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Niva Bupa Health Companion Variant 3 vs HDFC ERGO Critical Illness Silver Plan

Make an informed decision with our detailed side-by-side comparison of top health insurance policies. Compare...

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Niva Bupa

Health Companion Variant 3

High-cover family health insurance from ₹15 Lakh to ₹1 Crore with any room (except suite), 20% No Claim Bonus and a yearly refill.

What Makes It Special:

A high Sum Insured version of Health Companion (₹15 Lakh to ₹1 Crore) with near-any-room eligibility, a 100% refill and the highest animal-bite vaccination and Hospital Cash limits among Variants 1 to 3.

Best For:

  • Existing Health Companion customers renewing on the Variant 3 structure

  • People wanting an optional deductible to reduce premium

  • Buyers who want a No Claim Bonus of 20% per claim-free year

  • People who want to choose almost any hospital room

  • Families wanting a high Sum Insured of ₹15 Lakh or more

VS
HDFC ERGO

Critical Illness Silver Plan

Affordable lump-sum cover for 8 major critical illnesses

What Makes It Special:

The Silver Plan pays the sum insured as a single lump sum on first diagnosis of any one of 8 listed critical illnesses after the chosen survival period of 15 or 30 days, and at every age band and sum insured its premium is lower than the Platinum Plan's, which...

Best For:

  • Buyers topping up an existing critical illness benefit from an employer or a life insurer with additional standalone cover

  • Younger applicants looking to start critical illness cover early, since entry is permitted from 5 years of age

  • Buyers who already hold a hospitalisation policy and want a separate lump sum for income loss and non-medical costs

  • Buyers whose main concern is the four most common critical illness categories — heart, cancer, stroke and kidney failure

  • Buyers who want critical illness cover at the lowest premium within this product and accept a shorter list of covered conditions

Insurance Plans Comparison

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Our insurance experts are here to help you make the right choice. Get personalized recommendations based on your specific needs and budget.

Quick Decision Guide

  • Things to Consider: Non-payable consumables in Annexure I are not covered, and no consumables add-on is listed for this variant.

  • Things to Consider: Maternity and OPD consultations are not covered.

  • Things to Consider: Refill cannot be used for the same illness in the same year.

  • Things to Consider: Pre-existing diseases are covered only after 36 months.

  • Things to Consider: Pre and post hospitalisation is limited to 30 and 60 days.

  • Reasons to Consider: Annual health check-up from the second year and animal-bite vaccination up to ₹7,500.

  • Reasons to Consider: 100% refill of Base Sum Insured once a year for a different illness.

  • Reasons to Consider: 20% No Claim Bonus per claim-free year, up to 100% of Base Sum Insured.

  • Reasons to Consider: Any room covered up to Sum Insured, except Suite or above.

  • Reasons to Consider: High Sum Insured options from ₹15 Lakh to ₹1 Crore.

  • Set the sum insured against the income and costs you would need to replace during treatment rather than against expected hospital bills, because the payout is a fixed benefit and not a reimbursement.

  • Pre-existing conditions carry a 48-month waiting period, so if you have a declared condition, weigh whether the Silver Plan's lower premium still meets your need over that delay.

  • The benefit is payable once, so treat this as a supplement to a hospitalisation policy and not a substitute for one.

  • The plan pays only on first diagnosis of a listed condition as defined in the policy, so read the severity thresholds on heart attack, cancer and stroke before assuming a diagnosis will qualify.

  • Compare the 8-illness list against the Platinum Plan's 15 before choosing, since the Silver Plan excludes Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease, benign brain tumour, end-stage liver failure, surgery of aorta, primary pulmonary hypertension and heart valve replacement or repair.

Insurance Plans Comparison

Detailed Features Comparison

Compare the key features of different health insurance plans

Health Companion Variant 3
Health Companion Variant 3

Health Insurance Plan

Brochure

VS
Critical Illness Silver Plan
Critical Illness Silver Plan

Health Insurance Plan

Room Rent

Health Companion Variant 3

Covered up to Sum Insured, any room except Suite or above; proportionate deduction if a higher category is used

VS

Critical Illness Silver Plan

Not applicable.

ICU Charges

Health Companion Variant 3

Covered up to Sum Insured as part of In-patient Care

VS

Critical Illness Silver Plan

Not applicable — hospitalisation expenses are not indemnified under this policy

Co-payment

Health Companion Variant 3

No co-payment in base plan; 20% co-payment applies only under the legacy "Treatment only in Tiered Network" option (renewal customers who already chose it) for reimbursement treatment in 9 metro cities

VS

Critical Illness Silver Plan

Not applicable

Disease-wise sublimits

Health Companion Variant 3

No disease-wise sublimits stated; benefit limits apply to road ambulance (₹3,000), animal-bite vaccination (₹7,500) and Hospital Cash

VS

Critical Illness Silver Plan

Not applicable.

Cashless Healthcare Providers

Health Companion Variant 3

Cashless at Niva Bupa network hospitals (10,000+ per Niva Bupa Annual Report FY 2024-25; Requires verification for current count)

VS

Critical Illness Silver Plan

16,000 cashless healthcare providers (insurer-level, as of August 2025). Cashless hospitalisation is not the mechanism of this policy, which pays a lump sum on diagnosis

Restoration Benefit

Health Companion Variant 3

Refill up to 100% of Base Sum Insured, once per policy year, for subsequent claims of a different illness only (after Base SI and NCB are exhausted)

VS

Critical Illness Silver Plan

Not applicable — the benefit is payable once, on first diagnosis

Cumulative Bonus

Health Companion Variant 3

No Claim Bonus of 20% of expiring Base Sum Insured per claim-free year, up to 100%; NCB is not increased in a year following a claim

VS

Critical Illness Silver Plan

Not specified

Daycare Treatment

Health Companion Variant 3

Day care treatments (less than 24 hours) covered up to Sum Insured, incl. chemotherapy, radiotherapy and dialysis

VS

Critical Illness Silver Plan

Not applicable

Consumable Cover

Health Companion Variant 3

Consumables directly part of treatment (IV fluids, injection administration, medicines) covered under In-patient Care; non-payable items in Annexure I List I not covered; no consumables add-on stated for Variant 3

VS

Critical Illness Silver Plan

Not applicable.

AYUSH Treatment

Health Companion Variant 3

In-patient Ayurveda, Unani, Siddha and Homeopathy in an AYUSH Hospital covered up to Sum Insured

VS

Critical Illness Silver Plan

Not applicable

Initial Waiting Period

Health Companion Variant 3

30 Days (not applicable to accidents)

VS

Critical Illness Silver Plan

90 days

Specific Waiting Period

Health Companion Variant 3

24 Months for listed conditions (incl. cataract, hernia, joint disorders, chronic kidney disease, internal congenital anomaly); not applicable to accidents; cancer covered after 30 days

VS

Critical Illness Silver Plan

Not specified.

PED Waiting Period

Health Companion Variant 3

36 Months

VS

Critical Illness Silver Plan

48 months for all pre-existing conditions declared and/or accepted at application

Modern Treatment

Health Companion Variant 3

Covered up to Sum Insured (12 listed treatments incl. robotic surgery, oral chemotherapy, deep brain stimulation, stem cell therapy for haematological conditions)

VS

Critical Illness Silver Plan

Not applicable — this is a fixed-benefit policy paying a lump sum, not an indemnity cover for treatment costs

Annual Health Checkup

Health Companion Variant 3

Annual, from 2nd policy year (on renewal), for insured aged 18+; cashless at empanelled providers; defined test list (CBC, urine, ESR, HbA1c, cholesterol, HDL, LDL, urea, KFT)

VS

Critical Illness Silver Plan

Not specified. A pre-policy medical check may be required based on age and sum insured; 50% of standard medical test charges is reimbursed if conducted at an empanelled diagnostic centre, subject to acceptance of the proposal and policy issuance

Pre-Hospitalisation

Health Companion Variant 3

Up to 30 Days, covered up to Sum Insured (reimbursement basis)

VS

Critical Illness Silver Plan

Not applicable

Post-Hospitalisation

Health Companion Variant 3

Up to 60 Days, covered up to Sum Insured (reimbursement basis)

VS

Critical Illness Silver Plan

Not applicable

Outpatient Department Cover (OPD Expense)

Health Companion Variant 3

Not covered; only OPD vaccination after an animal bite, up to ₹7,500

VS

Critical Illness Silver Plan

Not applicable

Deductible Option

Health Companion Variant 3

Optional Annual Aggregate Deductible of ₹1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 10 Lakh

VS

Critical Illness Silver Plan

Not applicable

Coverage Options

Health Companion Variant 3

Base Sum Insured ₹15 Lakh, 20 Lakh, 30 Lakh, 50 Lakh, 1 Crore; Individual or Family Floater

VS

Critical Illness Silver Plan

Not specified — cover is written per insured person; no individual/floater structure is stated

Claim Settlement Ratio

Health Companion Variant 3

96.7% of claims settled (by number) for Health Companion in FY 2025-26 (all Health Companion UINs reported together). Source: Niva Bupa Public Disclosures FY2025-26 (Form NL-47), https://transactions.nivabupa.com/pages/doc/pub-dis/quarterly-reports/Website-Public-Disclosures-Mar-2026.pdf. Company-level: 94.4% (Niva Bupa Annual Report FY 2025-26)

VS

Critical Illness Silver Plan

97% approximately

Maternity Cover

Health Companion Variant 3

Not covered (Maternity excluded, Code Excl18)

VS

Critical Illness Silver Plan

Not covered.

Insurance Plans Comparison

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Insurance Plans Comparison

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Family Health Plan

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  • Covers delivery, newborn care, and maternity expenses

  • Reduces financial stress of childbirth costs

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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

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Health Companion Variant 3 Vs Critical Illness Silver Plan

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