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ManipalCigna logoHealth insurance review · 2026

ManipalCigna Lifetime Health – India Plan

A high sum insured plan that starts where most retail health insurance stops: the smallest cover you can buy is ₹50 lakh and the largest is ₹3 crore. Pre-existing conditions wait 24 months rather than the usual 36, the sum insured restores an unlimited number of times for unrelated illnesses, and mental illness, HIV and AIDS are covered up to the sum insured. The 15% guaranteed bonus and worldwide emergency cover are sold through the Lifetime Plus rider, not built into the base plan.

Read from Manipal Cigna Health Insurance Company Limited's own policy wording and prospectus. Last checked against those documents on . The wording you are issued is the contract.

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01The detail

Lifetime Health – India Plan in one table

Claim settlement ratio
93.7%FY 2024–25
95% recommended
Complaints per 10,000
35.5policies
Under 10 recommended
InsurerManipal Cigna Health Insurance Company Limited
Sum insured₹50 lakh to ₹3 crore, in tiers of 50 / 75 / 100 / 150 / 200 / 300 lakh. An optional deductible of ₹5 lakh or ₹10 lakh is available

Claim settlement and complaint figures are IRDAI-published and held centrally by NYVO, not taken from the insurer's marketing.

02Cover

What Lifetime Health – India Plan covers

These are the terms that decide what you are actually paid when you claim. Room rent, co-pay and restoration do more to shape a settlement than the sum insured does, and they are read from ManipalCigna's own policy wording.

FeatureThis planWhat good looks like
Co-paymentNo co-payment in the base coverNo Co-payment
Room Rent LimitUp to the room category your sum insured entitles you to; any room including a suite at the ₹3 crore cover. A higher category triggers a proportionate deductionNo room rent capping
Disease sub-limitNo disease sub-limitsNo sub-limit
Guaranteed Cumulative Bonus15% of the India sum insured each policy year even if you claim, with no cap on accumulation – available through the ManipalCigna Lifetime Plus rider, not the base cover50% each year (Minimum upto 100%)
Restoration of Sum Insured100% of the sum insured, any number of times in a policy year, for a different illness only. It does not apply to the first claim of the year100% restoration once in a year
Pre-Hospitalization60 daysAt least 60 days
Post-Hospitalization180 daysAt least 120 days
ConsumablesNot in the base cover – the Health 360 Shield add-on pays them up to the sum insured, with durable equipment up to ₹1 lakhConsumables covered
Day Care TreatmentCovered up to the sum insuredCovered without a capped list
Mental Care CoverCovered up to the sum insuredIncluded
HIV/AIDS and STD CoverCovered up to the sum insuredIncluded
AYUSH TreatmentCovered up to the sum insuredIncluded
Entry age18 to 65 years for adults · 91 days to 25 years for childrenNo maximum entry age
What this plan does
03Add-ons

Lifetime Health – India Plan add-ons you can buy with it

Each of these costs extra and each has its own conditions. Some are genuinely worth it; several exist to patch a gap in the base plan. Ask what each one adds before it goes on your quote.

ManipalCigna Lifetime Plus
The rider that carries the plan's headline extras: the guaranteed 15% cumulative bonus, worldwide emergency hospitalisation within the chosen area of cover, maternity up to ₹1 lakh for two deliveries, surrogacy and oocyte donor cover up to ₹1 lakh each, optional infertility treatment up to ₹2.5 lakh, and the option to cut the pre-existing disease wait to one year or to nothing at all.
ManipalCigna Health 360 – Shield
Pays the listed non-medical items up to the sum insured and durable medical equipment up to ₹1 lakh. This is how consumables get covered on this plan.
ManipalCigna Health 360 – Advance
Upgrades the room entitlement to any room category, suite or higher, makes restoration unlimited even for related illnesses, and adds air ambulance over and above the base sum insured.
ManipalCigna Health 360 – OPD
Three packages of cashless outpatient cover: consultations only, consultations plus prescribed diagnostics, or both plus pharmacy with a pharmacy limit of 20% of the OPD sum insured.
Health+ optional package
Adds air ambulance, medical devices and non-medical items, a domestic second opinion, bariatric surgery cover, a convalescence benefit, hospital cash for major illness, chemotherapy and radiotherapy cash, accidental hospital cash, concierge services and tele-consultations. Its limits sit over and above the base sum insured.
Women+ optional package
For females aged 12 and above: breast, cervical and ovarian cancer screening, cervical cancer vaccination, osteoporosis screening, and gynaecological and psychological consultations.
ManipalCigna Critical Illness
A lump sum equal to the chosen sum insured on first diagnosis of a covered critical illness. It carries a 90-day waiting period and a 30-day survival period.
04Price

Lifetime Health – India Plan discounts you can ask for

Published discounts on this plan. Most are applied at quote stage rather than offered, so it is worth naming the ones you qualify for. Every figure is a ceiling, not a promise - what you actually get depends on the case.

DiscountWorthWhen it applies
Long-term policy discountUp to 7.5% or 10%7.5% on a 2-year policy and 10% on a 3-year policy, available only on the single premium payment mode.
Family discountUp to 15%Covering 2 or more members under the same policy on the individual option. It does not apply to the Health+ and Women+ package premiums.
Loyalty discountUp to 5% then 10%5% off the whole policy premium from the 4th to the 7th policy year, rising to 10% from the 8th year onwards.
Worksite marketing discountUp to 10%On policies sourced through the worksite marketing channel.
Deductible option₹5 lakh or ₹10 lakhAgree to fund the first ₹5 lakh or ₹10 lakh of a year's claims and the premium falls. Only sensible if you hold a separate base policy underneath.

From the ManipalCigna Lifetime Health prospectus. Discounts are multiplicative and calculated on the total policy premium.

05Waiting periods

Lifetime Health – India Plan waiting periods: when each part of the cover starts

Waiting periods run from the day cover began, not from the day you fall ill, and they run in parallel rather than one after another.

Initial Waiting Period30 days
Specific Illness24 months
Pre-Existing Disease24 months, or reduced to 12 months or nil with the Lifetime Plus rider
Critical Illness add-on90 days, plus a 30-day survival period

The named illnesses that wait 24 months

Payable once the policy has run 24 months without a break; an accident is covered from day one. This list is indicative – the policy wording carries the full set.

Indicative listFrom the policy wording. Your own document governs.
01Cataract
02Hysterectomy for menorrhagia, fibromyoma or prolapse of the uterus, and myomectomy for fibroids, unless caused by malignancy
03Knee and joint replacement surgery, non-infectious arthritis, gout, osteoarthritis, osteoporosis and vertebral disorders including spondylitis and spondylosis
04Stones in the urinary, uro-genital and biliary systems
05Fissure and fistula in ano, piles, hernia of all types and pilonidal sinus
06Cysts, nodules, polyps and breast lumps unless malignant, and polycystic ovarian disease
06Exclusions

Lifetime Health – India Plan exclusions: what the plan will not pay for

Every policy carries exclusions, and they are the clauses people read for the first time at claim stage. These are the ones worth knowing before you buy.

Not coveredIndicative, not exhaustive. Your policy wording is the contract.
01An admission arranged mainly for diagnostics and evaluation, where no treatment follows
02An admission for enforced bed rest, rehabilitation or respite care rather than active treatment
03Custodial care help with bathing, dressing and moving about, at home or in a facility
04The non-medical items on the excluded list, unless the Health 360 Shield add-on is taken
05Treatment outside India, unless the worldwide emergency hospitalisation option is taken
06Any deductible you chose, which on this plan can be ₹5 lakh or ₹10 lakh
07The honest bit

Where Lifetime Health – India Plan falls short

No plan is right for everyone, and a page that only lists strengths is not much use to you. These are the gaps we would raise on a call before recommending it.

Worth knowing before you buyNone of these are dealbreakers on their own. They are the trade-offs this plan asks you to accept.
01The floor is ₹50 lakh. There is no ₹10 lakh or ₹25 lakh option, so this is not a plan you can buy on a modest budget – the premium starts where other plans' top tier ends.
02The 15% guaranteed bonus that the marketing leads with is not in the base plan. It sits inside the Lifetime Plus rider, and so do worldwide emergency cover and maternity. Read the quote to see which of those you are actually paying for.
03Restoration only applies to a different illness. If the same condition puts you back in hospital in the same policy year, the refilled cover is not available to you unless you have bought Health 360 Advance.
04Room entitlement is tied to the sum insured, and the promise of any room including a suite is made for the ₹3 crore cover. At the lower tiers you can still face a proportionate deduction for taking a higher category.
05Entry closes at 65 and consumables are not in the base cover, both of which are ordinary limitations for a plan priced at this level.
06The insurer's claim settlement ratio and complaints ratio are both below the levels we look for.
08FAQs

Lifetime Health – India Plan questions, answered

What is the smallest cover I can buy on this plan?

₹50 lakh. The sum insured options are ₹50 lakh, ₹75 lakh, ₹1 crore, ₹1.5 crore, ₹2 crore and ₹3 crore. If you have been quoted a smaller number under the ManipalCigna name, it is a different product – Lifetime Health does not go below ₹50 lakh.

Is the pre-existing disease waiting period really 24 months?

Yes. The policy wording sets the pre-existing disease exclusion at 24 months of continuous coverage, not the 36 months many plans use, and the customer information sheet says the same. The Lifetime Plus rider can cut it further, to one year or to nothing. Underwriting can still add a personal waiting period of up to 36 months on a specific declared condition, with your consent.

Is the 15% cumulative bonus part of the base plan?

No, and this is the detail most comparisons get wrong. The plan benefit table puts the guaranteed cumulative bonus under the ManipalCigna Lifetime Plus rider, alongside worldwide emergency hospitalisation and maternity. What it does do, once bought, is add 15% of your India sum insured at the end of every policy year even if you claimed, with no ceiling on how much can accumulate.

How does restoration work?

The full sum insured is restored any number of times in a policy year, but only for an illness, disease or injury you have not already claimed for that year, and it never applies to the first claim. If you want the refill to work for the same illness as well, that is what the Health 360 Advance add-on changes.

Does it cover treatment abroad?

The India Plan does not. Its geographical scope is events within India, and claims are settled in India in rupees. Worldwide emergency hospitalisation within a chosen area of cover comes through the Lifetime Plus rider, and ManipalCigna sells a separate Global Plan under the same Lifetime Health filing if overseas cover is your main reason for buying.

Which room am I entitled to?

The wording says room rent is payable up to the room category your sum insured entitles you to, and if you take a higher category you bear a proportionate share of the associated medical expenses. The brochure's promise of any room including a suite is made for the ₹3 crore cover. At other tiers, check the entitlement printed on your policy schedule, or buy Health 360 Advance, which upgrades it to any room.

09Source documents

Read it from the insurer

We summarise. The policy wording is the contract, and it is the only document that settles a dispute. These links go to the insurer's own pages.

Lifetime Health plan documentPDF
ManipalCigna Lifetime Health plan pagePage
Find a cashless hospital near youLocator
10Read next

Understand the terms before you commit

A plan page tells you what this policy does. These explain why each term matters and what it costs you when it is missing.

11Same insurer

Other ManipalCigna plans we have read

ManipalCigna files these separately, and the terms differ between them. If you are choosing within the range, compare the waiting periods and the exclusions rather than the sum insured.

Is Lifetime Health – India Plan the right plan for you?

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Looking at ManipalCigna more broadly? Read our full ManipalCigna health insurance review for their claim record, complaint ratio and every plan we cover.

ManipalCigna Lifetime Health – India Plan Review 2026 | NYVO