IRDAI Health Insurance Rules 2026: What's in Effect
Home › Personal Finance › Insurance › IRDAI Health Insurance Rules 2026 Insurance Personal Finance | 16 Jun 2026 | 9 min read Quick Answer Under the IRDAI Master Circular on Health Insurance Business (29 May 2024), every health insurer in India must follow these rules: pre-existing disease (PED) waiting periods cannot exceed 36 months ; the moratorium after which an insurer cannot contest a claim for non-disclosure is 60 months ; cashless pre-authorisation must be issued within 1 hour of the hospital's request, and final discharge authorisation within 3 hours ; insurers must offer at least one product with no upper age limit ; and AYUSH treatments are covered up to the full sum insured with no sub-limits. Portability preserves your accrued waiting-period credit — switching insurers does not restart your clock. These are not new 2026 changes; they are the operative framework for every health policy i...