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Insurance Plans Comparison

HDFC ERGO Health Wallet 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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HDFC ERGO

Health Wallet

Hospitalisation cover plus a carry-forward reserve for everyday medical costs

What Makes It Special:

Health Wallet pairs a conventional hospitalisation cover with a Reserve Benefit that behaves like a medical savings account inside the policy: unused amounts carry forward to the next policy year and earn a 6% bonus at renewal, the balance can be spent on outpatient and ordinarily non-payable costs such as...

Best For:

  • Families expecting to stay claim-free who want the Multiplier Benefit to double the basic sum insured over two years

  • Long-term policyholders who will stay beyond five renewals and want to use the accrued Reserve to pay up to half of their renewal premium

  • Buyers who already hold another health policy or a corporate cover and can take the optional deductible to reduce premium

  • People who dislike the idea of paying premiums with nothing to show for claim-free years, since the Reserve carries forward and earns a 6% bonus

  • Buyers who regularly spend on consultations, medicines, dental care, spectacles or diagnostics and want a policy that contributes to those costs, not only to hospitalisation

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

  • Room rent, ICU limits, pre- and post-hospitalisation periods, day care cover in India and AYUSH are not stated in the available summary literature, so read the policy wording on those before buying.

  • A claim resets the Multiplier Benefit's progress, so if you expect to claim in the early years, do not size the sum insured on the assumption that it will double.

  • The preventive health check-up limit is tied to your Reserve Benefit rather than being a flat entitlement, so ask what limit applies at your chosen sum insured before counting on it.

  • The built-in Restore Benefit is narrow — once a policy year, only after the basic sum insured and Multiplier are fully exhausted, only for future claims, and not for an illness already claimed that year — so price the Unlimited Restore add-on if multiple claims are a realistic prospect.

  • The optional deductible cancels the Recovery Benefit, so if the ₹10,000 lump sum for a stay beyond 10 days matters to you, weigh it against the premium the deductible saves.

  • 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

Health Wallet
Health Wallet

Health Insurance Plan

VS
Golden Shield
Golden Shield

Health Insurance Plan

Brochure

Room Rent

Health Wallet

Normal: No Capping (Covered up to Sum Insured)

ICU: No Capping (Covered up to Sum Insured)

VS

Golden Shield

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

ICU Charges

Health Wallet

Not specified

VS

Golden Shield

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

Advanced Treatments

Health Wallet

Worldwide Emergency Treatment

Day Care Procedures

Preventive Health Check-Up

Unlimited Restore Add-On

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

Health Wallet

None

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

Health Wallet

Not specified. Ambulance cover is limited to ₹2,000 per hospitalisation and the Recovery Benefit to a ₹10,000 lump sum

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

Health Wallet

14,000+ network hospitals across India

VS

Golden Shield

10,896+ hospitals across India.

Restoration Benefit

Health Wallet

Information Unavailable

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

Health Wallet

Multiplier Benefit — basic sum insured increases by 50% after a claim-free year and doubles after a second consecutive claim-free year. Separately, unused Reserve Benefit earns a 6% bonus at renewal

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

Health Wallet

Covered

VS

Golden Shield

Covered under the policy. 

AYUSH Treatment

Health Wallet

Covered

VS

Golden Shield

Covered under this policy

Consumable Cover

Health Wallet

Not covered as an indemnity benefit. The Reserve Benefit may instead be used to pay non-payable items generally excluded from a health insurance claim

VS

Golden Shield

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

Initial Waiting Period

Health Wallet

30 days

VS

Golden Shield

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

Specific Waiting Period

Health Wallet

24 months for specified diseases including cataract, hernia, hysterectomy and joint replacement

VS

Golden Shield

24 months for listed diseases and procedures.

PED Waiting Period

Health Wallet

36 months

VS

Golden Shield

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

Modern Treatment

Health Wallet

Not specified

VS

Golden Shield

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

Annual Health Checkup

Health Wallet

Preventive health check-up at renewal irrespective of claims; the check-up limit eligibility is based on the Reserve Benefit

VS

Golden Shield

Information Unavailable

Pre-Hospitalisation

Health Wallet

Not specified

VS

Golden Shield

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

Post-Hospitalisation

Health Wallet

Not specified

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)

Health Wallet

Not covered as a separate indemnity benefit. The Reserve Benefit can be used for outpatient costs including consultations with a medical practitioner, physiotherapist, dietician or speech therapist, medicines, vaccinations, dental expenses and outpatient diagnostic tests

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

Health Wallet

Optional — applies on an individual basis for an individual sum insured policy and on a family floater basis for a floater policy; it does not reduce the sum insured. Choosing it removes the Recovery Benefit

VS

Golden Shield

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

Coverage Options

Health Wallet

Information Unavailable

VS

Golden Shield

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

Claim Settlement Ratio

Health Wallet

97.45%

VS

Golden Shield

FY 24-25: ~84%

Maternity Cover

Health Wallet

Not covered — expenses attributable directly or indirectly to pregnancy, including voluntary termination, and miscarriage except as a result of an accident or illness, are excluded

VS

Golden Shield

Not covered under this senior-citizen-focused plan.

Insurance Plans Comparison

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

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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

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Expert-Led Policy Review

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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

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