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Last updated on: May 20, 2025
The Royal Sundaram Lifeline Supreme Plan and the Star Young Star Gold Plan are both comprehensive health insurance options, but cater to different needs. Lifeline Supreme stands out for its higher sum insured (up to ₹50 lakh), wide-ranging benefits like maternity, domiciliary, and worldwide emergency cover, plus no-claim bonus and reinstatement options. Star Young Star Gold Plan, designed for young individuals and families, offers features such as low entry age, wellness benefits, and the ability to cover up to 6 members, with sum insured up to ₹1 crore. While Royal Sundaram excels in added services and family protection, Star Young Gold provides flexibility, high coverage, and tailored benefits for young policyholders. Choosing between them depends on your age, coverage needs, family size, and budget, with Royal Sundaram ideal for broader benefits and Star Young Gold for youth-focused, high-coverage plans.
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Read BioSelecting an appropriate health insurance plan can be overwhelming, not to mention that there are a lot of choices. The Royal Sundaram Lifeline Supreme Plan and the Star Young Gold Plan are the two most popular Indian family and individual plans in 2025. Lakhs of Indians place their faith in both of them as they are regarded to offer total medical cover, yet there are key differences. This article provides you with a very clear and detailed comparison so that you can make an informed choice.
Royal Sundaram Lifeline Supreme Plan is a very rated health insurance plan. It gives wide coverage of people, couples, and families. Royal Sundaram has a good reputation in the Indian insurance market and is therefore a guarantee of quality service and cashless hospitalisation in more than 11,000 network hospitals across India.
This policy targets individuals who would like to have a larger sum insured, day care procedure cover, and wellness services.
It focuses on the professionals, the urban families that want feature-based health plan.
Lifeline Supreme will not only cover hospital bills but also maternity, global coverage, annual checkups and restoration benefits.
Star Health and Allied insurance Star Young Gold Plan serves mostly younger policyholders. It also particularly appeals to young people, couples and expanding families. Star Health is a frequent and well-liked top choice because of its fast claim and widespread network hospitals.
The Young Gold Plan has flexibility, affordability and youth-friendly wellness features.
Recognised in OPD cover, e-consultation, maternity and routine health reward programs.
An ideal choice among new earners, newly married couples and individuals early into their health insurance journey.
Did you know? The IRDAI has indicated that an increasing number of urban young Indians are purchasing health insurance plans with maternity, OPD and wellness benefits as priority in 2025.
The following are the highlights and key characteristics of these two insurance plans in the year 2025:
| Characteristic | Star Young Gold Plan | Robert Sundaram Lifeline Supreme. |
|---|---|---|
| Entry Age | 18 to 65 Years | 18 to 40 Years |
| Summary insured options | [?]5 lakh -50 lakh | [?]3 lakh -30 lakh |
| Network Hospitals | 11,000+ | 14,000+ |
| Pre and Post Hospitalisation | 60 and 180 days | 60 and 90 days |
| Restoration Benefit | Yes (full restoration) | Yes (100 percent or less) |
| Annual Health Checkup | Yes, all insured | Yes (with limits) |
| Worldwide Coverage | Yes | No |
| Maternity Cover | Yes (following waiting period) | Yes (following waiting period) |
| OPD Cover | No | Yes |
| E-consultation | Yes | Yes |
| No Claim Bonus | Up to 20 percent per year | Up to 100 percent. |
| Wellness Programs | Yes (reward points) | Yes |
| Room Rent Limit | Single Private Room, unlimited, | Single Private Room, capped. |
| Day Care Procedures | 586+ | All Day Care Procedures. |
| Organ Donation Cover | Covered | Covered |
| Ambulance Cover | Up to [?]5,000 per event | Actual or policy limit. |
| AYUSH Cover | Yes | Yes |
The broad sum insured options are applicable to individuals and large families.
There would be cashless access to treatment almost everywhere because hospitals are highly networked.
International emergency health cover.
Free annual medical examination of each member of the insurance.
Good higher age entry and lifetime renewability.
Covers a pre existing disease after 3 years.
This is future proof because of high day care procedure cover.
Increased premium on urban places and advanced age groups.
No one-off OPD cover that can be a problem with high doctor visits.
Maternity and certain pre existing conditions may take a long time to wait.
Not appropriate when OPD is a major component.
The young, i.e. it is affordable when it comes to the youth between the age of 18 and 40 years.
Offers Out Patient Department (OPD) cover, which is appropriate where a person is visiting a general physician or a specialist.
NCB increments give you up to twice your no claims sum insured.
Healthy living is promoted in Fitness and wellness reward system.
E-consultation and telemedicine involved.
A little less expensive than Lifetime at basic sum insured.
Sum insured closer upper is [?]30 lakh lower than Lifeline Supreme.
None, only Indian healthcare network.
The entry age of 40 years is not appropriate to the seniors and parents.
Limit on room rent (particularly at high sum insured).
There is a limit in which health check-up is not as generous as Lifeline Supreme.
The intelligence of the strategists: As insurance advisors put it, young couples are likely to be lured to plans like Star Young Gold because of the OPD cover and health rewards, but high income families are likely to be lured to Royal Sundaram because of its extensive coverage.
Meena is a 29-year old IT employee in Bangalore. She chooses Star Young Gold Plan ([?]10 lakh sum insured) because she has been to physicians frequently due to minor allergies and sometimes physiotherapy. She has had three consultations and one diagnostics bill under OPD cover in a year, and none of them involved hospitalisation.
Rajesh is 42 years old and he lives with his family in Mumbai. He invests in Royal Sundaram Lifeline Supreme ([?]20 lakh sum insured). His son is to undergo a major operation and Rajesh is confident with the daycare and global cover scheme that they can go anywhere, be it in India or in a foreign country.
Did you know? Between 2023 and 2025 the number of IT sector workers under the age of 35 purchasing health plans with value additions such as OPD and digital health consults increases.
These two insurance companies have simple claims but here is the comparison:
Network Hospitals: They both have wide networks and cashless claims are quite easy.
Reimbursement: Both are reimbursable out of network costs.
Pre Authorization: Royal Sundaram procedure is slightly faster in major hospitals of the metro.
Digital App: The two have apps, but Star Young Gold is ranked as better among young technology savvy users.
Is the claim settlement ratio of one insurer superior to another with the families?
Both are very high ratios (more than 95 percent in 2024). Non hospital expenses, however, are usually reported to settle claims a bit quicker with Star Health.
What Plan has More Maternity and Childbirth Benefits?
Both the plans have maternity with different waiting and sub limits.
Royal Sundaram: Waiting period is 36 months on maternity claims with maximum of [?]2 lakh.
Star Young Gold: Waiting period is 12 to 24 months, and the maximum coverage is [?]50,000 to [?]1 lakh on maternity.
Newborn baby cover up is also available at Star Young Gold with a 90 day cover up.
Lesson learnt: The younger couples having a child might find the lower maternity waiting period at Star to be more convenient.
The Royal Sundaram Lifeline Supreme will provide add ons including personal accident cover, critical illness rider and donor cover.
Star Young Gold includes OPD boosters, additional wellness benefits and sum insured top up.
Both give you a policy term option (1 year, 2 years, 3 years on a discount).
Estimated Annual Premium (Annual premium on 10 lakh sum insured, individual, 30 years)
| Name of the plan | Metro City | Tier 2 City. |
|---|---|---|
| Royal Sundaram Lifeline | [?]12,500 | [?]9,850 |
| Star Young Gold | [?]10,700 | [?]8,500 |
In the case of family floaters (couple + 1 child, [?]20 lakh cover):
Royal Sundaram: [?]27,800 (Metro), [?]22,300 (Tier 2)
Star Young Gold: [?]23,650 (Metro), [?]18,900 (Tier 2)
Note that the actual premium is dependent on age, health and city.
Did you know? By 2025, majority of Indian-salaried youth will seek health insurance online and compare prices and features of products within the digital marketplaces before purchasing.
Royal Sundaram: Reads up sum insured with each claim free year by 20 percent of base sum or 100 percent of base sum.
Star Young Gold: This is increased by 100 percent in the event of no claim, up to the amount of the sum insured.
This makes Star Young Gold Plan more appealing to young and healthy populations that might not file claims that often.
Royal Sundaram: Wellness reward points, meeting with the dietician and nutritionist (based on age), annual checkups.
Star Young Gold: Fitness tracking, Teleconsultation, Step challenges, incentive based, Free diet plan, Health camp invitation.
Both are programs which encourage healthy living but Star Young Gold is popular with the fitness conscious.
After payment of premium, both plans permit lifelong renewability.
Other insurers are easier to port when you port within annual renewal window.
Upgrading to a larger sum insured at renewal is far simpler with Commonly Royal Sundaram than it is with Star which is liberal with downgrading plans.
Is it possible to switch between Star Young Gold and Royal Sundaram Lifeline Supreme should the family increase?
Yes you can port to a new plan at the time of renewal according to the IRDAI regulation, but the credits in the waiting period will be as per the claim history.
In a bid to get a clear and unbiased look of features, premium and hospital network, it would be wise to adopt online market places.
Compare, quote in seconds and read reviews.
In addition, you can receive a comprehensive features table, wait time, and calculate premium immediately and make a decision.
Pro tip: It has a plan brochure that you should always download and read before purchasing.
| Requirement | Go for Lifeline Supreme | Go for Star Young Gold |
|---|---|---|
| Looking for OPD cover | Yes | |
| Global hospitalisation | Yes. | |
| Large entry age-range | Yes (up to 65) | |
| Young/healthy single/couple | Yes. | |
| Sum insured, large (up to [?]50 lakh) | Yes. | |
| Prefer wellness rewards | Yes | Yes |
| Reduced price on starters | Yes. | |
| Significance of health checkups | YesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYesYes |
Royal Sundaram Lifeline Supreme has high and flexible sum insured, global coverage, greater health check and greater age limit, though premium is more.
Star Young Gold Plan is a low level which is cheap with OPD, fitness reward, and less premiums.
Both have good cashless network of hospital, wellness and maternity cover (waiting periods vary).
The insurance comparison tool provides more credibility online and allows one to compare features, premiums, and quality of service after which one is to purchase.
Select according to your age, requirement of OPD, budget, and future needs of health in 2025.
Q1. Between Royal Sundaram Lifeline Supreme and Star Young Gold Plan which is better to seniors?
Royal Sundaram Lifeline Supreme has an age limit of 65 and Star Young Gold is limited to persons under 40.
Q2. Does Star Young Gold Plan include maternity and newborn?
Yes, but with conditions that restrict the waiting period of 12 to 24 months.
Q3. Are there such policies that are not limited to India?
Royal Sundaram Lifeline Supreme provides global emergency cover whereas Star Young Gold policy covers only Indian hospitals.
Q4. Will I be able to take these policies as a lifetime?
They both provide lifelong renewability provided premiums are paid when they are due.
Q5. What do I do to find out which hospitals are cashless?
Get the updated list of hospitals at the official site of the insurer or a reputed online health insurance market comparison platform.
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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