Even a cashless claim leaves part of the bill unpaid. These are the deductions that catch families out:
The table shows how these played out on one knee replacement bill.
| Hospital bill for a knee replacement | Amount (Rs.) |
|---|
| Total hospital bill | 4,80,000 |
| Paid by insurer (cashless) | 3,20,000 |
| Non-payable items: consumables, gloves, admission kit | 38,000 |
| Proportionate deduction for a room above the policy limit | 72,000 |
| Co-payment of 10% under the policy | 32,000 |
| Pharmacy and tests outside the bill | 18,000 |
| Gap paid by the family | 1,60,000 |
Last updated: 26th October, 2026
The room rent deduction was the largest single cut. Choosing a room within the policy limit would have saved most of it. Read your policy's room rent clause before a medical emergency, not during one, so you can choose the right room on admission.
Arvind's family bill
Arvind, 44, keeps the books at a Lucknow sugar mill as a salaried chartered accountant. His pay is Rs. 52,000 a month, and he holds a 763 CIBIL score. The knee replacement above was his father's medical emergency. When the insurer's payment left a Rs. 1.6 lakh gap at discharge, he borrowed it at an illustrative 15.75% per annum before weighing a 1-year equated monthly instalment (EMI) against a 2-year one.
EMI = P × R × (1 + R)^N ÷ [(1 + R)^N − 1]. Here P = Rs. 1,60,000, R = 15.75 ÷ 1,200 and N = months.
| Tenure | Monthly EMI (Rs.) | Total interest (Rs.) | EMI as share of salary (%) |
|---|
| 12 months (1 year) | 14,498 | 13,976 | 27.9 |
| 24 months (2 years) | 7,815 | 27,560 | 15.0 |
Last updated: 26th October, 2026
The 1-year EMI would take 28% of his salary, too much alongside household costs. Over 2 years, the EMI falls by Rs. 6,683 and interest rises by Rs. 13,584. A processing fee of no more than Rs. 6,608 applies. Arvind chose 24 months, spreading the medical emergency cost over 2 years.
What can delay approval: a CIBIL score below 650 or existing EMIs that take up a large share of your income. Names or addresses that do not match across documents, and more than one loan application in the same month, can also slow it down.
Short of money for a hospital bill? With a Bajaj Finance Personal Loan, you can borrow Rs. 40,000 to Rs. 75 lakh, subject to eligibility. Check your loan offer with your phone number and a one-time password (OTP) → apply online → receive funds within 24 hours* of approval.
