Reliance Health Gain Plan vs Star Senior Citizen Red Carpet Plan: Overview Guide 2025

A health insurance plan is one of the most important financial choices, particularly when you or your loved ones age. As costs in India continue to increase, the right coverage is going to keep you out of pocket when it comes to medical emergencies. The Reliance Health Gain Plan and the Star Senior Citizen Red Carpet Plan are two of the most trendy plans in 2025. But how do they compare? Which one do you need to use, either yourself, or your aging parents? This article is richly detailed, easy to grasp, has the expert knowledge, and practical tips.

What Is the Reliance Health Gain Plan and To Whom?

The Reliance Health Gain Plan (2025 Edition) is a flexible health insurance that an individual, a family, and the elderly can use to cover everything. It is provided by Reliance General Insurance and is unique in its customisability and innovative features in addition to wide hospital network in India.

Questions to be answered in Reliance Health Gain Plan

• Coverage can be taken as young as 3 months to a maximum of 65 years (this includes lifetime renewals).
• On sum insured up to [?]3 crore.
• Over 7600 cashless network hospitals in the country.
• Several versions of the plan: Plus, Power and Prime to match various budgets and needs.
• Inpatient and pre-post hospitalisation cover.
• Up to 200 percent no-claim bonus.
• Includes day care care, domiciliary care, ambulance care, organ donor care, etc.
• Discounts and wellness reward points on healthy lifestyle behaviors.

Expert’s insight:
According to Manish Singh, an independent IRDAI-certified advisor, the Reliance Health Gain Plan is flexible and has modular features that will suit Indian families with heterogeneous health needs in 2025.

What Is Star Senior Citizen Red Carpet Plan? Who Can Avail It?

Star Health and Allied Insurance offer flagship health insurance plan called Star Senior citizen Red Carpet Plan which is designed to cover senior citizens aged 60 years and over. It is designed to address health related problems and risk of higher claims among older Indians.

Important Features of Star Senior citizen Red Carpet Plan

• Entry age: 60 to 75 years with a lifetime renewal guarantee.
• Options of sum insured: between [?]1 lakh and [?]25 lakh.
• Developed specifically to suit persons with underlying conditions or chronic illnesses.
• No compulsory pre-acceptance health examination (except on condition of reporting of previous ailments).
• Treatment in 13,000 plus network hospitals across India is cashless.
• Hospitalisation, organ donor costs, doctor visits, ambulance charges, day care treatment.

Did you know?
IRDAI reports show that more than 48 percent of all health insurance claims made by Indians over the age of 60 are critical illnesses[1].

Table Comparison Reliance Health Gain Plan vs Star Senior Citizen Red Carpet Plan (2025)

To get a rough idea of the key differences and similarities between these two health insurance plans, the following is a detailed comparison table:

Data represents recent IRDAI published claim ratios at end 2024.

Case study

We can consider the case of Mr Sharma who is 64 years old and retired in Jaipur. He compared the two plans with the help of an online insurance marketplace. But the plan suggested by Star was more suitable to him because it had a less rigid entry requirement and had a more lenient pre-existing condition tolerance.

What Are the Special Advantages of Reliance Health Gain Plan in India 2025?

Reliance Health Gain is the most adaptable retail health products in India. In addition to regular inclusions, it also has:

• Unlimited reinstatement of sum insured against unrelated illness in one policy year.
• Individualised maternity, personal accident, OPD, and modern treatment add-ons.
• Also benefits of restoration that come despite sum insured being used up partially.
• Personal accident and accidental death benefits.
• Voluntary global hospitalisation insurance.
• Value added services such as e-consults.

People also think:
Q: Does Reliance Health Gain Plan cover the maternity expenses?
Star: There are no standard add-ons, which are usually provided, the only problem is core inclusiveness.

Why is Star Senior Citizen Red Carpet Plan So Popular with Seniors?

This plan will target the retired elderly and citizens with a medical history, as entry is simpler, fewer health tests are needed, and operations are senior-friendly. Unique pros include:

• No rejection due to prior diseases (when policy is opened).
• Disease cover such as diabetes and hypertension in the second year itself.
• Free annual health check-ups on claim-free years.
• Less co-payment than comparable plans to the elderly.

Did you know?
According to a study conducted by Niti Aayog, more than 93 percent of Indian retirees are above 65 years with at least one pre-existing disease.

Another question people ask:
Q: Does Star Senior Citizen Red Carpet Plan include home nursing?
A: Yes, under limited circumstances by domiciliary cover.

Advantages and disadvantages, Reliance Health Gain Plan

Pros

• Broad age eligibility (children to seniors).
• Large amounts of money insured and other flexible plan options.
• Good wellness features.
• Custom coverage add-ons are available in modular form.
• Electronic submission and tracking of claims.
• Family value courtesy of floater options.

Cons

• Not necessarily cheaper at lower sum insured slabs.
• Medical examination required at old age or sum insured.
• Waiting times on selected treatments.

Star Senior Citizen Red Carpet Plan Advantages and Disadvantages

Pros

• Precisely in the case of 60 plus age group.
• No mandatory medical exams on entry.
• Fast issuance of policies even when there is a long-term illness.
• Pays medical and non-medical bills such as room rent.
• Less paper work on the part of seniors.

Cons

• Increased co-payment (10-30 per cent depending on age/procedure).
• Lower amount of ceiling of insurance than in general plans.
• Limits on certain treatment costs.
• Poor wellness and preventive cover.

Expert note:
Insurance brokers suggest Star Red Carpet as a bridging plan till other alternatives will be available or health will improve.

Answers include:
Q: Is it possible to purchase both these health policies on the Internet?
A: Yes, through reliable online marketplaces that provide unbiased insurer comparisons, it is easy to compare, select and buy both plans.

What Plan Covers Pre-Existing Disease Better in 2025?

Most health insurers have pre-existing disease (PED) cover that is subject to a waiting period. Star Red Carpet Plan tends to serve older consumers who have a pre-existing illness better. Here are key points:

• Star covers less than one year of select PEDs (such as blood pressure or diabetes) only.
• Waiting period is 2 to 4 years of Reliance Health Gain Plan subject to variety and type of illness.
• Star must have up-front disease disclosure, which limits the chances of claims being rejected.
• The range of PED is considerable with Reliance; this cover is provided after the waiting period is over, and so it is a long term plan.

Another question people ask:
Q: Which insurance policy results into claims faster?
A: According to the data of 2024, Reliance was able to process 97.5 percent of claims in 7 days, and Star was able to process 94 percent of claims in 7 days.

Does it Have Customisation (or Add-ons)?

Yes, one of the selling features of Reliance Health Gain Plan is customisation. You have a choice of critical illness cover, global hospitalisation, or outpatient treatments. Star has a less personalised strategy, but it fits simple protection of senior requirements.

Reliance: various maternity, OPD, personal accident add-ons.
Such families and individuals are best suited to Reliance Health since they want high sum insured, superb modular supplements, or wellness supplements.

Did you know?
Over 71 per cent of claims made by senior citizen plans include treatment that is not covered by standard group covers.

Life Story: How a Family Decided between These Plans

We can take the example of the Kumar family of Pune. Mr Kumar is 68 years old and his wife is 62 years old and they wanted to be insured because Mr Kumar had a minor stroke. In a comparison they made online, they found:

• Star Red Carpet embraced them regardless of their sickness and had minimal entry barriers.
• Reliance Health Gain provided lifetime renewal and expanded coverage provided that they could clear the first 3-year PED waiting period.

The insurance portals would allow them to compare premiums, benefits, and claim ratios simultaneously. They compromised and chose both: Star to cover the short term and Reliance to cover the long-term.

Premium Comparison: What The Numbers Say?

The table below shows a sample of a premium rate on a sum insured of [?]10 lakh in 2025:

Note: The above premiums are approximated as per person. The real cost is based on medical history, plan option and city.

There is also a question:
Q: Does the lifetime renewability apply to both plans?
A: Yes, the two policies have lifetime renewal.

Summary Table: At a Glance

TL;DR or Quick Recap

Star senior citizen Red Carpet will be suitable in older individuals above 60 years that medically demand and individuals who desire very minimal entry requirements.
Star Senior Citizen Red Carpet shall suit the old aged people aged over 60 years old which medically require it and also the ones that require very low entry criteria.
The two plans have lifelong renewability and digital claims, as well as cashless hospitalisation.
Compare the insurance options available in the market by using online insurance marketplaces to find out the premiums, features and support and then purchase the best.

Frequently Asked Questions (People Also Ask)

Q: Can I include the two parents on one Reliance Health Gain Plan?
A: Yes, under this plan you can take a family floater cover.

Q: Does the critical illnesses have a wait in either plan?
A: Reliance provides critical illness cover as an addition and typically at a particular waiting period (depending on option). There is no special critical illness add-on to this policy offered by Star.

Q: Are these health insurance premiums tax deductible to me?
A: Both plans qualify under section 80D income tax benefits with respect to premiums paid.

Q: What do I do to make a claim under these policies?
A: In both insurers, the claim intimation can be made digitally or through their helpline. Cashless orders are done through your hospital and insurer support team.

Q: What will happen when my policy is out of date?
A: The grace period of both of the plans is 30 days of premium payments, after which the coverage will be invalid.

Sources:

• Star Health Official Product Brochure 2025.
• Reliance general insurance health plans 2025.
• National Health Profile 2024.
• Niti Aayog Healthy Ageing Report 2024.