Insurance Valuator — health, motor, life, travel, home and business insurance with claims-first support.

Health Insurance

Cashless, assisted

48 months — A pre-existing disease exclusion can run this long — Counted from diagnosis or advice, not from when you first felt unwell. (IRDAI standard definition of a pre-existing disease)

30 days — Nothing but accident is payable in the first month — The initial waiting period applies even to conditions you never had. (Standard retail health policy wording)

Room rent is capped at 1% of sum insured — Take a dearer room and the deduction is proportionate across the whole bill, not just the room. (Standard retail health policy wording)

Cashless was refused at the desk — Cashless is a facility, not the cover. Pay, keep every paper, and claim reimbursement. (How TPA desks handle pre-authorisation)

Consumables were billed to you separately — Gloves, syringes and PPE are excluded unless a consumables rider is on the policy. (Standard non-payable items list)

The procedure took under 24 hours — It pays only if it is on the day-care list. Otherwise it is OPT and needs its own cover. (Day-care procedure schedules)

Motor Insurance

Water in the engine

50 % — Depreciation charged on rubber, nylon and plastic parts — Flat, whatever the age of the car — which is the whole argument for zero-dep. (Standard motor own-damage depreciation schedule)

5 years — After this, IDV stops following the grid — It becomes a matter of agreement with the insurer — so agree it before you need it. (Standard motor policy IDV clause)

The PUC certificate had lapsed — A valid pollution certificate is a documented condition of cover, and insurers do check the date. (Common repudiation ground at claim intimation)

The engine seized after driving through water — Hydrostatic lock is consequential damage and is excluded without engine protect. (Standard own-damage exclusions)

The driver held only a learner licence — An invalid licence at the moment of loss voids own-damage cover entirely. (Driver clause, standard motor policy)

You bought third-party only — Your own car is not covered at all. Third-party is the legal minimum, not protection. (Motor Vehicles Act compulsory third-party cover)

Life Insurance

The form is the policy

3 years — After this, a policy cannot be questioned for misstatement — Before it, an insurer still can — which is exactly why the proposal form matters. (Section 45, Insurance Act 1938)

12 months — The suicide exclusion window — Within it, premiums paid are returned rather than the sum assured. (Standard term insurance wording)

A smoker was declared a non-smoker — Inside the three-year window that alone is enough to repudiate the entire claim. (Section 45, Insurance Act 1938)

The nominee was not the legal heir — A nominee receives the money. Who is entitled to keep it is decided by succession, not the form. (Nomination provisions, Insurance Act 1938)

One premium was missed and the policy lapsed — Revival windows are finite. Miss the window and the cover is gone, not paused. (Standard revival clause)

The income multiple was never revisited — Cover bought against a first salary rarely still replaces the income it is meant to. (How sum assured is usually set at purchase)

Travel Insurance

Six hours at the gate

24 hours — Most delay benefits do not start before this — A six-hour delay that ruins the trip is usually not a claimable one. (Standard travel policy delay clause)

A pre-existing condition flared up abroad — Only life-threatening emergencies are met. Ongoing management of the same condition is not. (Standard travel medical exclusions)

The bag was delayed, then lost — Two separate benefits with two separate proofs. The airline report is what starts either. (Baggage delay and baggage loss sections)

The injury happened while skiing — Adventure sport is excluded by default and needs to be named on the policy before you go. (Standard hazardous activity exclusions)

The claim was filed after getting home — Most policies want intimation while you are still abroad, and treat late notice as a breach. (Intimation requirements at assistance desks)

The visa was refused after booking — Cancellation cover starts at policy issue. Buy it with the ticket, not with the packing. (How trip-cancellation cover is dated)

Home Insurance

Jewellery in the safe

30 days — Leave the house empty longer and theft cover can lapse — Unoccupancy is a condition, and an insurer will ask when you were last there. (Standard unoccupancy condition)

The sum insured was 30% short — The average clause cuts the payout by the same proportion — on a partial loss too. (Underinsurance / average clause)

Contents were valued at what you paid — Settlement is on depreciated value unless the policy says reinstatement. (Indemnity basis, standard householder wording)

The jewellery was in the house safe — Valuables pay only if individually declared and valued. A safe is not a declaration. (Valuables section, standard wording)

Water came through the wall, not the roof — Sudden ingress is covered. Gradual damp and seepage never are — that is maintenance. (Standard water damage exclusions)

You rent, so you assumed you were not covered — The structure is the landlord’s. Everything inside it is still yours to insure. (How contents cover is usually sold)

Business Insurance

Insured at book value

7 days — Business interruption typically pays nothing for the first week — The time excess runs from the loss, not from when you notice the shortfall. (Standard business interruption time excess)

Stock was declared once, a year ago — Every claim is then settled on that figure, and average applies to the gap. (Declaration basis, standard fire policy)

An employee took the money — Burglary cover does not reach staff. Fidelity is a separate section and has to be bought. (Burglary vs fidelity guarantee sections)

The machine failed from the inside — Fire policies exclude internal mechanical and electrical breakdown. That needs its own cover. (Standard fire policy exclusions)

The director had already left — D&O follows the claim, not the person. Without run-off, cover ends when they do. (How claims-made D&O policies operate)

Data was lost in the fire — Data is not property under a fire wording. Reconstruction cost sits with cyber, not fire. (Definition of property, standard fire policy)