Private Medical Insurance

Private Medical FAQ

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.

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 excesses 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.

MoneyExpert Ltd is not authorised to provide advice and are introducing you to a regulated firm who undertake a fair analysis of the market and with whom we are not under a contractual obligation to conduct insurance mediation business with exclusively. You should ensure you provide any potential insurer with your full details and ensure that you are eligible to make a claim(s) in relation to the cover offered. MoneyExpert Ltd will receive a small payment for this introduction which will not normally exceed £35.