New Delhi, Sept. 9 -- For health insurance policyholders, understanding the rules insurers must follow during the claim and grievance process can be extremely useful. These protections become particularly important when cashless approval is delayed, discharge gets held up, an earlier medical disclosure is questioned, or a complaint is taken to the Insurance Ombudsman.

Knowing the prescribed timelines and protections can help policyholders track their claims and take appropriate action when there is an unnecessary delay.

Here are five IRDAI-mandated health insurance claim rights that every policyholder should be aware of.

When a hospital submits a cashless pre-authorisation request to an insurer, the insurer is required to make a decisi...