This is one of the most common and most underestimated insurance risks in India. Millions of salaried employees rely entirely on their employer’s group health cover and assume it is a permanent safety net. It is not. In most cases, your employer’s group health cover ends on your last working day.
When Exactly Does Your Employer Cover End?
Most group health policies end on the employee’s last working day. Some companies provide coverage through the notice period; a few extend it by 30 days. There is no standard rule ,it varies by employer and insurer. Ask your HR team for the exact end date before you give notice, not after.
The Gap Risk
Between leaving one job and joining another ,whether for two weeks or three months you and your family may have no cover at all. Any hospitalisation during this period means paying entirely out of pocket. This risk is particularly serious if family members have ongoing treatments, if you have ageing parents on the same policy, or if you are pregnant.
Option 1: Convert Your Group Policy to Individual
IRDAI allows employees to convert their employer’s group health cover to an individual policy with the same insurer after leaving a job. The key advantage is continuity , the waiting period you have already served for pre-existing conditions carries over. You apply typically within 30 days of leaving, and the insurer must respond within 15 days.
This option is not available with all insurers or all employers. Check with your HR team and insurer before resigning.
Option 2: Port to a New Insurer
IRDAI’s portability rules allow you to carry your accumulated waiting period credit to a new insurer. Apply within 30 to 45 days of your group policy ending. Do not miss this window once it closes, any new individual policy restarts your waiting periods from zero.
Option 3: Buy a Fresh Individual Policy
If neither conversion nor portability is available, buy a fresh individual policy. Act before you resign , buying while still employed and covered minimises the gap between old cover ending and new policy beginning. An individual policy you own and pay for is yours regardless of where you work.
Why Employer Cover Alone Is Not Enough
The job-change scenario is precisely why financial advisors consistently recommend supplementing employer cover with a personal individual policy. An individual policy does not disappear when your job does.
Switching jobs and worried about your health cover? Draco Insurance can help you arrange seamless individual coverage with no gap. Visit dracoinsurance.in or call +91 7064106417.
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