Private Medical FAQs
Private Medical Insurance is designed to cover an individual or family from long or short
term illness whilst also allowing prompt access to treatment.
As a private health insurance patient you will have access so some of the best hospitals,
your own room, TV, changing rooms, en-suite facilities and decent food. In addition, most
health insurance policies allow access to some of the country's leading health
specialists and to expensive new medications which are not available on the NHS.
To find out more information about Private Medical Insurance view our frequently asked
question below.
- What types of treatment are available?
- Does Private Medical Insurance benefit from a no claims discount?
- What excess’s are applicable for Health Insurance?
- Are there any Exclusions?
- What is the Six Week option?
What types of treatment are available?
There are 3 types of medical insurance treatments available;
Out Patient: This is where you will get a referral from your
GP to have a consultation with a specialist or consultant prior to being admitted
to hospital.
Day Patient: This is where you may spend a couple of hours in hospital
to recover from a diagnostic or series of tests.
In Patient: This is where you may have to stay in hospital for one
or more days.
Different types of health insurance cover offer different levels of care which can
be found out when taking out a policy. Different levels of cover typically have
differing yearly premiums, you should choose the right level of cover for what you
can afford.
Does Private Medical Insurance benefit from a no claims discount?
There is a no claims discount available on medical insurance policies however it
differs from a no claims discount that would typically be applied to a car insurance
or home insurance policy. To make it simple, no claims discounts on private medical
insurance works in the opposite way to car and home insurance, you will normally start
with a high level of no claims discount which will decrease the more you call upon
the policy.
What excess’s are applicable for Health Insurance?
There is an option to pay an excess with all medical insurance policies. Excess are
applicable per person, per year, typically the higher your excess the lower your
annual premium will be.
Are there any Exclusions?
Some medical conditions or chronic conditions such as conditions that;
- Continue indefinitely or has no known cure.
- Keeps coming back or is likely to return.
- Is a permanent medical condition.
- You need to be rehabilitated or specially trained to cope with it.
- Needs long term medical care.
In addition to the exclusions above, private medical insurance will never cover the following.
- Accident & Emergency Services
- Conditions related to Drug abuse, HIV or AIDS
- War & Riots
- Cosmetic surgery for vanity purposes.
What is the Six Week option?
Some insurers offer the six week option which limits your claims to circumstance whereby
there is at least a 6 week waiting list on the NHS for treatment. The Six Week Option
thereby gives the policyholder the reassurance that they will only have to wait a
maximum of 6 weeks for treatment.
The Six Week Option can also vastly decrease monthly premiums.
Waiting times for cancer treatment are often less than 6 weeks and as such cancer care
would not be covered under the six week option. If you are thinking of taking out a medical
insurance policy to cover cancer care, taking the six week option out would be advisable.