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Home>Health Insurance>

What is Survival Period in Health Insurance?

What is Survival Period in Health Insurance?

Critical illnesses are on the rise, and they are one of the biggest threats to our physical and financial well-being. Heart disease, stroke, renal failure, and cancer are just some of the critical illnesses that make life difficult for the patient and their caretakers. They often require expensive long-term care. Insurance companies have special plans that try to address critical illnesses, and these are considered to be very beneficial for those who are prone to critical illnesses due to age, genetics, etc.

Quick Links

  • What is Survival Period in Health Insurance?
  • What is the Impact of Survival Period?
  • Difference Between Waiting & Survival Period
  • FAQs

    What is Survival Period in Health Insurance?

    When you buy a critical illness health insurance plan, an important clause to take note of is the survival period. This refers to the time period a person diagnosed with a critical illness has to stay alive after their diagnosis. Insurance companies pay out the lump sum promised under the critical insurance plan only if the patient makes it through the survival period. If the patient passes away within the stipulated period, the lump sum payment will not be disbursed. The lump sum is meant to take care of the medical needs and treatment of the patient if they survive, and it is not considered a death benefit.

    The survival period varies from insurer to insurer, with the upper limit being 90 days in most cases. Some critical illness policies limit the survival period to 14 days or 30 days from the diagnosis.

    What is the Impact of Survival Period?

    Critical illnesses are life-threatening in nature. Some progress rapidly once diagnosed, while others leave enough time for treatment and recovery. Purchasing a critical health insurance plan that has a shorter survival period is in the best interest of the policyholder. Here’s how a longer survival period can have an adverse impact.

    Claims

    Your claim for the lump sum will be rejected if the patient doesn’t make it through the survival period. This is despite the fact that the illness is covered under the insurance policy and has been diagnosed properly. 

    Financial distress

    If the insured passes away during the survival period, the family or caretakers will not be awarded a lump sum. This can put the family under financial distress and leave them with out-of-pocket expenses. They may have depended on the lump sum to address such expenses. A shorter survival period will stack the odds in favour of the patients and their families.

    What is the Difference Between Waiting Period and Survival Period in Health Insurance?

    When you purchase any health insurance plan, a waiting period is imposed on the policyholder. There is an initial waiting period from the time a health insurance plan comes into effect before the policyholder can start making claims. Another waiting period is put in place for those with pre-existing conditions. These health issues are usually declared by the policyholder at the time of purchase. The policyholder will have to spend money from their own pocket during the waiting period if the medical expense is incurred due to a pre-existing condition. This is because insurers will reject claims related to these illnesses during the waiting period.

    A survival period is different from a waiting period. It is usually shorter in duration compared to the waiting period and is specific to a critical health insurance plan.

     

    Difference between waiting period and survival period

    Waiting periodSurvival period
      
    Anywhere between 30 days and 3 yearsAnywhere between 14 days and 3 months
    Applied from when the policy takes effectApplied once the patient is diagnosed with the critical illness
    Can be applied to 30 days from when the policy activates, pre-existing conditions, maternity benefits and critical illnessesIt is applied only to critical illnesses
    Can be found in all health insurance plansIt is specific to critical illness health insurance plans

    Survival period is crucial when it comes to critical illness health insurance plans. Prior knowledge of this clause can make a huge difference in how the family of the patient prepares for their loved one’s treatment once the diagnosis is made. This can help them plan their finances better in case the worst-case scenario takes place, and not be left high and dry when their claim is rejected. In such cases, opting for the plan with a shorter survival period is the best course of action.

    Frequently asked questions

    Survival period refers to the number of days/months a patient has to stay alive once diagnosed with a critical illness to receive a lump sum payout from the insurer.

    If the patient doesn’t make it through the survival period, the insurer will not release the lump sum payment to the family/caretaker.

    Insurers make lump sum payments for the sole purpose of medical treatments of those with critical illnesses. This being the case, they don’t want to entertain claims where the patient passes away immediately after the diagnosis.

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    Last updated: 24 Dec 2025, 10:06 PM
    Roocha Kanade profile avatar

    Written by

    Roocha Kanade

    Content Architect

    Dr Nitin Kumar Gupta profile avatar

    Reviewed by

    Dr Nitin Kumar Gupta

    SVP – Health Underwriting & Claims at Acko General Insurance

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