World Diabetes Day 2025: Early Health Insurance Planning Crucial As Diabetes Strikes In The 20s And 30s

Diabetes is increasingly being diagnosed in Indians in their 20s and early 30s, which makes early health insurance planning absolutely essential. Most retail health policies apply a two- to four-year waiting period for diabetes and related complications. Once a diagnosis is made, options become costlier, underwriting becomes stricter, and in some cases, the coverage gets limited.

Buying Health Insurance Early Helps 

“The best approach is to buy health insurance early, before any symptoms or borderline reports appear. This ensures full coverage without disease-specific exclusions, lower premiums due to better risk profiles, and the ability to gradually upgrade the sum insured through no-claim bonuses. One also has access to renewal flexibility, such as adding critical illness or OPD benefits later,” says Narendra Bharindwal, president, Insurance Brokers Association of India (IBAI).

Early enrollment in health insurance prevents waiting periods and exclusions. “This is very important if someone has diabetes or their family has diabetes. Buying early will ensure that the waiting period gets over at a young age and comprehensive coverage is available in the future,” says Dinesh Mosamkar, senior vice president, consumer underwriting, TATA AIG General Insurance.

Wellness-Linked Health Plans Cut Diabetes Risks

Young adults should also consider policies that offer wellness benefits and preventive check-ups, as these help track health proactively and reduce the risk of chronic illnesses.

Plans with wellness benefits, preventive monitoring, and diabetes management programs help individuals keep HbA1c under control, which reduces claims and lowers the chances of cost-heavy complications.

“A slightly higher premium for a comprehensive plan is cheaper in the long run than paying lakhs out-of-pocket for hospitalization or complications,” says Siddharth Singhal, head of health insurance, Policybazaar.

“For those already at risk or with borderline parameters, several modern health plans now offer Day 1 coverage for diabetes or other pre-existing diseases (PEDs)—no waiting period. Underwriting is based on HbA1c levels, making it easier for people with well-managed readings to get cover,” says Singhal.

“Consider a health plan specifically for diabetes that only covers a certain set of diabetes-related conditions and generally has lower premiums,” says Mosamkar.

Prevent Today, Protect Tomorrow

Individuals can proactively safeguard themselves against diabetes-related risks by adopting measures like these.

Undergoing preventive health checkups to enable early diagnosis.    Effective disease management benefits from early diagnosis.  “One must select insurance products that offer preventive health check-ups for chronic conditions,” says Mosamkar.

Practicing disciplined diet management and regular exercise helps to maintain good health or delay the progression of the condition. One must choose products that provide wellness services, such as diet consultations, fitness tracking, and activity-linked rewards, to promote healthy lifestyles.

Choosing a health insurance indemnity plan that covers both hospitalization and treatment costs is also important.  Consider products that offer outpatient (OPD) benefits to cover the cost of outpatient medical care.

A structured approach combining preventive healthcare and early insurance acquisition provides robust financial and medical protection against diabetes complications.