Buy Health Insurance for 50 Years Old
Turning 50 is a key stage where your health needs become a top priority. Medical costs rise with age, and depending only on savings or employer coverage is risky. A good health insurance plan helps you access quality care without financial stress.
Look for plans that include pre-existing condition coverage, as not all policies cover existing ailments from day one. Choosing a plan with shorter waiting periods ensures better protection and timely treatment access.
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I'm 50 — Is it too Late to Buy a Health Policy?
No, age 50 is not too late to purchase a health insurance policy. In fact, this is one of the most critical times to have adequate coverage. At age 50, there is a greater risk that you will have medical conditions, and the costs of medical care can drain your savings a lot faster than you think.
Most health insurers in India accept new policyholders up to age 65 and will allow you to renew policies until you die, so you still have enough options. The premiums will be higher than for a person in their 30s or 40s, but the protection you get is far more valuable.
How Do Health Insurance Needs Change for Older People?
To protect yourself financially, here are the most important changes to make in your coverage:
1. Higher Sum Insured
The cost of surgeries, cancer treatment, or prolonged hospital stays has gone up tremendously. As we age 50, the risk of these costs increases. A low sum insured won't be enough and can wipe out your savings. Find a higher sum insured of ₹20–25 lakhs or more, so you can get quality treatment without worrying about the bills.
2. New Riders for Extra Protection
Base health plans cover only basic hospital costs. Optional riders add lump sum cash for certain diseases (cancer), daily cash for meals, or accident cover for injuries. These riders cover certain risks better than the base plan and add financial peace of mind.
3. Coverage for Pre-Existing Conditions
By age 50, many individuals already have diabetes, high blood pressure, or a thyroid condition. Insurance pays for conditions like those after a waiting period. Choose plans that have a shorter waiting period — 2–3 years instead of 4–6 years, so your ongoing treatments and medications are covered sooner
4. Shorter Waiting Periods for Treatments
Some surgeries, like cataract, hernia, or knee replacement, will have particular waiting periods. Because they are common after age 50, purchasing a policy that reduces waiting time is best.
5. Daycare and OPD Coverage
Today, many treatments do not require a full 24-hour hospital stay. After age 50, visits to the doctor, tests, dialysis or minor procedures become the norm. Plans covering daycare and OPD expenses spare you from frequent out-of-pocket payments and make routine healthcare more affordable.
6. Preventive Health Check-Ups
Regular health check-ups become necessary after 50. A large number of health plans and insurers provide free annual check-ups, which include tests for blood sugar, cholesterol, and blood pressure management. Regularly detecting and managing chronic conditions leads to less risk of hospitalisation.
7. Strong Network Hospitals and Cashless Facility
At this age, access to the hospital quickly is far more important. Also, ensure your insurance has an extensive network of known hospitals nearby. Cashless treatment within the hospital lets you get yourself admitted in an emergency without preparing any funds.
8. Lifelong Renewability
As you get older, health risks increase. Policies with lifetime renewability guarantee you will never lose coverage, even if you are in your 70s or older. Always check for this feature when buying a policy or upgrading to a new one to remain protected for life.
9. No Claim Bonus (NCB) Benefits
If you don't make a claim, your insurer frequently compensates you with a higher no-cost sum insured. The accumulated NCB means you can increase your coverage/package, and, like before, your coverage may double or triple in coverage for later years.
10. Premium Affordability and Flexibility
Premiums rise as you get older, particularly after age 50. To manage cost, seek wellness discounts, family floater options, or co-pay features, resulting in you only paying some of the bill.
Why is it Risky to Rely Only on Employer Health Insurance?
Here are the main reasons why it's risky to rely on employer health insurance:
- Your Health Cover Ends When Your Job Does: Employer health insurance is only as valid as your employment with that company. The minute you cease working for the organisation - whether due to a job change, retirement or unexpected termination - their coverage ceases.Â
- You can't customise the Coverage: Employer plans are group insurance policies, meaning they are intended to offer all employees the same features. While you cannot increase the sum insured, you can select riders or tailor the benefits to suit your family's health requirements.Â
- Coverage Limit Is Often Too Low: Typically, group health insurance has a fixed sum insured, and most are on the lower side. Because of the increasing cost of medical treatment, these amounts may not be sufficient to cover serious illnesses, hospitalisations, or surgeries, and you will likely end up with a significant out-of-pocket bill.
- No Long-Term Health Security: However, employer policies typically do not offer permanent protection. As people age, they are more likely to develop medical conditions; therefore, obtaining an individual policy later may be riskier, and premiums will likely be higher.Â
- Family Members May Not Be Covered: Most employer plans don't cover dependents like parents or in-laws. In the slight chance that dependents are covered, it is typically only basic coverage and may not cover the higher medical needs of older family members.Â
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Benefits of Health Insurance with Pre-Existing Disease Cover
Here are the key benefits of choosing health insurance with pre-existing disease cover:
It’s never too late to secure your health and financial future. At 50, the chances of developing lifestyle-related illnesses or requiring advanced medical care increase significantly. Treatments for conditions like cardiac issues, diabetes complications, or cancer can cost several lakhs, and without insurance, these expenses can quickly drain your savings.Â
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Buying health insurance at 50 years of age ensures:
* You have a strong safety net for hospitalisation, surgeries, and critical illnesses.
*Â It helps you avoid the burden of rising medical inflation
*Â It also offers peace of mind for you and your family during an emergency.Â
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Even if premiums are higher at this age, the protection and financial security you gain far outweigh the cost.
Vivek Chaturvedi
CMO & Head of Direct Sales
What's the Right Type of Health Insurance At This Stage?
For those 50 and older, fewer options for health insurance are more about age-related risk and cost management. Here's how the three primary choices stack up:
At this stage, an individual health policy + top-up is broadly hospital-based with coverage; the critical illness add-on mitigates the effects of disabling, financially devastating diseases. Family floaters provide little value after 50 unless dependents are much younger and healthy.
Why Should Individuals above 50 years Opt for a Higher Sum Insured?
Health risks increase at age 50, and more comprehensive financial protection is needed. The right kind of coverage should have a good balance of affordability, a sufficient sum insured, and benefits focused on age-related needs. Consider these key features of coverage to look for:
- Higher Sum Insured (₹50 lakh - ₹1 cr): Medical inflation is growing rapidly, especially for treating cardiac, cancer, or joint replacements. A higher sum insured ensures you don't run out of cover during emergencies.
- Comprehensive Hospitalisation Cover: Look out for policy terms where the policy covers room rent without a cap, day-care procedures, ICU expenses, and expenses during the post-hospitalisation phase.
- Coverage for Pre-Existing Conditions: At 50+, you have health conditions already. Go with an insurance company with a reduced waiting period (2-3 years) for some pre-existing conditions.
- Critical Illness Add-On: Heart Attack, Stroke, and Cancer are all more prevalent in this age group. A lump-sum critical illness rider boosts your financial protection against life's dangers.
- Restoration Benefit: If you have a claim once per policy year, restoration allows you to start over with a new sum insured for another illness in the same policy year.
- No Claim Bonus (NCB): Each time you remain claim-free, the increasing cover amount adds to building a broader health shield at no additional cost through premium increases.
- OPD & Preventive Health Check-Ups: Annual check-ups and OPD services are relevant, as continuous monitoring at this stage of life is critical. You could get into deeper trouble if you fail to notice a change in your health and only have a policy in your pocket.
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Why Choose Health Insurance for 50 Year with Digit?
Key Benefits of Health Insurance for 50 Year Old by Digit
Your health insurance plan with Digit extends several exclusive benefits that enhance your coverage. Here are the key benefits:
*Â These add-ons are subject to underwriting approval and your eligibility at the time of purchase or renewal
What’s Covered in the Health Insurance for 50 Year Offered by Digit?
Coverages
Double Wallet Plan
Infinity Wallet Plan
Worldwide Treatment Plan
Important Features
This covers for all hospitalisation expenses including due to an Illness, Accident, Critical Illness or even pandemics like Covid 19. It can be used to cover for multiple hospitalisations, as long as the total expenses are up to your sum insured.
You need to wait for a defined period from the first day of your policy to get covered for treatment related to any non-accidental illness. This is the Initial Waiting period.
Exclusive Wellness Benefits like Home Healthcare, Tele consultations, Yoga and Mindfullness and many more available on our App.
We provide a back-up Sum Insured which is 100% of your Sum Insured amount. How does Sum Insured Back Up work? Suppose your policy Sum Insured is Rs. 5 lac. You make a claim of Rs.50,000. Digit automatically triggers the wallet benefit. So you now have 4.5lac + 5 lac Sum Insured available for the year. However, one single claim, cannot be more than the base Sum Insured as in the above case, 5 lac. .
Digit Special
No claims in the Policy year? You get a bonus -an additional amount in your total sum-insured for staying healthy & claim free!
Different categories of rooms have different rents. Just like how hotel rooms have tarrifs. Digit plans give you the benefit of having no room rent cap, as long as it is below your Sum Insured..
Health insurance covers medical expenses only for hospitalisations exceeding 24 hours. Day care procedures refer to medical treatments undertaken in a hospital, requiring less than 24 hours due to technological advancement such as cataract, dialysis etc.
Digit Special
Get a world class treatment with the Worldwide Coverage! If your doctor identifies an illness during your health examination in India and you wish to get a treatment abroad, then we’re there for you.You’re covered!
We pay for your health check-up expenses upto the amount mentioned in your Plan. No restrictions on the kind of tests! Be it ECG or Thyroid Profile. Make sure you go through your policy schedule to check the claim limit.
There may be emergency life-threatening health conditions which may require immediate transportation to hospital. We absolutely understand this and reimburse for expenses incurred for your transportation to a hospital in airplane or helicopter.
Digit Special
Co-Payment means a cost sharing requirement under a Health Insurance Policy that provides that the Policyholder/Insured will bear a specified percentage of the admissible claims amount. It does not reduce the Sum Insured. This percentage depends on various factors like age, or sometimes also on your treatment city called zone based copayment. In our plans, there is no age based or zone based Co payment involved.
Get reimbursed for the expenses of road ambulance, in case you are hospitalised.
This cover is for all expenses before and after hospitalisation such as for diagnosis, tests and recovery.
Other Features
The disease or condition that you are already suffering with and have disclosed to us before taking the policy and has been accepted by us has a waiting period as per plan opted and mentioned in your Policy Schedule.
This is the amount of time you need to wait for, until you can make a claim for a specific illness. At Digit it is 1-3 years and starts from the day of policy activation. For the full list of exclusions, read Standard Exclusions (Excl02) of your policy wordings.
If You sustain an Accidental Bodily Injury during the Policy Period, which is the sole and direct cause of Your Death within twelve (12) months from the date of accident, then We will pay 100% of the Sum Insured as mentioned in Policy Schedule against this cover and as per plan opted.
Digit Special
Your organ donor gets covered in your policy. We also take care the pre and post hospitalisation expenses of the donor. Organ donating is one of the kindest deeds ever and we thought to ourselves, why not be a part of it!
Hospitals can go out of beds, or the patient’s condition may be rough to get admitted in a hospital. Don’t panic! We cover you for the medical expenses even if you get treatment at home.
Obesity may be the root cause of so many health issues. We absolutely understand this, and cover for Bariatric Surgery when it is medically necessary and advised by your doctor. However, we DONOT cover if hospitalisation for this treatment is for cosmetic reasons.
If due to a trauma, a member has to be hospitalised for a psychiatric treatment, it will be covered under this benefit, upto INR 1,00,000. However, OPD consultations are not covered under this. The waiting period for Psychiatric Illness Cover is same as Specific Illness waiting period.
Before, during & after hospitalisation, there are many other medical aids & expenditures such as walking aids, crepe bandages, belts, etc.,which need your pocket’s attention.This cover takes care of these expenses that are otherwise excluded from the policy.
What’s Not Covered under Health Insurance for 50 Year Plan?
Pre-Natal & Post-Natal Expenses
Pre-natal and post-natal medical expenses are not covered unless they lead to hospitalisation.
PED Before Waiting Period
A claim for a pre-existing disease or illness cannot be made until the specified waiting period is over.
Hospitalisation without Doctor’s Recommendation
Hospitalisation for any condition that doesn’t match the doctor’s prescription is not covered.
Health Insurance Add-on Options with Digit
Enhance your health insurance policy with add-ons at Digit. These add-ons are subject to underwriting approval and your eligibility at the time of purchase or renewal. Here’s a list of add-ons available that provide additional layers of protection beyond the basic coverage of your policy:
Consumable Cover
Pay 10% extra premium and we will also cover your non-medical expenses once your base claim is approved.
Pre-existing Disease/Specific Disease/Initial Waiting Period Modification
You can reduce your pre-existing disease waiting period to up to 2 years.
Network Hospital Discount
Opt for treatment at one of our network hospitals and receive a 10% discount on your premium with this add-on cover. However, a co-payment will be applicable if you get hospitalised in a non-network hospital.
How to Buy Health Insurance for 50 Year?
Buying health insurance online is simple and hassle-free. If you're planning to purchase a policy from Digit, here’s a step-by-step guide to help you through the process:
Enter Basic Details
Visit the Digit app or website. Enter your PIN code and mobile number, select your preferred health insurance plan and provide age details, family members covered, etc.
Choose Plan & Add Member Details
Compare & select the plan, sum insured, add-on covers and apply any available discounts to get the final premium amount. Further provide the member details for everyone you’re covering.
Make Payment & Submit KYC
Once done, proceed to make the premium payment and submit your KYC documents to complete the purchase process.
Final Review & Processing
Now, your application undergoes a brief review process. Digit may request a health declaration, lifestyle information, or medical details & reports if required. Now, based on your medical underwriting, your policy will be issued and sent to your email. You can also access it anytime through the Digit app.
Documents Required to Buy Health Insurance for 50 Year Online
When purchasing a health insurance policy, insurers typically require some basic documents for verification. Below is a list of optional documents that may be needed at the time of purchasing a policy:
Identity/Age Proof
✔ Aadhaar CardÂ
✔ PAN Card
 ✔ Passport
 ✔ Voter ID
 ✔ Driving License
✔ Birth Certificate
Address Proof
✔ Passport
✔ Utility Bills (Electricity, Water, Gas – recent)
✔ Rental Agreement
Income Proof
✔ Income Tax Returns (ITR)
✔ Form 16
Previous Medical Reports (If any)
KYC Documents
✔ PAN Card (for financial verification)
✔ Aadhaar Card (for identity and address verification)
✔ Photograph and bank details (optional)
Important Things to Know About Health Insurance
How Much Does Health Insurance Premium Cost for a 50-Year-Old in India?
At 50, health insurance becomes even more important as medical risks increase with age. Premiums are higher for older age groups, but securing adequate coverage now can protect you from major financial stress later.Â
For example, if you’re a 50-year-old living in Bangalore and choose Digit’s Infinity Wallet Plan, here’s how the premium varies based on the sum insured:
Disclaimer: The premium amounts shown above are indicative and based on publicly available data for Digit’s Infinity Wallet Plan. Actual premiums may vary depending on factors such as age, location, medical history, family members covered, lifestyle habits, and selected add-ons.
Tax Benefits For Health Insurance For 50+ Years
Here are the key points related to tax benefits:
- Senior citizens (60 years and above) can avail of ₹50,000 per year as a deduction from the health insurance premium paid.
- If you are paying the health insurance for your senior citizen parents, you can claim an additional ₹50,000 deduction and receive a maximum benefit of up to ₹1,00,000.
- You can claim up to ₹5,000 annually for preventive check-ups, which can be claimed within the overall Section 80D allowance.
- G premiums must be paid through non-cash (cheque, net banking, UPI, debit/credit cards) to qualify for the tax deduction.
- You can claim deductions for premiums for yourself, your spouse, your children, and your dependent parents under the same section.
- Hindu Undivided Families (HUFs) may also claim a deduction for health insurance premiums paid for family members.
- Deductible premiums can also include add-ons, such as critical illness cover or a top-up health insurance policy, under Section 80D.
Turning 50 often brings higher health risks such as diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, and joint problems. Medical treatments for these conditions can be expensive, especially if hospitalisation or surgery is required. At this age, premiums may be higher, but buying health insurance ensures you’re financially prepared for unexpected health issues.
Buying a comprehensive health insurance plan at 50 years of age can help cover hospitalisation, pre and post-treatment expenses, critical illness coverage and help you manage rising healthcare costs without draining your savings.
Read More about Health Insurance Tips
FAQs About Health Insurance for 50-Year-Olds
Senior Marketing Associate
Srishti is a skilled content writer with 4+ years of experience in the insurance world. She simplifies tricky terms, explains policies clearly, and writes content that instantly connects with customers. Her skills make insurance easy to understand and truly helpful for everyone.
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