New Delhi, Sept. 29 -- A Rs.10 lakh health insurance cover may look substantial today. But what happens when the same surgery costs Rs.15 lakh or Rs.20 lakh in a few years from now?

This is the gap that inflation-protection features in health insurance seek to address. Policies with this feature offer an inflation-linked increase in the sum insured at renewal. At first glance, this may sound like a straightforward solution to rising healthcare costs. But an inflation-adjusted sum insured does not necessarily mean that the insurance cover is keeping pace with actual medical inflation.

Niva Bupa's Safeguard+ add-on also combines multiple benefits, including an inflation-linked increase in coverage.

Akshay Bansal, an insurance consultant ...