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Last updated on: May 20, 2025
Oriental Health Insurance and Star Health Insurance are both leading providers in India, but they cater to slightly different customer needs. Oriental Health Insurance, a government-owned company, offers comprehensive and affordable plans, often preferred for family and senior citizen coverage with extensive hospital networks and reliable claim settlement. In contrast, Star Health Insurance, a private insurer, is renowned for its innovative policies, quicker claim settlements, and a wide range of specialized products, including those for critical illnesses and maternity. While Oriental is valued for trust and cost-effectiveness, Star stands out for customer service and tailored plans. The best choice depends on your priorities—cost and legacy with Oriental, or advanced features and prompt service with Star.
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Read BioChoosing a health insurance plan for you and your family is one of the most important financial choices in 2025. Oriental Health Insurance and Star Health Insurance are two of the leading names in the Indian health insurance market. Both have a wide range of mediclaim policies, provide digital claim service, and a wide demographic coverage. When deciding between Oriental vs Star health insurance, it’s easy to get confused because each has both similar and different benefits to offer.
In this article, we will provide a comprehensive comparison between Oriental Health Insurance and Star Health Insurance, detailing their key features, advantages and disadvantages, claim settlement rates, policy options, and expert insights to ensure you make an informed decision for yourself and your loved ones.
Oriental Insurance Company Limited, a general insurance company owned by the Government of India, has been providing insurance services to the insurance holders since 1947. With its reputation for an efficient claim settlement process and pan-India presence, Oriental Health Insurance provides a range of group and individual mediclaim insurance plans for individuals ranging from entry-level to senior citizens.
Star Health and Allied Insurance Company Limited is the first private health insurance company in India, which was formed in the year 2006. By 2025, it will be a customer-first health insurance company with innovative health insurance solutions, fast digital services and health-conscious wellness programs.
Did you know?
According to IRDAI, Oriental and Star Health have always been among the top insurers in terms of claim settlement speed and customer satisfaction for urban and rural areas.
| Feature | Oriented Health Insurance | Star Health Insurance |
|---|---|---|
| Founded | 1947 (Public Sector) | 2006 (Private Sector) |
| Cashless Hospitals | 4,300+ | 14,000+ |
| Claim Settlement Ratio (2023-24) | 96.2 percent | 94 percent |
| Critical Illness Cover | Yes (super premium) | Yes (multiple plans) |
| Pre-Existing Waiting Period | 3-4 years | 1-4 years |
| No Claim Bonus | Up to 100 percent | Up to 150 percent |
| OPD Benefits | In some policies: | Multiple plans; more coverage |
| Preventive Wellness Care | Every 4 years (claim-free) | Annually (in select plans) |
| AYUSH Coverage | Yes | Yes |
| Wellness Program- | No | Yes (Star Wellness program) |
| Digital Services | High Intermediate | Advanced (mobile app available) |
| Online Renewals | Yes | Yes |
| Senior Citizen Plans | Yes (entry age up to 80 years) | Yes (renewable for lifetime) |
| Super Top-up Plans | Limited Choice | Comprehensive |
Arvind, an IT consultant (38) in Pune, compared both Oriental and Star Health on an online comparison marketplace. Star Health was offering a floater policy for [?]10 lakh at [?]14,500 per year, and the hospital network includes the place of work and his residence. Oriental quoted $13,800 for similar coverage but only basic wellness benefits. Although he said that Oriental had a slightly better claim ratio, Arvind saw what the Star Wellness mobile app could do for him and chose Star’s mobile plan for enhanced digital experience.
Is Star Health Insurance valid in all Indian States?
Yes, Star Health’s network hospitals and services cover all the Indian states including tier 2 and tier 3 towns; however, cashless lists are subject to change.
Are public sector health insurers such as Oriental offering digital claim services?
Oriental Health Insurance provides an online claim intimation and tracking facility, though it’s a little less automated than most new-age private insurers.
Which Insurer Will Cover Pre-existing Disease Better?
Oriental Health Insurance has a standard 4-year waiting period for pre-existing diseases but new plans that have been renewed will reduce this to 3 years. Star Health has certain plans that have a 1 to 3 year waiting period, especially for chronic diseases such as diabetes or hypertension. Star Health also has faster claim processing for chronic conditions in some plans.
Oriental Health:
Star Health:
Maternity benefits are provided on both insurers’ family floater and women’s health insurance plans. Oriental has a 2 to 4 year waiting period for maternity, including delivery and newborn for up to 90 days. Star Health has nice maternity riders in select retail and group plans with waiting periods anywhere from 9 months to 2 years, depending on the plan.
Oriental Health:
Claims may be started at hospital desks at the network or by WhatsApp or email. Reimbursement and Cashless claims are standard TPA claims. Average settlement time is 21 working days
Star Health:
Star claims department has more digitized workflow. Express claim service: cashless services in hospitals that are affiliated with the company promise initial approval within 2 hours.
Health insurance distributors in Mumbai add, “In 2025, Star Health’s enhanced app-based track of claim and cashless approval has made it even more popular for young, urban buyers. Oriental’s relatively straightforward government schemes are still favoured among PSU employees and pensioners, because of easy renewal and wider coverage for family units.
Both Oriental and Star Health provide senior citizen based mediclaim plans.
Oriental Health Insurance:
Star Health Insurance:
If family has older parents, Star Health’s Red Carpet plan is easy to enroll in but may be more expensive than other options.
It is a common trend that consumers would look at the online marketplace in 2025 to compare plans from Oriental, Star, and other health insurance companies in India. These digital platforms enable you to input your health requirements, compare premiums, view policy wordings, and hospital networks, ensuring you choose the right policy without bias. Also, they show verified user reviews and IRDAI complaint ratios for improved decision making with the option to buy and renew at just a few clicks.
| Criteria | Oriental Health Insurance | Star Health Insurance |
|---|---|---|
| Public or Private | Public Sector | Private Insurer |
| Pros: | predictable premium, superior settlement, digital experience, wellness, fast claims | |
| Limitations | (fewer digital options, longer wait time, higher premium, more out-of-pocket cost) | |
| Best for: | Government employees, conservative consumers, tech-savvy, families, wellness seekers | |
| Hospital Network | Good (metros, towns) | Wide (metros, tier II, III) |
| special plans, PSU, senior citizens, diabetes, children, cancer. |
Q1. Which insurance company has better claim settlement ratio in 2025, Star Health or Oriental?
Both have claim settlement rates in excess of 94 percent. Oriental marginally is the leader of the pack according to IRDAI data.
Q2. Can I purchase both Oriental and Star health insurance?
Yes. You may hold more than one health policy Splitting of claim according to IRDAI rules for partial settlements
Q3. Does Star Health Insurance cover psychiatric illness?
Many Star Health policies introduced the OPD and inpatient mental healthcare for 2023 as per the IRDAI guidelines.
Q4. Are there maternity and newborn baby costs?
Some policies offered by insurers cover maternity costs, but with waiting periods and sub-limits.
Q5. How to read objective customer reviews of Oriental and Star Health?
Online marketplaces, IRDAI annual reports, and independent financial platforms offer a reliable platform for reviews and claim details.
The choice between Oriental and Star Health is entirely based on your needs, your budget, preferences for hospital network, and comfort with adopting technology. Oriental is the insurance company for senior citizens who prefer the traditional form of insurance, stable premium, and customer service. Star Health is the preferred choice for tech-driven service, faster digitally managed claims and wellness add-ons.
Either way, it’s always a good idea to read the policy document, check claim settlement information, and shop around online to make sure that it’s the best fit for you in 2025.
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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