Individual
Family
Senior Citizen
SMC Insurance Brokers Pvt. Ltd.
Parsvnath Metro Mall, Near Pratap Nagar Metro Station, Pratap Nagar, New Delhi-110007
Registration No: 289, Registration Code No: IRDAI/DB-272/04/289, Valid till: 27/01/2026, License category: Direct Broker (Life & General), CIN: U66000DL1995PTC172311
Insurance is the subject matter of solicitation.
Visitors are hereby informed that their information submitted on the website may be shared with insurers.
Product information is authentic and solely based on the information received from the Insurer.
Health Insurance Benefits
Tax Benefits
u/s 80 (D)
Cashless
Treatment
Free Annual
Health Check up
Health Insurance in 2 Mins
Health Insurance Benefits
Tax Benefits
u/s 80 (D)
Cashless
Treatment
Free Annual
Health Check up
Understanding Loading In Health Insurance
Health insurance is a contract between you and the insurer, who promises to cover your hospitalisation expenses in exchange for the premiums you pay.
The standard premiums published in the brochure of the plan are calculated based on assumptions of covering a healthy, fit person with a healthy lifestyle (also called “standard risk”).
Now, if the insurance company receives an application for covering an individual with say multiple health conditions, then the insurer may decide to charge a higher premium to cover this higher risk (“non-standard risk”). This additional premium charged for non standard risk under health insurance parlance is called “loading” or “underwriting loading”.
In this article, let’s understand what loading exactly is, the factors that affect loading, and more.
Let’s dive right in!
What Is Loading?
Loading is the extra premium charged by an insurer, in case you have health conditions or medical history or a lifestyle that makes you a higher risk for the insurance company than what is usually acceptable.
Whether or not the insurer will apply loading on your health insurance premium will depend on several factors. Let’s take a look at these factors.
Factors That Affect Loading
-
Health Status
The insurance company may apply loading charges if you are obese or have a medical history of certain illnesses, diseases, surgeries, other medical issues, etc.
Let’s say two friends Raj and Ram belong to the same age group. Ram is healthy - and doesn't suffer from any medical issues. Raj, however, is obese and suffers from diabetes and high blood pressure. In this case, Raj will have to pay a loading hence a likely higher premium compared to Ram.
-
Lifestyle
It is riskier to cover individuals who smoke, consume alcohol, etc. daily because these activities increase the chances of lung infections, cancer, and other illnesses. These, in turn, increase the possibility of a claim under the health insurance policy. Hence, the insurance company may apply loading charges if you smoke, drink, etc.
-
Occupation
The insurance company may apply a loading on your health insurance premiums if your occupation includes work that is risky or dangerous to your health. For instance, if you are a professional racer, work in an underground mine, or are engaged in activities like paragliding, bungee jumping, kayaking, canoeing, and so on.
Let’s say Shivya and Kanika both are 30 years old and want to buy a health insurance policy with a sum insured of Rs. 7.5 Lakhs. Shivya is a teacher, whereas Kanika is a professional racer. So, in this case, the health insurance premium of Shivya will be lower compared to Kanika. This is because Shivya belongs to a low-risk profession whereas Kanika is involved in a high-risk one.
-
Please note: Your age can have an impact on loading when combined with other health conditions.
For instance, Riya, 30, and her father, 60, both have hypertension. They both decide to buy separate health insurance plans for themselves. In this case, the insurance company will apply a higher loading on Riya’s policy than on her father’s policy. Why? Because Riya has the condition at a very young age which could be lifestyle related, whereas her father's condition will be considered an age-related illness. So, from an insurer's perspective, Riya is a higher risk to cover than her father.
- Besides the factors we have mentioned above, there may be other factors that may affect loading. The T&Cs for applying loading on premiums may vary across insurance companies.
How Is Loading Applied?
- When you purchase health insurance, you will have to select the sum insured as per your requirements and fill out a proposal form which will include all your personal details as well as your medical history including pre-existing illnesses (if any).
- Once this is done, you will be directed to the payment page where you can make the payment. After the transaction is complete, you will get a confirmation mail from your insurer with the details of your policy.
- If you have any pre-existing illness or any habits like smoking or drinking alcohol mentioned in the proposal form, the insurer may apply loading. It can be applied either by -
- Decreasing the sum insured for the same premium that you have paid, or
- Charging an additional premium.
- This is called a counter offer, which will be sent to you via mail. You can approve the offer by signing it. The insurer will then make changes to the policy accordingly and send it to you
- If you are not okay with the offer and deny it, the policy will be considered null and void. The premium paid by you will be refunded as per the terms and conditions of the insurer.
Wrapping Up!
So, that is all about loading in health insurance. Loading is the extra amount charged by insurance companies. It comes into play if they are dealing with individuals who may be at higher risk due to certain factors, like age, occupation, health status, etc. To provide a health insurance cover to such individuals, they will apply loading.Partners - We Are Proud To Have
We have over 30+ insurance partners on our back. Rest assured, you won't be short of choices.
Why Customers Love Us?
- We provide quick claim assistance.
- We are easily approachable through phone, email, and text.
- We are transparent operations with no hidden cost.
- We pursue your claims till the very end.
- We understand your needs, and advise most suitable insurance products to you.
Our Customers' Stories
Sharing the experience of happy and satisfied customers with you.
Sameer Yadav
I was searching for investment plan but I couldn't find it, then I got the call from SMC insurance and they aligned a call with Ishita Sharma as point of contact (POC) for all my queries and she explain me very well. Ishita explain me all investment plan with advantage and disadvantage, I really appreciate her. Ishita always enthusiast towords work and ready to answer all my questions .I have taken two policies ( HDFC click to invest) plan with 15k premium per month. I always recommend SMC insurance to all, for better life and happy retirement with huge health and wealth. Thank You SMC insurance for your best service. Special thanks to Ishita for E2E help and endless support, you did fabulous work. Show More
Dheeraj Bhatia
I am associated with SMC insurance since 2011 and found them to be most ethical, trustworthy and highly responsive. Some of my precious policies done thru other agencies are still running on SMC’s advice. That is a strong testimony to their customer-centric approach. I am glad to be associated with SMC and strongly recommend their services to all concerned. Wishing the very best to Team SMC !Show More
Jyoti Sharma
We were fortunate enough to have selected SMC as our Health Insurance Broker for they have been very helpful in resolving our queries related to health insurance. I would like to cite two examples where SMC's role has been very crucial. One was when payment for cashless hospitalization was not coming through as the insurance company was taking undue longer time to approve the Hospital Bill. It was then I talked to Neha and it was she who through her contacts in the Insurance co. facilitated and expedited the approval for payment of hospital bill. Second was very recently when the Insurance co. had proposed a top up "Enhancer" policy for our existing policy. When I talked to Neha she immediately told me not to take this policy being offered without any medical test as it will not be beneficial to us and may create problem later on account of recent hospitalization. If I had I not consulted Neha, I would have into a big trouble with the insurance co. These two instances speak very high of sincere advice and timely help rendered by the SMC Staff, Ms. Neha Khanna which helped us a lot in time of need.Show More
Sumit Khanna
Hi, I am Sumit here, purchasing insurance policies from SMC for almost 8 years. Would like to recommend this company to other customers because they are taking care of my insurance broking services in a fabulous way. I would like to extend my gratitude and thanks to policy servicing and also insurance claim backend services. They have rendered fantabulous services for me and would like you guys to definitely go and rely on them for all your insurance needs.Show More
Kishor Kumar Bijlani
My experience with SMC Brokers is excellent. They provide support from the beginning till end i.e from issuance of insurance policies till settlement of claims. They explain very nicely various provisions relating to Insurance Policy also facilitate settlement of claims with Insurance Companies. Show More
Megha Singhal
I have purchased HDFC policy from SMC Insurance with the help of Harsh Sharma. I have got the satisfactory services from SMC Insurance. Thank you SMC Insurance.Show More
