What is top-up in health insurance and when to buy it? Ashish Lath answers

Now, you buy a health top-up plan in addition to your health insurance cover of say Rs 5 lakh with a deductible amount of Rs 5 lakh..

5 lakh has been spent. Now, you may have spent from your pocket or the money may have been paid by another insurance company, but they come into effect only after the deductible amount, whereas in the case of a regular health plan, it comes into effect from zero..

If you are buying your basic health insurance plan today, and if you buy your top-up after six months, there is a high possibility that the waiting period will differ...

Now, if you buy your basic health insurance plan from company A, and a top-up plan from insurance company B, they may have a different network of hospitals..

I wouldn't want to recommend a particular plan on National TV but I would say consult a good advisor regarding your health insurance requirement and the person should be able to guide you on the right basic plan as well as a health top-up plan..