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Insurance Plans Comparison

Care Joy vs ICICI Lombard Health Elite

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

Health Elite

Include maternity after 3 years and outpatient treatment, pay hospital daily cash for a stay of at least 3 days, and add a 10% cumulative bonus each claim-free year, up to 50% of the sum insured.

What Makes It Special:

ICICI Lombard Health Elite is a comprehensive health insurance option with benefits that may include in-patient treatment, daycare procedures, pre- and post-hospitalisation expenses, outpatient treatment and maternity cover, depending on the applicable policy version and selected configuration.

Best For:

  • Buyers comparing sum insured options, reset benefits, waiting periods and policy-specific restrictions before choosing a plan.

  • Families evaluating maternity and newborn-related benefits, subject to eligibility and waiting periods.

  • Individuals who want to compare available outpatient treatment benefits and their applicable limits.

  • Buyers looking for a policy with additional healthcare benefits beyond basic hospitalisation cover.

  • Individuals seeking health insurance for eligible hospitalisation and daycare expenses.

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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.

  • Match the policy UIN and schedule to the exact Health Elite version being offered, because benefits may differ between versions.

  • Confirm whether outpatient treatment, maternity and newborn benefits are included in your chosen configuration and check their limits.

  • Review waiting periods for pre-existing diseases, specified treatments and maternity benefits before relying on the policy.

  • Check room eligibility, hospitalisation limits and exclusions to understand the expenses the policy may leave you paying.

  • Choose a sum insured that reflects potential hospitalisation expenses and the number of people covered.

Insurance Plans Comparison

Detailed Features Comparison

Compare the key features of different health insurance plans

Joy
Joy

Health Insurance Plan

Brochure

VS
Health Elite
Health Elite

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

Health Elite

Information Unavailable

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

Health Elite

Covered under eligible in-patient hospitalisation, subject to the applicable sum insured and policy conditions.

Advanced Treatments

Joy

Information Unavailable

VS

Health Elite

  1. Stem Cell Therapy
  2. Robotic Surgeries
  3. Oral Chemotherapy
  4. Deep Brain Stimulation
  5. Bronchial Thermoplasty
  6. Intra Operative Neuro Monitoring (IONM)
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

Health Elite

Policyholders can opt for a co-payment of 10% or 20%, sharing a fixed percentage of the claim amount, which can help reduce premium costs.

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

Health Elite

Specific limits depend on the applicable policy wording, sum insured and benefit configuration. A complete variant-specific list has not been verified.

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

Health Elite

Access to over 6,700 network hospitals and clinics for cashless treatments, ensuring convenient and hassle-free medical care.

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

Health Elite

Published Health Elite materials list an unlimited reset benefit. The precise trigger, eligible claims and conditions must be confirmed against the applicable policy wording.

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

Health Elite

Published Health Elite materials list Additional Sum Insured and a Super No Claim Bonus option. The applicable benefit percentage and conditions are not verified for this variant.

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

Health Elite

Covers medical procedures requiring less than 24-hour hospitalization, such as cataract surgery and chemotherapy, accommodating treatments that don't necessitate extended hospital stays.

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

Health Elite

Published Health Elite materials list Additional Sum Insured and a Super No Claim Bonus option. The applicable benefit percentage and conditions are not verified for this variant.

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

Health Elite

Expenses for alternative treatments, including Ayurveda, Yoga, Unani, Siddha, and Homeopathy, are covered when availed at government-recognized institutions, promoting holistic healthcare options.

Initial Waiting Period

Joy

30 days

VS

Health Elite

The insurer's general health insurance information states 30 days for illness-related hospitalisation, except accidents. Confirm the exact Health Elite policy terms.

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

Health Elite

The exact waiting period for specified diseases and procedures is not verified for this variant.

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

Health Elite

The exact waiting period for specified diseases and procedures is not verified for this variant.

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

Health Elite

Listed as a covered category in the older Complete Health Insurance policy information, subject to the applicable policy terms and limits.

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

Health Elite

Health check-up is listed in published Health Elite materials. Eligibility, frequency and monetary limits are not verified for this exact variant.

Pre-Hospitalisation

Joy

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

VS

Health Elite

Up to 30 days according to the published Health Elite product comparison, subject to policy terms.

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

Health Elite

Up to 60 days according to the published Health Elite product comparison, subject to policy terms.

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

Health Elite

Outpatient Treatment Cover is listed in published Health Elite materials. The limit depends on the applicable sum insured and policy configuration.

Deductible Option

Joy

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

VS

Health Elite

A voluntary deductible may be available under applicable ICICI Lombard health products, but its availability for this Health Elite variant is not verified.

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

Health Elite

Information Unavailable

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

Health Elite

FY 24-25: ~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

Health Elite

Published materials list multiple sum insured options, including ₹5 lakh, ₹7 lakh, ₹10 lakh, ₹15 lakh, ₹20 lakh, ₹25 lakh and ₹50 lakh. Availability varies by policy version.

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