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Insurance Plans Comparison

Care Joy vs ICICI Lombard Criti Shield Family Shield

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

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Care

Joy

Maternity and newborn cover with a 9-month maternity waiting period

What Makes It Special:

Care Joy is a hospitalisation plan with built-in maternity and newborn cover. The Joy Today variant is the faster-access option, with a 9-month waiting period for maternity claims. The other variant, Joy Tomorrow, has a 24-month wait. Maternity benefits are capped at ₹35,000 on a ₹3 lakh sum insured and ₹50,000...

Best For:

  • Long-term peace of mind with 3-year policy term

  • Cashless treatment across 8,000+ hospitals

  • Comprehensive family protection during pregnancy

  • Maternity and Newborn health coverage

VS
ICICI Lombard

Criti Shield Family Shield

Cover hospitalisation for specified infectious diseases, including listed vector-borne illnesses such as dengue and malaria, and personal accident benefits for death, disablement and accidental hospital treatment.

What Makes It Special:

ICICI Lombard Family Shield combines defined benefits for specified infectious diseases with personal accident and hospital daily cash benefits. Coverage includes selected vector-borne, viral, gastrointestinal and nervous system infections, along with rabies and tetanus. Additional benefits may be available depending on the options selected and the policy certificate.

Best For:

  • Customers who understand that this is a benefit-specific policy and not a substitute for comprehensive hospitalisation insurance.

  • Buyers who want to explore optional benefits such as broken bones or burns cover.

  • People who value fixed hospital daily cash benefits where selected.

  • Families seeking additional financial protection against eligible accidental injuries.

  • Buyers looking for defined benefits for specified infectious diseases.

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

  • You want cashless access to 8,000+ hospitals across India

  • You prefer short waiting period for maternity benefits (9 months)

  • You want maternity and newborn cover under one plan

  • You’re planning for pregnancy or expanding your family soon.

  • If you need broad coverage for unrelated illnesses, surgeries and hospital bills, compare this policy with a comprehensive indemnity-based health insurance plan.

  • Review waiting periods carefully, particularly the 30-day waiting period for infectious disease benefits and the pre-existing disease restriction applicable to hospital daily cash benefits.

  • Review the personal accident benefit amounts and definitions of disability before relying on the policy for accident protection.

  • Confirm whether hospital daily cash benefits are included and check the applicable daily limits and eligibility conditions.

  • Check the list of covered infections and their claim requirements to confirm that the policy addresses your priorities.

Insurance Plans Comparison

Detailed Features Comparison

Compare the key features of different health insurance plans

Joy
Joy

Health Insurance Plan

Brochure

VS
Criti Shield Family Shield
Criti Shield Family Shield

Health Insurance Plan

Room Rent

Joy

Covers a Single Private Room with AC. A higher room category means room, boarding, nursing, OT and doctor/surgeon fees are reduced in proportion to the difference in room rent.

VS

Criti Shield Family Shield

  1. Normal: Covered Up to Sum Insured
  2. ICU: Covered Up to Sum Insured
ICU Charges

Joy

ICU charges (ICU bed, monitoring devices, critical care nursing and intensivist charges) are payable as part of in-patient hospitalisation up to the sum insured. There is no separate ICU sublimit.

VS

Criti Shield Family Shield

ICU-related cash benefits may be available under selected hospital cash benefits; limits depend on the policy certificate.

Advanced Treatments

Joy

Information Unavailable

VS

Criti Shield Family Shield

  1. Oral Chemotherapy 
  2. Robotic Surgeries 
  3. Stem Cell Therapy 
Co-payment

Joy

20% of each admissible claim applies if the insured's entry age (eldest member for a floater) is 60 years or above. No co-payment applies for entry ages below 60.

VS

Criti Shield Family Shield

Co payment is applicable as chosen by the insured. 

It allows the insured to opt for 10% or 20% co-payment.

Disease-wise sublimits

Joy

No disease-specific caps apply to general hospitalisation, which is payable up to the sum insured. Fixed limits apply to maternity (₹35,000/₹50,000), newborn baby (₹30,000/₹50,000) and ambulance (₹1,000 per claim).

VS

Criti Shield Family Shield

Benefits are defined for specified infections and accident-related events; applicable limits are benefit-specific and should be confirmed in the policy certificate.

Cashless Healthcare Providers

Joy

Cashless treatment is available at 11,400+ Care network hospitals across India. Pre-authorisation is required, and the network list can change, so check the hospital list before admission.

VS

Criti Shield Family Shield

10,000+ Healthcare Providers

Restoration Benefit

Joy

Not available. Once the sum insured is used, it is not restored within the same policy year. The optional No Claim Bonanza is a bonus for claim-free years, not a restoration benefit.

VS

Criti Shield Family Shield

No restoration benefit verified.

Cumulative Bonus

Joy

Optional "No Claim Bonanza", available for an additional premium. After three consecutive claim-free policy years, the sum insured increases by 100% of the expiring sum insured. The accrued bonus cannot exceed 100% of the sum insured in the renewed policy. If a claim is made, the accrued bonus is not carried to the next renewal, but the base sum insured is never reduced. The bonus is lost if the policy is not renewed within the grace period.

VS

Criti Shield Family Shield

No cumulative bonus benefit verified. The published brochure lists a 5% renewal discount and a family discount of up to 7.5%.

Daycare Treatment

Joy

Covers a long list of procedures that need less than 24 hours of hospitalisation (for example cataract, dialysis, chemotherapy and radiotherapy, lithotripsy, tonsillectomy and arthroscopy). Cover is up to the sum insured and subject to waiting periods.

VS

Criti Shield Family Shield

Covers medical procedures requiring hospitalization for less than 24 hours, such as cataract surgery or chemotherapy​

Consumable Cover

Joy

Not covered. Non-medical items (for example gloves, masks, diapers, kits, belts, surcharges and similar items in the policy's non-payable list) are excluded. Some items, such as admission and registration charges, are treated as part of room or procedure charges and are not paid separately.

VS

Criti Shield Family Shield

Not specified.

AYUSH Treatment

Joy

Not offered as a standard benefit. Treatment under Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homoeopathy, and other non-allopathic treatment, is excluded.

VS

Criti Shield Family Shield

.

Initial Waiting Period

Joy

30 days

VS

Criti Shield Family Shield

30 days for specific infectious disease and hospital daily cash benefits; 0 days for personal accident benefits, as stated in the published brochure.

Specific Waiting Period

Joy

24 months of continuous coverage for listed conditions and procedures. These include arthritis and spinal disorders, joint replacement, benign ENT disorders, benign prostatic hypertrophy, cataract, piles/fissure/fistula, hernia and hydrocele, hysterectomy for fibroids, kidney or gall bladder stones, and varicose veins. Accident-related claims are exempt. Prior continuous coverage can reduce the waiting period. If a listed condition is also pre-existing, the longer waiting period applies.

VS

Criti Shield Family Shield

30 days for specific infectious disease benefits.

PED Waiting Period

Joy

36 months of continuous coverage from the first policy with Care. Pre-existing conditions must be declared at proposal. If the sum insured is increased, the waiting period applies afresh to the increased amount. Continuous prior coverage with another insurer can reduce the waiting period on porting.

VS

Criti Shield Family Shield

Two-year pre-existing disease restriction specified for Hospital Daily Cash Benefit; applicability to other benefits must be checked in the policy wording.

Modern Treatment

Joy

Covers 12 listed advanced treatments within the sum insured: uterine artery embolization and HIFU, balloon sinuplasty, deep brain stimulation, oral chemotherapy, monoclonal antibody immunotherapy (injection), intravitreal injections, robotic surgeries, stereotactic radio surgeries, bronchial thermoplasty, laser prostate vaporisation (green laser or holmium laser), intra-operative neuro monitoring (IONM), and hematopoietic stem cell therapy for bone marrow transplant in blood disorders. Advanced methods outside this list are not covered.

VS

Criti Shield Family Shield

Not specified as a standalone benefit in the reviewed product information.

Annual Health Checkup

Joy

Not available as a benefit. Depending on age and sum insured, Care may ask for pre-policy medical tests at its own cost. If the proposal is declined or the policy is cancelled in the free-look period, the test cost is deducted from the refund.

VS

Criti Shield Family Shield

Not specified.

Pre-Hospitalisation

Joy

30 days before admission. Expenses must relate to the same illness or injury and the hospitalisation claim must be admissible.

VS

Criti Shield Family Shield

Accidental pre-hospitalisation expenses may be covered under the applicable accident benefit; a general time limit was not verified.

Post-Hospitalisation

Joy

60 days after discharge. Expenses must relate to the same illness or injury and the main hospitalisation claim must be admissible.

VS

Criti Shield Family Shield

Accidental pre- and post-hospitalisation expenses may be covered under the applicable accident benefit; a general post-hospitalisation limit was not verified.

Outpatient Department Cover (OPD Expense)

Joy

Not covered. Routine consultations, tests and pharmacy bills without hospital admission are not payable. Pre- and post-natal expenses are covered only within the maternity limit and as part of the delivery hospitalisation claim.

VS

Criti Shield Family Shield

No general OPD benefit verified. Accident-related diagnostic tests may be covered under the applicable benefit.

Deductible Option

Joy

No deductible applies. This is a base indemnity plan, not a top-up.

VS

Criti Shield Family Shield

Any deductible or loss-sharing provision must be confirmed in the policy certificate.

Coverage Options

Joy

Sum insured of ₹3 lakh or ₹5 lakh, on an Individual or Family Floater basis. Policy term is 3 years. Entry age is 18 to 65 years for adults, 1 day to 24 years for children, and 1 day to 90 days for newborns. Lifelong renewability. Maternity cover is available only for insured women aged 45 or below.

VS

Criti Shield Family Shield

Specific infectious disease benefits, personal accident benefits, hospital daily cash benefits and selected additional benefits.

Claim Settlement Ratio

Joy

96.74% for FY 2024-25 (insurer-level, based on IRDAI public disclosures). This reflects Care Health Insurance overall, not Care Joy specifically.

VS

Criti Shield Family Shield

FY 2024-25: ~84%


Maternity Cover

Joy

Covers delivery hospitalisation (normal and C-section) including pre-natal and post-natal expenses: up to ₹35,000 on a ₹3 lakh sum insured and up to ₹50,000 on a ₹5 lakh sum insured. Waiting period is 9 months of continuous coverage. Newborn baby cover applies if the maternity claim is admissible. Voluntary termination of pregnancy in the first 12 weeks and miscarriage (unless caused by an accident) are not covered. Ectopic pregnancy is covered under regular hospitalisation, not the maternity limit.

VS

Criti Shield Family Shield

Maternity and pregnancy-termination expenses are listed among exclusions.

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