Published in Livemint. More and more first-time buyers in the younger age brackets are opting for the monthly premium option when going for health insurance policies, the recent buying pattern on Policybazaar.com, an online marketplace for insurance, shows. The monthly premium option was introduced by the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (Irdai) in April to […]
Articles Tagged: irdai
PSU non-life insurers incurring loss while private insurers are minting money in health insurance
Published in Cafemutual on 4th February, 2017 PSU non-life insurers are incurring hefty losses while their private counterparts are minting money in the health insurance segment if the IRDAI’s annual report is anything to go. The annual report shows that the net incurred claims ratio (ICR) of the public sector non-life insurers stood at 115% […]
Discard these insurance plans
Published in Mint on Dec 05 2016, Written by Kapil Mehta Insurances can become irrelevant because of product improvements, lower current cost, change in laws or even lack of expected change in laws. Friends often send me their insurance portfolios to review. As I browse through the dusty files there are many insurances that are […]
The need to build deeper insurance distribution landscape
Published in Mint on 14 October 2015, Written by Kapil Mehta Last weekend, I was in Varanasi for a short break. Sailing down the Ganges by the ghats we were transported into a different world. The cycle of birth, life and death were vividly portrayed in a half-hour boat ride. I find it hard, however, […]
Term plan’s sum assured must be at least 10 times annual income
Published in Mint on JUL 05 2016, Written by Abhishek Bondia What are the main things to check when selecting a life insurance policy? I am 31 years old and married. —Rajneesh Sharma The two most important factors to consider in a life insurance policy are the insurer’s claim settlement track record and the sum […]
Insurance e-commerce norms take shape
Published in Mint on Jun 21 2016 The world is moving online and so should the way you buy the most important instrument in your money box: insurance. To help build an online platform for insurance, the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (Irdai), earlier this month, drafted the Insurance E-commerce Regulations (http://bit.ly/28KdHMg ). […]
Life insurers selling policies that die early
Published in Mint on Apr 19 2016 What are the chances that a poorly understood and badly sold life insurance policy will run its course? Pretty slim, according to the life insurance industry experience in India. Poor selling practices—long-term policies being sold as short-term policies, lack of communication of policy benefits, poor understanding of costs, […]
LIC-IDBI Bank deal: The good, the bad, the ugly
Published in Mint on 4th July 2018. Through special permission from the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI), the Life Insurance Corp. of India (LIC) has been allowed to pick an estimated, additional 43% stake in IDBI Bank Ltd that will make LIC the largest shareholder of the bank. This made headlines for two […]
The complete guide to Aadhaar
Published in Mint on 19th May 2018. If you have been reading about the Supreme Court verdict on Aadhaar, you might be wondering whether you should have an Aadhaar or not? The Supreme Court of India has ruled that Aadhaar, the country’s biometric identity system, is constitutional but not mandatory for all services. The court […]
Impossible to say which is the best insurer in India
Published in Mint on 21th February, 2018. Written by Kapil Mehta I am often asked who the ‘best’ insurers are? I try to dodge that question because the answer requires a detailed analysis of what one is looking for. When Alice in Lewis Carroll’s stories asks which way she should go, the Cheshire Cat wisely […]