The Cost of Waiting: Why Young Indians Are Paying for Delayed Health Decisions

Arjun was 32 when the diagnosis came: type 2 diabetes. Not severe yet — his doctor said it was manageable with diet, exercise, and discipline. But the shock lingered. He was young, active, and worked out regularly. How could this happen?

His next thought was insurance. He’d been putting it off for years — always next month, next bonus, next appraisal. He was healthy; insurance felt unnecessary. Until that Tuesday morning lab report changed everything.

He applied immediately. The policy came through — comprehensive and well-designed — with one small detail: a three-year waiting period for his newly diagnosed diabetes. Any treatment or hospitalization related to the condition? Uncovered for 36 months.

“I thought I had time,” he says quietly. “I thought I was too young to worry. Both were expensive mistakes.”

The Epidemic We Don’t See Coming

A recent study found that over the past decade, the prevalence of type 2 diabetes among younger Indians rose from about 4.5 per cent to 7.8 per cent, a steeper increase than in older age-groups. India now hosts about 212 million adults with diabetes roughly one in four of all people globally with the condition. While exact forecasts vary, some specialists warn that a growing portion of people aged 30 and above are at serious risk of developing diabetes in the coming decade.

These aren’t distant numbers. They’re friends, colleagues, siblings — us.

Why We Delay What Matters Most

We’re wired for optimism bias believing bad things happen to others. Insurance to most young professionals feels like paperwork for later.

Psychologists call it present bias: overvaluing short-term savings while undervaluing future protection. But health risks grow quietly. Blood sugar creeps up slowly. Lifestyle diseases whisper before they shout.

By the time we pay attention, the cost - both physical and financial - is already high.

Sanjiv Bajaj, Joint Chairman and MD, BajajCapital, says, “The biggest mistake young Indians make is assuming health insurance is for when they’re sick. The truth is, once diagnosis happens, you haven’t protected yourself—you’ve locked yourself out.”

The Waiting Period

Most health insurance policies as regulated by IRDAI stipulate waiting periods of up to 36 months (and in past practice up to 48 months) for pre-existing diseases such as diabetes or hypertension. Under IRDAI’s definition, a disease diagnosed or treated within 36 months before policy start is treated as a pre-existing disease.

It’s a cruel paradox: when you need insurance the most, it’s least useful. Some policies offer day-one coverage, but at far higher premiums and stricter underwriting.

For many young earners, that’s unaffordable forcing them to bear treatment costs out-of-pocket.

The Price of Delay

Rina, 28, healthy and proactive, bought comprehensive insurance last year for Rs 8,500.

Her friend Sameer, the same age, delayed his purchase. Last month, he was diagnosed with hypertension. Same insurer, same cover his premium now Rs 14,200, with a three-year waiting period for hypertension-related claims.

Rina rests easy. Sameer does math every time he feels unwell. “You don’t buy a fire extinguisher when your house is burning,” Bajaj explains. “Insurance works precisely because you buy it before the crisis, not during it.”

The Window Is Closing

India’s diabetes prevalence is projected to rise by 20–40 per cent by 2031, depending on the metric used. Even more concerning is the younger age of onset — an increasing number of Indians in their 20s and 30s are now being diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. As this trend accelerates, the pool of individuals who qualify for affordable, unrestricted health insurance will steadily shrink. Every year you delay buying a policy, your chances of securing clean underwriting and lower premiums diminish because once a lifestyle disease is diagnosed, the waiting periods and exclusions begin.

Act Before It’s Urgent

Buying health insurance isn’t exciting. It’s not something you use, it's something that protects you when life doesn’t go as planned.

Arjun knows that now. His three-year waiting period ends next month. He’s spent Rs 1.8 lakh on medication and tests -- expenses he could have avoided with a Rs 6,000 annual premium at 25.

The sweet trap isn’t diabetes.  It’s believing you’re too young to worry.