🚀 Fincover® App is Now Live!
Join 10 Million+ users on web – now available on mobile!
Last updated on: September 19, 2025
The ICICI Lombard Elevate Plan and ManipalCigna Lifetime Health Plan are comprehensive health insurance policies, but they cater to different needs. ICICI Lombard Elevate offers flexible sum insured options, wellness rewards, and up to unlimited sum restoration, making it ideal for families seeking customizable coverage and rider flexibility. In contrast, ManipalCigna Lifetime Health Plan stands out for its lifelong renewability, globally covered treatments, high sum insured options (up to ₹3 crore), and extensive benefits like coverage for chronic illnesses, mental healthcare, and gradually reducing waiting periods. While ICICI Lombard focuses on value-added services and flexibility, ManipalCigna is best suited for those seeking extensive international coverage and high medical expenses protection. Choosing between them depends on your specific needs—ICICI Lombard for customization and affordability, ManipalCigna for comprehensive, long-term, and global coverage.
Author
Read Bio
Reviewed by
Read Bio
It is important to select the best health insurance policy in India to cover your family or yourself and this is mainly because healthcare in India has increased in 2025. The flagship health insurance products provided by ICICI Lombard and Manipalcigna are Elevate Plan and Lifetime Plan with varying features, premiums and benefits. This paper offers a relatively close comparison of the two popular health covers that may be used by policyholders in determining which one is more appropriate to their medical and financial requirements.
ICICI Lombard Elevate Plan is a comprehensive health insurance plan that was developed in 2025 to provide a wide spectrum of medical costs. It is aimed at individuals and families that are interested in flexibility, high sum insured plans, wellness rewards, and cashless treatment in a broad network of hospitals.
Manipalcigna Lifetime Plan is a newly revised health cover in 2025, which emphasizes on lifelong renewability, extensive coverage, and custom add ons. It serves families and senior citizens as well people with chronic illness as it is one of the most flexible plans in India.
Did You Know? By 2025, these two companies have enhanced their online onboarding, where they can issue and endorse policies in real-time via their mobile apps.
There are certain similarities and major differences between these two health insurance plans that can aid the policy buyers in making a decision.
| Advantage | ICICI Lombard Elevate Plan | Manipalcigna Lifetime Plan |
|---|---|---|
| Sum Insured | 5 lakh to 1 crore | 3 lakh to 1 crore |
| Network Hospitals | 7200+ | 9000+ |
| No Claim Bonus | Up to 50 percent | Up to 25 percent or greater |
| Wellness Rewards | Yes | Yes |
| Pre Hosp. / Post Hosp. | 60/180 days | 60/180 days |
| Restore Sum Insured | Up to 100 percent | 100 percent |
| OPD Benefits | Select variants | With add ons |
| Mental Health Insurance | Add on | In built |
| Worldwide Provision | No | Emergency only |
| AYUSH (alternative) | Cover Only with add on | In built |
| Annual Health Checkup | Yes | Yes |
Q: Which has the larger number of network hospitals: ICICI Lombard or Manipalcigna?
The hospital network of Manipalcigna is broader in 2025 and it has over 9000 listed hospitals, which is higher than 7200 in ICICI Lombard.
Pros:
Cons:
Pros:
Cons:
Insight of Experts: Most experts affirm that, considering age and the preference of a technology-oriented experience, ICICI Lombard is better at providing digital self service, and Manipalcigna is more worth considering as long term and senior friendly.
The premiums will vary based on the age, sum insured, city and other covers. Average: Here is the comparison of a family floater of two adults and one child in 2025 on an average:
| Age Group | ICICI Lombard Elevate | Manipalcigna Lifetime |
|---|---|---|
| 25 years | Rs. 12000 | Rs. 11500 |
| 35 years | Rs. 17500 | Rs. 16200 |
| 45 years | Rs. 23200 | Rs. 21000 |
| 55 years | Rs. 35400 | Rs. 34800 |
| 65 years | Rs. 61500 | Rs. 59400 |
Q: Which one is more affordable to the elderly?
Manipalcigna Lifetime Plan can tend to be marginally cheaper at ages over 55 and expanded to allow older enrolment.
Both the plans have standard waiting period, although some of the details vary:
Did You Know? As a strategy to appeal to more middle class families, most insurers in 2025 are eliminating the sub limits on the room rent in the hospitals to sum insured of over Rs. 10 lakh.
Professional Recommendation: In case you have a family planning need or think of being vulnerable to lifestyle diseases, the following add ons may be sought in the Indian private hospitals to obtain a wider coverage.
Q: Does both plans cover AYUSH treatment?
Manipalcigna includes the coverage of AYUSH treatments as a matter of course, whereas ICICI Lombard only covers it either as an optional cover-up or in some of its variants.
The two insurers have enhanced claim processing in 2025 to include fast, paperless processing and 24 hours helplines.
Did You Know? Manipalcigna also rated high on customer satisfaction, with a rating of 4.2 out of 5 (a very low difference form ICICI Lombard) primarily because of the hospital touchpoint services in a recent survey.
These plans are aimed at rather different user needs:
Q: What is a better plan as far as chronic illness coverage is concerned?
Manipalcigna Lifetime Plan offers more of a combination of chronic illness, mental health and lifestyle disease management, particularly to long term policyholders.
Q: What plan is the most customisable?
ICICI Lombard Elevate offers greater optional add ons on the customisation of cover according to individual or family requirements.
Q: Is annual health checkup as standard?
Yes, the plans are currently providing free health checkups annually irrespective of whether there is a claim or not.
Q: What is better with long term renewals?
They are both lifelong renewable, although Manipalcigna Lifetime Plan is available with the express purpose of being renewed into old age.
Q: How to buy these plans?
Both ICICI Lombard and Manipalcigna policies may be sold through online purchases or through licensed insurance advisors and be instantly digitised and issued in 2025.
How could we improve this article?
Written by Prem Anand, a content writer with over 10+ years of experience in the Banking, Financial Services, and Insurance sectors.
Prem Anand is a seasoned content writer with over 10+ years of experience in the Banking, Financial Services, and Insurance sectors. He has a strong command of industry-specific language and compliance regulations. He specializes in writing insightful blog posts, detailed articles, and content that educates and engages the Indian audience.
The content is prepared by thoroughly researching multiple trustworthy sources such as official websites, financial portals, customer reviews, policy documents and IRDAI guidelines. The goal is to bring accurate and reader-friendly insights.
This content is created to help readers make informed decisions. It aims to simplify complex insurance and finance topics so that you can understand your options clearly and take the right steps with confidence. Every article is written keeping transparency, clarity, and trust in mind.
Based on Google's Helpful Content System, this article emphasizes user value, transparency, and accuracy. It incorporates principles of E-E-A-T (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness).
Loved by 1M+ users (web). Start your financial journey today!
