# Fine print renders insurance policies incomprehensible, expert says 2026-09-28T04:37:26+00:00 | Governance | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 1 independent outlet Business journalist Nitya K, writing in a column for The Hindu, argues that insurance policies in India remain impenetrable despite regulators mandating simplified wordings. She recounts giving a hospitalisation policy to a group of intelligent adults: one mistook it for the Constitution because it began with a Preamble, another could not physically read blue-coloured fine print, and a third described the language as written defensively to clarify what insurers will not cover. K states that the simplest policy runs 12 pages in 9-point font, often in double columns, and that mere presence of information does not equal understanding. She defines true understanding as being able to say what a clause means in a real claims situation, not just reciting the words. The column promises future instalments explaining policies, as IRDAI's 2026 deadline for a one-page benefit summary approaches. ## Indian Opinion Analysis Insurance contracts in India are governed by the Insurance Act of 1938 and regulations from the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI). The regulator in 2020 mandated that policy wordings be simplified and standardised for several retail products, yet the complaint data from IRDAI's annual reports shows that policy exclusions remain the top source of disputes at the claims stage. The real question for policyholders is not what a clause says but how the insurer's claims department has historically interpreted that clause in similar cases. The IRDAI's upcoming mandate for a one-page standardised benefit summary, expected to take effect from October 2026, will be the concrete test: if insurers comply by translating legalese into actionable bullet points, comprehension may finally match coverage. ## Coverage - thehindu.com Tags: fine print, Insurance Act 1938, policyholder rights Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/fine-print-renders-insurance-policies-incomprehensible-expert-says/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/fine-print-renders-insurance-policies-incomprehensible-expert-says/#story-in-brief