Remember, the restore option gets triggered only after the entire sum insured is exhausted. "So if your cover amount is Rs 5 lakh, and you make one claim ofRs 2 lakh, and another of Rs 6 lakh, the policy will pay Rs 2 lakh in the first claim and Rs 3 lakh in the second claim. Since the sum insured was exhausted in the second claim, the restore option begins and can be used only for a third claim," points out Mahavir Chopra, head, e-business, medimanage.com.

"With the additional cost charged being almost equal to the OPD coverage, the current OPD products in the market are mere tax-saving instruments, without creating any real value for the customer," says Mahavir Chopra of medimanage.com "Health insurance should be part of one's long-term financial planning, and not just another tax-saving tool.

Says Mahavir Chopra, head (e-business and retail), Medimanage.com, a health insurance portal: “One big drawback with a floater plan is consumption of the entire sum insured on one major hospitalization, resulting in a shortage in case of another hospitalization the same year. Restore aims at solving this problem.” When Optima Restore reinstates the sum insured, other members of the family can invoke the cover even on account of the same ailment for which the policy was used previously by another member.

"The first thing that is required while scouting for covers at this age is a change in mindset. They (employees and their parents) have to realise that there may be no perfect product available. They should be open to an imperfect solution," advises Mahavir Chopra, head, e-business, medimanage. com. "Individual policies will not cover everything and they need to understand that it is better to have something rather than being without a cover."

Says Mahavir Chopra, head (e-business and retail), Medimanage.com, a health insurance portal "With year-on-year healthcare inflation at 16-20%, a top-up policy is a low-cost investment, which will pay great dividends in the long run."