ICICI Elevate vs Care Supreme: Which Health Plan Offers Better Coverage in 2025?

At a Glance

• Introduction: Why compare ICICI Elevate vs Care Supreme for 2025?
   
• Plan Overviews: Key features of ICICI Lombard Elevate and Care Supreme.
   
• Coverage Comparison: Hospitalization, add-ons, and unique benefits.
   
• Premium Analysis: Costs for individuals and families.
   
• Claim Experience: Settlement ratios and user feedback.
   
• Network Hospitals: Access to cashless treatment.
   
• Pros and Cons: Strengths and weaknesses of each plan.
   
• Choosing the Right Plan: Guidance for your needs.
   
• Key Takeaways: Summary to make an informed choice.

Health insurance is important in India as medical costs soar in 2025. ICICI Elevate vs Care Supreme pits two leading plans against each other: ICICI Lombard Elevate, known for global coverage and flexibility, and Care Supreme, praised for affordability and comprehensive benefits. This blog compares their coverage, premiums, claim experiences, and more, using insights Let’s dive into the ICICI Lombard Elevate vs Care Supreme showdown.

Overview of ICICI Lombard Elevate

Launched in 2024, ICICI Lombard Elevate is a health insurance plan offering individual and family floater options. With no maximum entry age (minimum 18 years, children from 91 days), it’s highly customizable, covering up to ₹3 crore. Its standout features include unlimited sum insured resets, worldwide cashless hospitalization, and wellness rewards, making it ideal for global travelers and those seeking outpatient benefits.

Key Features:

• Infinite Care: Unlimited coverage for one claim in the policy lifetime.
   
• Power Booster: 100% sum insured increase annually, even with claims.
   
• Reset Benefit: Unlimited sum insured restoration for unrelated claims.
   
• Worldwide Cover: Up to ₹3 crore cashless treatment abroad.
   
• Jumpstart: 30-day waiting period for pre-existing diseases (PEDs) like diabetes if declared.
   
• BeFit Add-On: Cashless OPD for consultations and diagnostics.
   
• Wellness Program: Up to 30% renewal discount for healthy habits.

Overview of Care Supreme

Care Supreme, offered by Care Health Insurance, is a comprehensive plan launched to provide extensive coverage at competitive premiums. Available for individuals and families (entry age 18–65 years, children from 91 days), it emphasizes affordability and flexibility with sum insured options up to ₹1 crore. It’s popular for its high claim settlement ratio and wide hospital network, catering to those seeking reliable local coverage.

Key Features:

• Early Cover: 30-day waiting period for PEDs like hypertension with add-ons.
   
• Cumulative Bonus Supreme: 100–500% sum insured increase for claim-free years.
   
• Unlimited Restore: Automatic sum insured restoration for unrelated claims.
   
• Care Shield: Covers non-payable items (e.g., gloves) and adjusts claims for inflation.
   
• Maternity Cover: Up to ₹1 lakh after 9 months (add-on).
   
• OPD Add-On: Covers outpatient expenses like diagnostics.
   
• No Sub-Limits: No caps on room rent or specific treatments.

Coverage Comparison

Hospitalization and Core Benefits

Both plans cover in-patient hospitalization, day-care treatments, AYUSH treatments, and pre/post-hospitalization expenses (Elevate: 90/180 days; Care Supreme: 60/180 days).

• ICICI Elevate:
   
  • Covers unlimited medical expenses for one claim via Infinite Care.
     
  • Includes bariatric surgery, organ donor expenses, and domestic air ambulance.
     
  • Room rent is limited to a single private AC room unless modified via add-on.
     
  • No disease-wise sub-limits, ensuring full coverage up to the sum insured.
     
• Care Supreme:
   
  • No room rent or ICU limits, offering flexibility in hospital choice.
     
  • Covers modern treatments (e.g., robotic surgeries) up to sum insured.
     
  • Includes domiciliary hospitalization and organ donor expenses.
     
  • Care Shield add-on covers consumables like PPE kits, typically non-payable.

Winner: Care Supreme for no room rent caps and consumables coverage; Elevate excels for unlimited single-claim coverage.

Pre-Existing Diseases (PEDs)

• ICICI Elevate: 36-month PED waiting period, reducible to 30 days with Jumpstart add-on for conditions like diabetes or hypertension (if declared).
   
• Care Supreme: 36-month PED waiting period, reducible to 30 days with Early Cover add-on for similar conditions.

Winner: Tie—both offer flexible PED waiting period reductions.

Maternity and Newborn Coverage

• ICICI Elevate: Maternity cover up to ₹1 lakh (add-on, 24-month waiting period, reducible to 1 year). Includes newborn hospitalization and first-year vaccinations.
   
• Care Supreme: Maternity cover up to ₹1 lakh (add-on, 9-month waiting period). Covers newborn expenses but is limited to hospitalization.

Winner: Care Supreme for shorter maternity waiting period.

Global Coverage

• ICICI Elevate: Up to ₹3 crore cashless hospitalization worldwide, including planned treatments, with a 2-year waiting period (reducible to 1 year).
   
• Care Supreme: No global coverage, focusing on India-only treatment.

Winner: Elevate for international travelers needing global care.

Add-Ons and Customization

• ICICI Elevate Add-Ons:
   
  • Infinite Care: Unlimited single-claim coverage.
     
  • BeFit: OPD consultations, diagnostics, and pharmacy.
     
  • Claim Protector: Covers non-payable items like consumables.
     
  • Worldwide Cover Waiting Period Reduction: Shortens global coverage wait to 1 year.
     
  • Chronic Disease Management: Support for asthma, diabetes, etc.
     
• Care Supreme Add-Ons:
   
  • Care Shield: Covers consumables and adjusts for inflation.
     
  • Smart Select: Up to 15% premium discount for non-metro treatments.
     
  • OPD Care: Covers outpatient expenses.
     
  • Reduction in PED Waiting Period: Shortens PED wait to 30 days.
     
  • Home Care Treatment: Covers treatment at home.

Winner: Elevate for more diverse add-ons, including unique perks like surrogate mother coverage; Care Supreme is simpler but effective.

Comparison Table

Premium Analysis

Premiums depend on age, sum insured, and add-ons. Below are approximate annual premiums for a family floater (two adults aged 30, one child, Zone 1) as of February 2025, sourced from Policybazaar and Beshak.org:

• ICICI Elevate:
   
  • ₹33,000 for ₹10 lakh sum insured.
     
  • Add-ons (e.g., Infinite Care, BeFit) increase costs by 10–20%.
     
  • Example: ₹40,000 with worldwide cover and OPD add-ons.
     
• Care Supreme:
   
  • ₹30,000 for ₹10 lakh sum insured.
     
  • Add-ons (e.g., Care Shield, OPD) add 5–15% to premiums.
     
  • Example: ₹34,000 with maternity and Early Cover add-ons.

Observations:

• Care Supreme is more affordable, especially for budget-conscious families.
   
• Elevate’s premiums are higher due to global coverage and extensive add-ons.
   
• Both offer tax benefits under Section 80D (up to ₹55,000).

Winner: Care Supreme for lower base premiums; Elevate justifies higher costs for global benefits.

Claim Experience

Claim efficiency is critical for health insurance reliability.

• ICICI Elevate:
   
  • Claim Settlement Ratio: 61.21% (Q4, FY 2023-2024), lower than industry average (88.95%). Claims incurred ratio: 78.73%.
     
  • Process: Cashless claims processed in 4 hours at 9,500+ network hospitals. “Cashless Everywhere” allows claims at non-network hospitals. Reimbursement claims take 14–45 days.
     
  • User Feedback: Positive for quick cashless approvals (e.g., Keshav Kumar’s pneumonia claim settled in 3 hours). 
    
    Negative for reimbursement delays and complex claim rejections (Reddit user reported 40-day delay). Customer service via 1800-2666 has average response times.
     
• Care Supreme:
   
  • Claim Settlement Ratio: 85.64% (Q4, FY 2023-2024), closer to industry average. Claims incurred ratio: 56.19%. 99.99% of claims are settled within 30 days.
     
  • Process: Cashless claims processed in 2 hours at 24,800+ hospitals. Reimbursement claims are settled in 7–15 days.
     
  • User Feedback: Highly rated for efficiency (e.g., Policybazaar user praised 2-hour claim approval for surgery). 
    
    Some complaints about claim denials due to documentation errors. Toll-free support is quick, but Twitter responses are slow.

Winner: Care Supreme for higher settlement ratio and faster processing.

Network Hospitals

• ICICI Elevate: 9,500+ network hospitals, moderate compared to competitors. Cashless Everywhere mitigates this by allowing claims at non-network hospitals. Limited options in tier-2/3 cities reported by users like Raj Kedare.
   
• Care Supreme: 24,800+ network hospitals, one of the largest networks in India, ensuring access even in smaller towns. Users praise availability in urban and semi-urban areas.

Winner: Care Supreme for wider hospital access.

Pros and Cons

ICICI Elevate

Pros:

• Global coverage up to ₹3 crore, ideal for travelers.
• Infinite Care offers unlimited single-claim coverage.
• Flexible add-ons like BeFit and Jumpstart.
• Wellness rewards (up to 30% renewal discount).
• No mandatory co-payment (20% if opting for Network Advantage).

Cons:

• Lower claim settlement ratio (61.21%).
• Smaller hospital network (9,500+).
• Higher premiums for extensive add-ons.
• Delays in reimbursement claims reported.

Care Supreme

Pros:

• Larger hospital network (24,800+).
• Higher claim settlement ratio (85.64%) and faster processing.
• Affordable premiums with no room rent caps.
• Care Shield covers consumables and inflation adjustments.
• Shorter maternity waiting period (9 months).

Cons:

• No global coverage, limiting international use.
• Fewer add-on options compared to Elevate.
• Some claim denials due to documentation issues.

User Feedback

• ICICI Elevate: Praised for customization and worldwide cover. Users like Khushi Sharma highlight smooth cashless claims for family hospitalizations. 
  
  However, ICICI Lombard Elevate vs Care Supreme reviews note concerns about claim rejections and limited rural hospital networks. Reddit threads criticize inconsistent customer service.
   
• Care Supreme: Highly rated for claim efficiency and network size. Policybazaar reviews commend quick approvals for surgeries and affordability. 
  
  Some users report issues with claim denials due to missing documents or PED disputes, but overall, feedback is positive.

Winner: Care Supreme for better user satisfaction and reliability.

Choosing the Right Plan

Your choice between ICICI Elevate vs Care Supreme depends on your needs:

• Choose ICICI Elevate if:
   
  • You travel frequently or need global hospitalization coverage.
     
  • You value outpatient benefits (BeFit add-on) or unlimited single-claim coverage (Infinite Care).
     
  • You want flexible waiting periods for PEDs like diabetes.
     
  • Example: Raj, a 40-year-old NRI, picks Elevate for its worldwide cover and NRI Advantage discount.
     
• Choose Care Supreme if:
   
  • You prioritize affordability and a larger hospital network in India.
     
  • You need reliable claim settlements and no room rent restrictions.
     
  • You’re planning a family and want shorter maternity waiting periods.
     
  • Example: Priya, a 30-year-old homemaker, chooses Care Supreme for its low premiums and extensive hospital access in her tier-2 city.

Wrapping Up

In the ICICI Elevate vs Care Supreme debate, Elevate excels for global coverage and customization, while Care Supreme offers affordability and a vast hospital network for reliable local care in 2025. Your choice depends on travel needs, budget, and claim reliability priorities. For personalized guidance, connect with OneAssure to find the perfect health plan for your family.

Key Takeaways Table