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Insurance Plans Comparison

Care Joy vs ICICI Lombard iHealth

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

iHealth

Reset up to 100% of the sum insured once in a policy year for a later unrelated illness, and cover inpatient hospitalisation, AYUSH treatment, specified day care procedures and a wellness programme.

What Makes It Special:

iHealth is a discontinued ICICI Lombard Complete Health Insurance tier, offered on an individual or floater basis. It covers in-patient hospitalisation, pre- and post-hospitalisation expenses, day-care procedures, and in-patient AYUSH treatment, with a 2-year waiting period for pre-existing diseases and a Reset Benefit for the sum insured.

Best For:

  • Existing policyholders reviewing their current iHealth cover before renewal, since this plan is no longer sold

  • Individuals who want coverage for hospitalisation and related pre- and post-hospitalisation costs

  • Policyholders who value a cumulative bonus that increases cover over claim-free years

  • Buyers who want a restoration feature to top up the sum insured after a large claim in the same year

  • Families who want a floater policy for parents, children, and spouse under one sum insured

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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.

  • Check the sublimits for listed surgeries, such as cataract at ₹20,000 per eye, if you are considering the lower sum insured options.

  • Maternity cover is not part of the base iHealth tier, so choose a higher tier if you need it and can wait 3 years.

  • Reset Benefit is limited to once per policy year and cannot be used for the same illness already claimed, so do not count it as unlimited cover.

  • Note the 2-year waiting period for pre-existing diseases and the listed illnesses, and plan your cover accordingly if you have an existing condition.

  • Because the plan is discontinued, check whether an ICICI Lombard successor such as Health Shield or Health Shield Plus suits your needs before buying.

Insurance Plans Comparison

Detailed Features Comparison

Compare the key features of different health insurance plans

Joy
Joy

Health Insurance Plan

Brochure

VS
iHealth
iHealth

Health Insurance Plan

Brochure

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

iHealth

Including in-patient hospitalization expenses such as room rent and ICU charges. Notably, there are no sub-limits on room rent or ICU charges.

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

iHealth

Covered under the in-patient hospitalisation cover up to the sum insured, for a hospitalisation of at least 24 consecutive hours. Kindly consult the policy wording for any cap.

Advanced Treatments

Joy

Information Unavailable

VS

iHealth

ICICI iHealth covers advanced medical treatments, ensuring access to modern healthcare. It includes robotic surgeries, stem cell therapy (for approved conditions), targeted cancer therapies, and other cutting-edge procedures.

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

iHealth

Does not have a mandatory co-payment for most policyholders. However, for senior citizens or specific policy variants, a co-payment clause may apply, requiring the insured to bear a percentage of the claim amount.

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

iHealth

Sublimits apply to listed surgeries in the lower sum insured tiers. For example, cataract is limited to ₹20,000 per eye. Kindly consult the policy wording for the full schedule.

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

iHealth

10,896+ hospitals across india 

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

iHealth

Reset Benefit: resets up to 100% of the sum insured once per policy year. Reset is not triggered by the first claim. The reset amount can be used only for future claims in the same policy year that are unrelated to an illness already claimed. Unused reset is not carried forward.

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

iHealth

Additional Sum Insured of 10% of the annual sum insured for each claim-free year, up to a maximum of 50%. A claim reduces the accumulated amount by 10% of the annual sum insured in the following year.

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

iHealth

Covered under the policy. 

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

iHealth

Kindly refer to the policy wording.

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

iHealth

Covered under this policy

Initial Waiting Period

Joy

30 days

VS

iHealth

30 days from inception. Accident-related hospitalisation is exempt.

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

iHealth

2 years for listed illnesses and procedures. Maternity has a 3-year waiting period where opted.

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

iHealth

2 years for declared and accepted pre-existing diseases

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

iHealth

Kindly refer to the policy wording

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

iHealth

Free health check-up at designated centres. Floater policies receive a maximum of 2 coupons per year.

Pre-Hospitalisation

Joy

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

VS

iHealth

Up to 30 days before hospitalisation, up to the sum insured

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

iHealth

Up to 60 days after discharge, up to the sum insured

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

iHealth

Outpatient Treatment Cover is available as a benefit in the plan tiers that include it. Reimbursement is subject to a limit of ₹5,000 on a floater basis. Kindly consult the plan details for eligibility.

Deductible Option

Joy

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

VS

iHealth

Kindly consult the policy wording

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

iHealth

Individual and floater cover. The base iHealth tier is available at ₹3, ₹4, and ₹5 lakh sum insured.

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

iHealth

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

iHealth

Not included in the base iHealth tier. Maternity cover with a 3-year waiting period is available in higher plan tiers only when opted for. It covers delivery and caesarean section (₹15,000 normal, ₹25,000 caesarean), pre- and post-natal expenses (₹2,000 each), and newborn cover (₹10,000), limited to two deliveries during the policy period.

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  • Reduces financial stress of childbirth costs

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