Partner with us

Insurance Plans Comparison

Care Joy vs Care Ultimate

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

Read more
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
Care

Ultimate

Health insurance with unlimited restoration, moneyback rewards and long-term loyalty benefits.

What Makes It Special:

Comprehensive Health Insurance

Best For:

  • Health-conscious customers seeking wellness rewards and renewal discounts.

  • Individuals interested in unlimited restoration of their sum insured.

  • Customers who value rewards for remaining claim-free.

  • People looking for coverage options up to ₹1 crore.

  • Individuals and families seeking comprehensive hospitalisation coverage.

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.

  • Review waiting periods: The standard waiting periods are 30 days for initial illnesses, 24 months for named ailments and 36 months for pre-existing diseases.

  • Evaluate wellness rewards: The optional Wellness Benefit offers renewal discounts based on qualifying healthy days and applicable conditions.

  • Look at Infinity Bonus: This optional benefit provides an additional 100% of base sum insured per year, irrespective of claims, with continuous renewal.

  • Consider the moneyback benefit: The optional Premium Payback benefit refunds the first policy year's base premium after five consecutive claim-free policy years, subject to renewal conditions.

  • Choose for comprehensive coverage: The brochure lists inpatient care, day-care procedures, advanced technology treatments, AYUSH and other hospitalisation benefits, subject to policy terms.

Insurance Plans Comparison

Detailed Features Comparison

Compare the key features of different health insurance plans

Joy
Joy

Health Insurance Plan

Brochure

VS
Ultimate
Ultimate

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

Ultimate

All room categories are covered

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

Ultimate

No restriction on ICU room rent

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

Ultimate

Not available

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

Ultimate

No 

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

Ultimate

21700+ 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

Ultimate

Yes, your sum insured restores to 100% each time you make a claim in a policy year, for both related and unrelated illnesses

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

Ultimate

Your sum insured increases by 50% every year maximum upto 100%. However, you can pay an additional premium to increase sum insured up to 100%, every 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

Ultimate

Covers medical expenses for treatments not requiring 24-hour hospitalization, up to annual sum insured

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

Ultimate

No. However, available as an add-on

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

Ultimate

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

Initial Waiting Period

Joy

30 days

VS

Ultimate

30 days

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

Ultimate

2 years
 

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

Ultimate

3 years
 

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

Ultimate

Hospital expenses for listed advanced treatments are covered up to your full sum insured during the policy period

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

Ultimate

Health checkup is not included as part of base cover. However, available as an add-on

Pre-Hospitalisation

Joy

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

VS

Ultimate

You get cover for medical tests and doctor visits up to 60 days before hospitalisation, if your main claim is approved

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

Ultimate

You get cover for medical bills up to 90 days after discharge, including physiotherapy if your doctor prescribes it

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

Ultimate

OPD expense is not included as part of base cover. However, available as an add-on

Deductible Option

Joy

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

VS

Ultimate

Not available

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

Ultimate

Available coverage options: ₹5L, 7L, 10L, 15L, 20L, 25L, 50L, 1 Cr

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

Ultimate

96%

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

Ultimate

Not available

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?

End-to-End Support

End-to-End Support

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

Zero Spam. Zero Hassle

Zero Spam. Zero Hassle

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

Compare With Other Health Insurance Plans

Policy Pal

Chat with PolicyPal

Get a free policy review

No pressure. No product push. Just honest advice.