New India Assurance Health Insurance vs Royal Sundaram Health Insurance Comparison 2025

Health insurance is an important decision for Indian families. Comparison of New India Assurance Health Insurance and Royal Sundaram Health Insurance for 2025 can help you choose the one that suits your medical requirements and budget. Both insurers have been established names in the marketplace, with extensive hospitals networks, digital claim settlements, multiple plans for individuals, families, and senior citizens. In this guide, we will compare the features, strengths, weaknesses, and unique offerings of each to help you make an informed decision.

What Are the Highlights of New India Assurance and Royal Sundaram Health Insurance?

New India Assurance and Royal Sundaram are the two leading providers of health insurance plans in India, but there are some noticeable differences between them.

New India Assurance Health Insurance Key Features

• State-owned general insurance company that has been in operation since 1919.
• Preferred by lakhs of policyholders from 26 countries and India
• provides individual, family floater, senior citizen, and group health plans
• Cashless facility in more than 3000 network hospitals
• Sum insured options starting from [?]1 lakh to [?]50 lakhs
• Incurred Claim Rate: 92.5 percent (data for 2023-2024)
• Lifetime Renewable on most plans
• Cover for pre and post hospitalisation, day care, domiciliary treatment
• Paperless policy using e-health cards and quick e-claim notification

Social Security Benefits of Royal Sundaram Health Insurance Highlights:

• Private sector general insurer with a customer base of more than 2.5 crore since 2001
• Strong presence in Urban and Semi-Urban areas throughout India
• Wide portfolio of children’s, family, critical illness and top-up plans
• Cashless treatment in more than 10,000 hospitals/clinics.
• Sum insured up to 1 crore (select plans only)
• Claim incurred ratio: 95.2 percent (2023-2024)
• Lifetime renewability applies
• Value-added services: healthy lifestyle rewards, telemedicine, annual health checks
• Easy online underwriting and renewal, 24 hour claim assistance

Did you know? New India Assurance was the first multi-national general insurance company in India and has launched its digital claim portals since 2023, resulting in faster settlements.

What Are the Principal Differences Between New India Assurance and Royal Sundaram Health Insurance Plans?

The end of the day, choosing the right insurance comes down to a comparison of benefits, premium rates, limits of coverage, and how easy it is to get a claim settled.

Criteria/Features

Key Differences Summarized

• Network Hospitals: Royal Sundaram has a larger presence to cater to urban customers.
• Sum Assured Options: New India is more appropriate for low to medium budget while Royal Sundaram offers higher sum insured.
• Claim Settlement Speed: Royal Sundaram tops the charts in 2025 for prompt claim settlements.
• Premium Rates: Typically, New India Assurance is more affordable.

People also ask: Q: What insurer has the most network hospitals in 2025?
Royal Sundaram tops over 10,000 network hospitals across India in 2025.

What Is The Difference In Policy Coverage? (Scope and Inclusions)

Both insurers provide benefits for hospitalisation, pre and post treatment expenses and day care procedures but they vary in other benefits.

New India Assurance - Benefits and exclusions

• Includes allopathy, Ayurveda, Unani and homeopathy treatments (AYUSH)
• Room rental: up to 1 percent of the insured amount/day; most high plans have no limit.
• Maternity cover as optional add-on, 12 month waiting period
• Daycare dentistry (more than 140 procedures included)
• Organ donor costs, domiciliary hospitalisation
• Ambulance fees which may be capped at [?]2000 per admission
• Sum insured restoration (for certain plans)

Royal Sundaram - Terms of Coverage

• Inpatient admission, pre admission and post admission cost (up to 60/90 days depending on plan)
• No upper limits for room rent including allowances for private suites on premium plans
• Emergency ambulance cover: to a maximum of [?]5,000 per event
• Health checks, wellness programmes and second opinion on critical illness included.
• AYUSH policy and OPD under comprehensive policy
• High added value options: second opinion in an international context, accidental death option

Did you know? Royal Sundaram is a top insurer that will cover children up to age 25 years from 2024 (up from 21 years), providing more flexibility for large Indian families.

Advantages and Disadvantages of New India Assurance Health Insurance:

Advantages

• Established Trust: With a history spanning over 100 years, customers can rely on its credibility.
• Reduced Premiums: Reduced as compared to other insurers for the same sum insured.
• Improved Rural Coverage - Better coverage in rural areas, small towns and districts.
• Government Reliability: Government-owned companies are desired by risk-averse customers.

Disadvantages

• Reduced Cashless Hospitals: Smaller urban network creates fast access
• Slower Claims: Claims are a little slower than agile private players.
• Digital platform: Digital customer experience is moderate and improvements are underway.

Real-World Example

Ranjit from Meerut selected New India Assurance for his aged parents in 2024. He got a premium lower than in any private company for a sum insured of Rs. 5 lakh. His father’s surgical claim was processed, but took 12 days to pay, which was okay for his family.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Royal Sundaram Health Insurance

Advantages

• More Hospital Network: More useful for metro and large city people.
• Comprehensive Cover: Higher sum insured, Value-added services and more add-ons
• Claim Assistance: Cloud-based digital solutions and dedicated support lines simplify the claims process.
• Privileges and Incentives: Wellness Rewards, Free Health Checks

Disadvantages

• Premiums - higher for high end plans and critical illness covers
• Limited rural penetration: The rural penetration of private insurance is lower than that of the government insurers.
• Feature Overload: The extensive range of plans, add-ons and features can be overwhelming for new users.

Case Study

Harsha is a software professional from Hyderabad who purchased Royal Sundaram Lifeline Supreme for her family in the year 2023. When her child was being treated in the emergency room, she needed to get her medical bills paid soon. The claim was paid out cashless and in 4 days, putting both parties at ease financially.

Expert Commentary: As stated in IRDAI’s 2024 report, private players have outpaced or equaled the claim ratio of PSU insurers thanks to digitization, online assistance, and customer-centricity.

How Much Do Premiums and Pricing Look Like for 2025?

Premiums can be very different based on age, location, and family size. Let’s take a real-life example for family floater (2 adults + 1 child, proposer age 30, sum insured unspecified, estimates 2025):

The internet lets users compare plans, benefits, exclusions and up-to-the-second premiums within a few minutes, making it easy to find appropriate health insurance without ever leaving your home.

What Is the Claim Settlement Experience?

New India Assurance

• Claim settlement time: 10 days in 2025 (average for cashless and reimbursement claims)
• Claim ratio 92.5 percent (as per 2023-24 IRDAI data)
• Faster Paperless claim intimation through company website
• Around the clock customer service by phone and email.

Royal Sundaram

• Average duration of claim settlement: 6 days (shorter for cashless)
• Claim ratio: 95.2 percent (2023-24 IRDAI)
• Full Electronic Claim Uploads, Mobile App & SMS Claim Tracking
• Dedicated high value claims relationship managers

People also ask: Which Insurance Company Settles Claims Faster?
A: Currently, Royal Sundaram settles claims for health insurance in six days on average in 2025.

Unique Benefits and Add-Ons

New India Assurance

• 100 percent sum insured reinstatement for follow-up claims in certain plans
• Maternity and newborn cover as add-ons
• free annual inspection after 4 years of claims-free driving
• Discounts available on premiums for 2-3 year policy periods

Royal Sundaram

• Emergency overseas travel insurance for premium planholders
• Critical illness rider upto [?] 30 lakhs
• Elite policies never had a cap on room rent.
• Health and Wellness Apps, online doctor consultations, pharmacy discounts

Did you know? Royal Sundaram has introduced digital claim intimation using WhatsApp, through which paperless submission of hospital bills and prescriptions from doctors can be done.

Renewal, Portability and Other Policy Conditions

• Both insurers are lifetime renewables, making them sensible long term partners.
• Policy portability: As per the IRDAI norms, customers are allowed to transfer the plans without losing the added benefits.
• Grace periods: Generally, 15 to 30 days following expiry of policy for both

People also ask: Q Can I transfer my New India Assurance policy to Royal Sundaram?
A: Yes, the portability of Health Policy is possible from one of these insurers to another, as per the rules of IRDAI.

What Insurer Is Right for You in 2025? A Profile-Based View

New India Assurance Can Help If:

• You are located in a tier 2 or tier 3 city or rural area
• Money is a consideration and you want basic coverage
• You would rather have a well-tested, government-certified brand
• If you are insuring senior citizens or are looking for only basic features, you can rely on guaranteed annuity.

Royal Sundaram May Suit If:

• You need a larger sum insured if you go to premium medical facilities.
• You live in a metro or big town with large hospital networks
• You want wellness rewards, digital cashless claims, and bonus riders.
• You are a person who values speed and convenience of service.

Real world scenario

Young married couple working in technology companies in Bangalore took up Royal Sundaram for maternity, child cover and digital claims facility, whereas a retired school teacher in Coimbatore found the plan for senior citizen in New India to be affordable and reliable.

Expert Tip: Industry consultants advise you to check the policy documents for exclusions (e.g. waiting periods, non-payable items, or sub-limits) before enrolling.

TLDR or Quick Recap

• Chain hospitals: Royal Sundaram is a hospital chain that leads by example in the field of hospitals in urban India.
• Premiums: Premiums of New India Assurance are competitive for basic policies.
• Sum insured options: Royal Sundaram provides higher sum insured options (up to Rs 1 crore).
• Claim settlement: Royal Sundaram is usually faster with a digital approach.
• both are covered for routine hospitalization; extra add-ons and benefits are available.
• New India Assurance (Best for rural, senior or budget)
• Best for medical purposes, metros: Royal Sundaram.
• Effortless Comparison: Online insurance marketplaces allow you to compare offers and discounted premiums from New India Assurance and Royal Sundaram side-by-side, saving you time and promoting transparency.

People Also Ask (FAQs)

Q1. Is New India Assurance claim settlement good for large hospital bills?
A: Yes, the insurer has an easy claim ratio and process, but for larger claims you may have to fill out some paperwork or wait a longer period of time before being settled.

Q2. What is different about Royal Sundaram’s family health insurance?
Royal Sundaram provides benefits for children up to age 25, wellness rewards and emergency medical assistance abroad for higher plans.

Q3. Will these policies be fully online in 2025, when I can buy or renew them?
A: Yes, both insurers provide e-KYC (Know Your Customer) and paperless document upload, allowing you to complete your premiums calculation and get an instant quote, as well as renewing and issuing a new health plan online.

Q4. Does either insurance company pay for OPD or dental procedures?
Royal Sundaram: OPD and dental is usually provided as a part of the comprehensive scheme or add-on schemes. New India: OPD is usually provided under certain plans.

Q5. What is the best insurer for senior citizens in 2025?
New India Assurance provides a few exclusive plans for senior citizens at reasonable rates, while Royal Sundaram provides options with high sum insured for those who wish to be treated in a premium facility.

Q6. How to compare offers before purchasing?
A: Access to reliable online insurance marketplaces enabling users to view product details, compare premium quotes, network hospitals and exclusions in minutes

Q7. Are there any special policies for critical illness?
A: Yes, Royal Sundaram offers add-on policies for cancer, heart disease and major illnesses; New India has some critical illness cover in floaters and individual policies as well.

Sources:

• New India Assurance Official website
• Royal Sundaram Health Insurance Limited Brochures
• Insurance Awareness Committee reports