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Last updated on: May 20, 2025
New India Assurance Health Insurance and SBI General Health Insurance are two leading providers in India offering a variety of health coverage plans. New India Assurance is a government-owned insurer known for its extensive network of hospitals, comprehensive policy options, and strong claim settlement ratio. SBI General, a joint venture between State Bank of India and Insurance Australia Group, is popular for its customizable plans, fast claim processing, and wellness benefits. While New India Assurance is often chosen for its wide-ranging coverage and legacy trust, SBI General stands out for customer service and innovative add-ons. The right choice between them depends on your specific needs—such as preferred hospitals, coverage limits, and premium budgets—but both are reputable options with robust industry track records.
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Read BioSelecting the best health insurance is one of the most valuable financial decisions for Indian families and individuals in 2025. With the soaring medical expenses, New India Assurance Health Insurance and SBI General Health Insurance are well-known brands. However, each one has its own advantages, premium plans, and claim mechanism. Today, we take a closer look at New India Assurance vs SBI General Health Insurance to help you make an informed decision on which insurer suits your healthcare requirements better.
Both New India Assurance and SBI General offer comprehensive health insurance plans with a good network of hospitals in India. However, it is the minute details in policy terms, waiting periods, premiums, and add-on benefits that usually play a decisive role in the choice for Indian customers.
New India Assurance is a well-known public sector organization with decades of trust from its customers and presence across the world. SBI General is supported by State Bank of India, which offers the best of both worlds - banking and insurance with customized plans.
In this article, we will compare their health insurance features, policy coverage, benefits, and overall customer satisfaction to help you make an informed choice for yourself and your family.
New India Assurance is a government-owned company that holds a strong presence in the Indian insurance industry. They are recognized for the stability and legacy of their health plans and for greater acceptance.
Key Highlights:
[DID YOU KNOW?]
New India Assurance is the only direct player in India with presence in more than 25 countries as of January 2025.
Pros
Cons
SBI General Health Insurance provides banking credibility to the insurance space. It is well known for its excellent services, faster claims and value-added services.
Key Highlights:
[EXPERT INSIGHT]
According to the IRDAI annual reports, SBI General’s claim settlement ratio stood at 97.13 percent in 2024, underscoring its customer-centric approach.
Pros
Cons
People also ask:
Q: Do we get pre-existing disease cover from Day 1 with SBI General Health Insurance?
No, as with most insurers, SBI General has a waiting period (typically 3-4 years) for pre-existing condition cover.
| Aspect | New India Assurance | SBI General Health Insurance |
|---|---|---|
| Hospital Network | 3000 plus | Over 6000 |
| Sum Insured | Rs 2 lakh to 50 lakh | Rs 3 lakh to 1 crore |
| Claim Settlement: | 95.92 percent | 97.13 percent |
| OPD Cover | Included in select plans | Included as add-on/optional |
| Preventive Care | - Reduced | More vigorous wellness programs |
| Waiting Period (PED) | 3-4 years | 3-4 years |
| Digital Experience | - Average | - Advanced & fluid |
| Senior Citizen Plans | Yes | Yes |
| No-Claim Bonus | 50 percent | Up to 100 percent |
[DID YOU KNOW?]
A few insurers have rolled out paperless onboarding and electronic policy downloads through their respective authorized websites so that their customers have their policy documents readily available through their fingertips by 2025.
Premium is based on sum insured, age, health, city, type of plan, and optional covers. Here is an example of the annual premium range for a family floater, for a family of 2 adults and 2 children (age 35, sum insured Rs 5 lakh, zone metro):
| Insurer | Average Premium Range (Rs. per year) |
|---|---|
| New India Assurance | 11,400 - 16,000 |
| SBI General | 13,200 - 17,800 |
These are indicative figures and can differ depending on benefits and add-ons selected in 2025.
In the scenario described above, in January 2025, Rajesh, a 40-year-old IT professional from Pune, searched for insurance on an online marketplace and compared the offer of SBI General and New India Assurance. For his family (wife and two children), he found SBI General gave him a larger network of hospitals and better digital claims, but New India Assurance was marginally less expensive and provided continuity since his parents were already insured there. His decision? He renewed the family comfort cover with New India Assurance and purchased an additional plan of cancer and critical illness cover from SBI General, for an additional layer of peace of mind.
Both New India and SBI General are reputed for claim settlement, but SBI General is slightly ahead of New India in terms of faster claim settlement, particularly in urban and tier 2 cities.
People also ask:
Q: Which company is best for cashless easy treatment?
SBI General has a larger hospital network, so you might get more cashless hospitalisation options, particularly in Tier-2 cities.
Each policy has waiting periods and listed exclusions. Here are some things like and unlike for 2025:
Compare Policy Wordings: Before you purchase, carefully review policy wordings and compare them on insurer websites or reputable online comparison platforms.
Consider These Factors:
TIP: Check out online insurance marketplaces that let you make side-by-side comparisons of product features, premiums, hospital network, and customer reviews from both of these companies. You can filter by age, sum insured, type of policy and more.
As per the trends of 2025, SBI General is the popular choice among young Indian couples for a speedy claim settlement on digital platforms along with hassle-free add-ons. However, for the legacy and stability and public sector assurance seekers, New India Assurance continues to be a default choice, particularly with multi-generation family players.
Q1. Is policy portability available from New India Assurance to SBI General Health Insurance in 2025?
Yes, under IRDAI guidelines, you can port the policy from one insurance company to another at renewal, from New India Assurance to SBI General or vice versa and have continuity benefit if ported as per guidelines.
Q2. Which is best insurance for senior citizens - New India Assurance or SBI General?
Both have senior citizen plans as well. New India Assurance has products specifically designed for seniors such as Senior Citizen Mediclaim. However, go for policies with a check-up clause, co-payment clauses and sum insured limit.
Q3. Do both insurers cover severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (COVID-19)?
Normal hospitalization for COVID-19 is covered up to the sum insured till 2025 under both policies subject to terms and conditions.
Q4. How do I look up claim status online for both of them?
Both insurers have a claim status function on their sites: SBI General’s mobile app in 2025 is designed to provide a more seamless experience.
Q5. Is maternity cover available on my health plan?
Maternity cover, which is the optional or add-on cover in select SBI General and New India plans, typically with waiting periods and subject to sub-limits.
How could we improve this article?
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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