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Last updated on: May 20, 2025
Chola MS Health Insurance and Reliance Health Insurance are two leading providers in India, each offering diverse health insurance plans tailored to various needs. Chola MS is known for its prompt claim settlement, extensive hospital network, and flexible plans with wellness benefits, making it suitable for families and individuals seeking comprehensive coverage. Reliance Health Insurance stands out with affordable premiums, innovative add-ons, and wide-reaching digital services, appealing to tech-savvy users looking for customizable options. Both insurers provide cashless hospitalization, pre- and post-hospitalization coverage, and critical illness benefits, but Chola MS often emphasizes service excellence while Reliance focuses on affordability and ease of access. Choosing between the two depends on personal preferences for features, pricing, and service quality.
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Read BioEvery Indian family needs health insurance to cope with the increasing medical expenses and obtain quality care. In 2025, the need to select the appropriate plan is more critical than ever, particularly at a time when families are drawn to floater plans, cashless treatments, and higher coverage. Two major players—Chola MS Health Insurance and Reliance Health Insurance—are top choices in the market. This guide contrasts the two providers to enable you to make a wise decision in favor of your loved ones.
Chola MS Health Insurance is a joint venture company between the Murugappa Group and the Japanese Mitsui Sumitomo Insurance Group. It provides policies like critical illness, family floater, and personal accident covers to suit Indians.
Reliance General Insurance, which includes Reliance Health Insurance, is a company that is recognized throughout the country due to its wide range of plans, low premiums, and large networks of hospitals. It caters to individuals, seniors, and families.
The two companies provide digital services, convenient claim experiences, and extensive hospital empanelment in 2025.
Did you know? The latest report of IRDAI indicates that by 2025, over 58 percent of urban Indian families will be covered by health insurance, mostly due to the efforts of private insurers.
The key points that most Indian policyholders are concerned about are as follows:
| Feature | Chola MS Health Insurance | Reliance Health Insurance |
|---|---|---|
| Claim Settlement Ratio | 97% (2024-25) | 98% (2024-25) |
| Network Hospitals | 10,500+ (2025) | 9,400+ (2025) |
| Pre-existing Waiting Period | 3–4 years | 2–4 years |
| No-Claim Bonus | Up to 100% increase | 10–50% increase |
| Daily Cash Benefit | Some plans – Up to ₹2500 per day | Up to ₹2500 per day |
| Restoration Benefit | Up to 100% sum insured | Up to 100% sum insured |
| Cashless Hospitalisation | Leading hospitals PAN India | 9,400+ hospitals India-wide |
| Maternity Cover | Certain plans | Part of certain plans |
| OPD Cover | High-end plans | Comprehensive plans |
| Premium Range | ₹3,200–₹18,000 per year | ₹2,800–₹21,000 per year |
| Digital App Support | Yes | Yes |
| Tax Benefits | Sec 80D | Sec 80D |
| (Stats as of March 2025) |
Chola MS is a family health protection with:
What Sets It Apart?
Chola MS family-centric plans, Family Healthline and Flexi Health, are scalable, cover co-morbidities, and allow easy add-ons to growing families.
Expert Insight
According to Dr. Meenal Rao, the Health Policy Advisor, the complete options of Chola MS are suitable to families who want a solid hospital coverage, allied treatments, and hassle free claims.
Reliance is commended due to low cost, extensive cashless network, and consumer friendly operations:
What Sets It Apart?
Reliance provides a wide range of plans such as low-cost plans to young professionals, international plans, and custom-designed plans to senior citizens and women.
Case in Point
Anita is an IT professional based in Pune and she selected Reliance Health Infinity. She says she received cashless approval within less than 20 minutes and the network came in handy when her father was admitted to the hospital without any notice.
Both brands spend a lot on digital delivery. By 2025, the majority of policyholders prefer apps to upload documents, claim tracking, and renewals.
Did You Know?
In January 2025, IRDAI required all insurers to accept or reject cashless claims within six working hours of document receipt.
Affordability depends on age, family size and sum insured. An example of a family floater (2 adults, 1 child) in Delhi without any pre-existing conditions is the following:
| Sum Insured | Chola MS (Annual Premium) | Reliance (Annual Premium) |
|---|---|---|
| ₹5 lakhs | ₹6,900–₹7,600 | ₹6,200–₹7,000 |
| ₹10 lakhs | ₹12,800–₹13,400 | ₹12,400–₹13,200 |
| ₹20 lakhs | ₹17,500–₹19,000 | ₹18,200–₹19,800 |
Premiums can be different, depending on add-ons, location, and tenure.
Chola MS offers:
Reliance offers:
Fact: More than 34 percent of Indian health insurance purchasers in 2025 will buy a plan that includes both allopathy and AYUSH treatments.
Lower entry age, fewer strict health checks, and additional services like home nursing and check-ups make the senior plans of Reliance more popular. Chola MS has strong plans, although with a longer waiting time.
Both insurers have maternity benefits, yet Reliance has newborn coverage and vaccinations in most of its plans, which makes it appropriate to young families. Chola MS can take more time to wait.
The platform of Reliance tends to be rated higher in terms of speed and mobile responsiveness, yet both brands have powerful apps to submit claims and provide e-cards.
The most common documents are:
| Criteria | Chola MS Health Insurance | Reliance Health Insurance |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Claim Ratio | 97% | 98% |
| Entry Age (Individual) | 18 | 18 |
| Entry Age (Senior) | Up to 65 | Up to 70 |
| Max Sum Insured | Up to 50 lakh | Unlimited (Health Infinity) |
| Network Hospital | 10,500+ | 9,400+ |
| No Claim Bonus | Up to 100% | Up to 50% |
| Digital App Rating | 3.7/5 | 4.1/5 |
| Waiting Period (PED) | 3–4 years | 2–4 years |
| Maternity Cover | Select plans (4–6 years wait) | Select plans (from 3 years wait) |
| Day Care Procedures | 540+ | 520+ |
Online portals allow you to compare features, pricing, inclusions, and claim processes side-by-side, and frequently with actual customer reviews. They assist you to identify hidden advantages, new arrangements and special discounts that may not be publicized in other places.
Reliance has more options to provide to families with seniors. Chola MS is better in case of those who require greater coverage and customisation.
Sunita, 33 years old, is a teacher in Mumbai who compared Chola MS and Reliance using an online marketplace. She opted to use Chola MS due to better daycare coverage and a better no claim bonus. Her friend, Karan, a resident of Hyderabad, selected Reliance because of mobile application, lower rate, and good network in Telangana.
The decision between Chola MS and Reliance Health Insurance in 2025 depends on the settlement of claims, digital experience, family size, hospital network and affordability. To make a wise choice, use online comparison tools, read recent reviews, and check tie-ups in hospitals. Both insurers are trustworthy; your health, financial well-being and family needs are the most important.
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Written by Prem Anand, a content writer with over 10+ years of experience in the Banking, Financial Services, and Insurance sectors.
Prem Anand is a seasoned content writer with over 10+ years of experience in the Banking, Financial Services, and Insurance sectors. He has a strong command of industry-specific language and compliance regulations. He specializes in writing insightful blog posts, detailed articles, and content that educates and engages the Indian audience.
The content is prepared by thoroughly researching multiple trustworthy sources such as official websites, financial portals, customer reviews, policy documents and IRDAI guidelines. The goal is to bring accurate and reader-friendly insights.
This content is created to help readers make informed decisions. It aims to simplify complex insurance and finance topics so that you can understand your options clearly and take the right steps with confidence. Every article is written keeping transparency, clarity, and trust in mind.
Based on Google's Helpful Content System, this article emphasizes user value, transparency, and accuracy. It incorporates principles of E-E-A-T (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness).
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