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Insurance Plans Comparison

Care Freedom vs ICICI Lombard Golden Shield

Make an informed decision with our detailed side-by-side comparison of top health insurance policies. Compare...

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Care

Freedom

Health Coverage for Diabetes, Hypertension, and High BMI with Short 2-Year PED Waiting Period

What Makes It Special:

Care Freedom provides health insurance coverage without pre-policy medical check-ups for individuals managing Diabetes, High Blood Pressure, or high BMI.

Best For:

  • Buyers wanting consumable daily allowance

  • Families looking for annual health check-ups.

  • Individuals seeking health insurance without undergoing pre-policy medical screening.

  • Customer is looking for a short two year PED waiting period

  • Buyers managing diabetes, hypertension, or elevated BMI.

VS
ICICI Lombard

Golden Shield

Cover hospital care for seniors, with a twin-sharing room below ₹10 lakh and a single private AC room from ₹10 lakh, a 50% co-pay on every admissible claim, and 60 days before admission plus 180 days after discharge.

What Makes It Special:

ICICI Lombard Golden Shield is designed for senior citizens and offers hospitalisation cover through individual and family floater options. Benefits include inpatient treatment, daycare procedures, AYUSH hospitalisation, pre- and post-hospitalisation expenses, domiciliary treatment and a Reset Benefit. The policy also offers a Loyalty Bonus and optional features such as Claim...

Best For:

  • Buyers seeking additional features such as Claim Protector or Care Management Plus, subject to availability and eligibility.

  • Customers who want to evaluate options for reducing the policy's standard co-payment.

  • Buyers who want a reset feature for eligible subsequent hospitalisation claims.

  • Older couples looking for a shared family floater or individual cover options.

  • Senior citizens seeking health insurance for eligible hospitalisation expenses.

Insurance Plans Comparison

Get Personalized Advice

Our insurance experts are here to help you make the right choice. Get personalized recommendations based on your specific needs and budget.

Quick Decision Guide

Care Freedom

  • Co-payment provisions applied based on age

  • In-built, one time, automatic sum insured recharge

  • Includes annual health checkups for all covered adult member.

  • Requires no pre-policy medical checkup across all ages and sum insured choices.

  • Features are reduced 24 months waiting period for pre-existing diseases.

ICICI Lombard Golden Shield

  • Compare the disease-specific sublimits with your healthcare needs, especially for cataract, cardiovascular treatment, cancer and renal conditions.

  • Review the 24-month PED and specified-disease waiting periods, along with the separate 90-day exclusion for hypertension, diabetes and cardiac conditions.

  • Check the room category linked to your sum insured to avoid unexpected proportionate deductions.

  • Review the base 50% co-payment carefully and compare the additional premium for reducing it to 40%, 30% or 20%.

  • Select a sum insured based on expected medical expenses and confirm that the desired option is available for your age and health profile.

Insurance Plans Comparison

Detailed Features Comparison

Compare the key features of different health insurance plans

Freedom
Freedom

Health Insurance Plan

Policy Wording

VS
Golden Shield
Golden Shield

Health Insurance Plan

Brochure

Room Rent

Freedom

For ₹3 lakh and ₹5 lakh sum insured options, room rent is restricted to twin-sharing accommodation, subject to the applicable limit. For ₹7 lakh and ₹10 lakh options, single private room is covered.

VS

Golden Shield

ICICI Lombard's Health Shield plan offers comprehensive coverage with no specific capping on room rent or ICU charges.

ICU Charges

Freedom

ICU charges are covered up to 2% of the sum insured per day for ₹3 lakh sum insured, while there is no limit for ₹5 lakh, ₹7 lakh and ₹10 lakh sum insured options.

VS

Golden Shield

Covered under eligible inpatient hospitalisation, subject to the annual sum insured and applicable policy conditions.

Advanced Treatments

Freedom

Information Unavailable

VS

Golden Shield

The plan covers advanced treatments like robotic surgeries, immunotherapy, oral chemotherapy, stem cell therapy, and minimally invasive procedures for various conditions.

Co-payment

Freedom

20% co-payment is applicable per claim. An additional 10% co-payment applies from the policy year following the insured person attaining 71 years of age, subject to the policy terms.

VS

Golden Shield

The ICICI Lombard Golden Shield plan includes a mandatory 50% co-payment, meaning policyholders are responsible for half of the admissible claim amount, while the insurer covers the remaining 50%. This co-payment applies to all claims made under the policy.

Disease-wise sublimits

Freedom

Yes. Sublimits apply to specified treatments including cataract, total knee replacement, hernia, hysterectomy, BPH, renal stones, cardiovascular and cerebrovascular disorders, cancer, other renal complications and bone fractures.

VS

Golden Shield

Yes. Cataract and specified cardiovascular, cerebrovascular, cancer, renal, long-bone/joint and robotic-surgery treatments have limits that vary by sum insured.

Cashless Healthcare Providers

Freedom

11,600+ cashless network hospitals are available across India.

VS

Golden Shield

10,896+ hospitals across India.

Restoration Benefit

Freedom

Yes, the base sum insured is automatically recharged by 100% upon exhaustion, subject to the policy terms. The recharged sum insured can be used for future claims.

VS

Golden Shield

Unlimited Reset Benefit of up to 100% of the annual sum insured for eligible subsequent claims. It does not apply to the first claim and has restrictions for the same illness or related complications.

Cumulative Bonus

Freedom

No cumulative bonus is available.

VS

Golden Shield

Loyalty Bonus accumulates under the policy's renewal rules; accrued bonus is not reduced merely because a claim is made.

Daycare Treatment

Freedom

Covers all eligible Day Care Procedures up to the sum insured.

VS

Golden Shield

Covered under the policy. 

Consumable Cover

Freedom

Consumable allowance is available at ₹750 per day for ₹3 lakh and ₹5 lakh sum insured options, subject to a maximum of 7 days per hospitalisation after 3 days.

VS

Golden Shield

Claim Protector is available as an optional cover for eligible non-medical items associated with an accepted inpatient claim.

AYUSH Treatment

Freedom

Covers AYUSH treatment expenses up to the sum insured during the policy period.

VS

Golden Shield

Covered under this policy

Initial Waiting Period

Freedom

30 days for all illnesses, except accidental injuries.

VS

Golden Shield

30 days for illnesses, except covered accident-related hospitalisation.

Specific Waiting Period

Freedom

2 years for specified named ailments.

VS

Golden Shield

24 months for listed diseases and procedures.

PED Waiting Period

Freedom

2 years for pre-existing diseases.

VS

Golden Shield

24 months of continuous coverage for declared and accepted pre-existing diseases.

Modern Treatment

Freedom

Coverage for treatment using specified advanced technology methods is not available under the plan.

VS

Golden Shield

Listed modern treatments are covered up to the annual sum insured, subject to specified sublimits.

Annual Health Checkup

Freedom

Annual health checkup is available for all adult members insured under the policy.

VS

Golden Shield

Information Unavailable

Pre-Hospitalisation

Freedom

Pre-hospitalisation expenses are covered subject to the applicable limit of 7.5% or 10% of payable hospitalisation expenses, depending on the plan option.

VS

Golden Shield

60 days before hospitalisation, subject to policy terms and the accepted inpatient claim.

Post-Hospitalisation

Freedom



VS

Golden Shield

Up to 7% of hospitalisation expenses, subject to a maximum of ₹5,000 for ₹3–5 lakh sum insured, ₹7,000 for ₹10–15 lakh, and ₹10,000 for ₹20–50 lakh.

Outpatient Department Cover (OPD Expense)

Freedom

OPD expense is not included in the base plan.

VS

Golden Shield

Not included as a general standard reimbursement benefit. Outpatient consultations may be available through the optional Care Management Plus Program.

Deductible Option

Freedom

Not available as a standard deductible option.

VS

Golden Shield

Optional voluntary deductible of 20% of the annual sum insured, applied on an aggregate basis during the policy year.

Coverage Options

Freedom

Available coverage options: ₹3L, ₹5L, ₹7L and ₹10L.

VS

Golden Shield

Individual or family floater; optional Claim Protector, reduced co-payment, voluntary deductible and Care Management Plus Program.

Claim Settlement Ratio

Freedom

96.3% for the period April 2025 to December 2025.

VS

Golden Shield

FY 24-25: ~84%

Maternity Cover

Freedom

Not available.

VS

Golden Shield

Not covered under this senior-citizen-focused plan.

Insurance Plans Comparison

Still Confused? Get Expert Advice

Our insurance experts are here to help you make the right choice. Get personalized recommendations based on your specific needs and budget.

Why Choose Our Expert Consultation?

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From choosing the right policy to managing claims, every step is handled for you

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Pure advice, no unwanted calls, no unnecessary push

Free Expert Consultation

Free Expert Consultation

Talk to experienced advisors at no cost, and make confident decisions

24/7 Claim Assistance

24/7 Claim Assistance

Get a dedicated expert managing your claim end-to-end, from hospital admission to approval, including dispute resolution and support

What Our Experts Help You With

Personalised Recommendations

  • Every suggestion is backed by expert analysis of your life stage, goals, and budget

Expert-Led Policy Review

  • We decode the fine print—identifying risks, sub-limits, and gaps you may have missed. No surprises later

Smart, Tech-Enabled Experience

  • From digital onboarding to real-time claim tracking, our platform makes insurance easy, accessible, and stress-free

Insurance Plans Comparison

Explore Insurance Category

Senior Citizen Health Plan

Senior Citizen Health Plan

  • Secure against age-related medical costs

  • Tailored for seniors healthcare needs

Most Popular

Family Health Plan

Family Health Plan

  • One policy covers the entire family

  • High sum insured with cashless care

  • Multiple coverage options based on your family needs

Maternity Health Plan

Maternity Health Plan

  • Covers delivery, newborn care, and maternity expenses

  • Reduces financial stress of childbirth costs

Insurance Plans Comparison

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Having questions? We've got answers. Explore our FAQs to find the information you need.

1-5 of 10 FAQs

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