New Delhi, Aug. 24 -- Medical emergencies can leave policyholders facing hospital bills that run into several lakhs of rupees. This is one reason people often build more than one layer of health cover, such as an employer's group insurance, an individual policy or an additional cover. But when it comes to making a claim, having multiple policies does not mean you can collect the full hospital bill from every insurer.

For indemnity-based health insurance, more than one policy can be used for the same hospitalisation, subject to the terms of each policy. If the first policy does not cover the entire admissible expense, another insurer can cover the eligible balance. The combined payout, however, cannot exceed the admissible medical expense...