If you already have health insurance and want to increase your cover, you could try buying a new health insurance policy. But that'll be expensive. Instead, a top-up policy works better. A top-up policy is an add-on to your regular cover. It reimburses your hospital bills only if your costs exceed a certain threshold limit, also called ‘deductible'. Hence, premiums are cheaper (see graphic). While a base policy reimburses your hospital bills up to your health cover, a top-up policy kicks in beyond the deductible amount. Although, having a base policy in place is not a prerequisite for buying a top-up; it can be purchased independently too.