly. It provides day-one coverage for diabetes-related complications — including dialysis, cataract, and cardiac events — without any waiting period for the listed conditions. Available for individuals aged 18 to 65 years with Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes.
• Star Super Star Health Plan
  Launched as a next-generation, customisable long-term health plan, the Super Star plan allows policyholders to choose policy tenures of 1, 2, or 3 years with multi-year discounts. It includes wellness reward points tied to fitness goals tracked through health apps and wearables. Discounts on renewal premiums of up to 20% are available based on health activity compliance.

Why Buy Star Health Plans Through SMC Insurance?

SMC Insurance is an IRDAI-registered composite broker (Reg. No. 289), not a direct agent of Star Health. This distinction matters to you as a buyer:

• Unbiased comparison: SMC compares Star Health plans with 20+ insurers so you get the plan that matches your health profile and budget — not just the one with the highest commission.
• No extra cost: Premium you pay through SMC is identical to buying directly from Star Health. Brokers are compensated by the insurer, not the buyer.
• Claim support: SMC provides end-to-end claim assistance — documentation, follow-up, and escalation — throughout the claims process.
• Expert advice: With 15+ years in the insurance broking space, SMC advisors can help you choose between plans like Family Health Optima vs Star Comprehensive based on your specific needs.
• Renewal tracking:
  SMC proactively reminds you before renewal to avoid lapses and loss of accumulated benefits like no-claim bonuses.

How to File a Cashless Claim with Star Health

Star Health processes all claims in-house without a TPA. Here is the step-by-step process for a cashless claim at a network hospital:

1. Planned hospitalisation: Inform Star Health and the hospital's insurance desk at least 48 hours before admission. For emergency hospitalisation, inform within 24 hours of admission.
2. Present your Star Health health card or policy document at the hospital insurance desk to initiate the process.
3. Fill the pre-authorisation form available at the hospital or downloadable from the Star Health website/app. The hospital submits it to Star Health on your behalf.
4. Star Health's in-house medical team reviews and approves the claim. Pre-authorisation for planned procedures is typically granted within a few hours. For emergencies, approval follows quickly.
5. Cashless treatment proceeds. You only pay for items not covered by the policy — such as registration fees, consumables, or amounts exceeding the sum insured.
6. At discharge, all covered bills are settled directly between the hospital and Star Health.

For reimbursement claims (treatment at non-network hospitals), submit all original bills, discharge summary, diagnostic reports, prescriptions, and the duly filled claim form to Star Health within 30 days of discharge.
 

Star Health Network Hospitals

Star Health maintains one of the largest cashless hospital networks among all standalone health insurers in India — 15,000+ empanelled hospitals across all states and union territories as of March 2026.

• Strong presence in Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities, unlike many private health insurers concentrated in metros.
• A large network of diagnostic centres for preventive health check-ups.
• E-pharmacy services available across numerous cities through Star Health's network. Home delivery and store pick-up for medicines.

To check network hospitals in your city: visit www.starhealth.in/lookup/hospital/ — filter by state, city, and hospital name.
 

Awards & Recognitions

Star Health has received several industry recognitions for its contributions to the health insurance sector:

• S&P Global CSA score of 53 points — 2025/26, S&P Global sustainability assessment.
• Most Effective: Mobile Marketing Campaign & Use of Celebrity — 2025, Pitch Finovate.
• Digital Innovation of the Year (Health Insurance) — 2023, for commitment to digital-first service delivery.
• Most Innovative New Product of the Year — 2020, for introducing differentiated products for underserved segments.
• ISO Certifications held: ISO 22301 (Business Continuity), ISO/IEC 27001 (Information Security), ISO 9001:2015 (Quality Management).

Recent Regulatory Developments

For a complete, balanced picture, it's worth noting two regulatory matters from the past two years:

• IRDAI issued a show-cause notice to Star Health in late 2024, following a general inspection of the Company's business and operational practices; Star Health stated in its exchange filing that it was responding to IRDAI's observations as part of a routine regulatory process.
• In mid-2025, IRDAI imposed a penalty and issued a warning to Star Health for violations under the IRDAI Information & Cyber Security Guidelines, 2023, in connection with a cyberattack that had earlier affected customer data.

Prospective buyers can review IRDAI's public orders and Star Health's own disclosures on the Investors section of starhealth.in for full details.

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