|
What is health insurance?
Health insurance is also known as
Private Medical Insurance (PMI) is designed to cover the cost of
private medical treatment for illnesses or injuries that are curable and
short term (also known as ‘acute conditions’). Although a health
insurance policy won't make such events any less stressful or upsetting,
it can provide valuable peace of mind that specialist treatment will be
available promptly, often at a hospital of your choice. Health
insurance is not designed to replace all NHS services as some services
are outside the scope of private hospitals e.g. Accident and Emergency
and GP services.
What does health insurance cover?
There
are a wide variety of health insurance policies available, ranging from
budget policies offering a limited range of benefits to higher priced
policies offering much more extensive cover. Depending on the individual
policy cover may be available for: Out-patient treatments
Diagnosis,
investigations, consultations or treatments that do not require the
patient to be hospitalised overnight. Out-patient treatment usually
includes consultation with specialist, diagnostic tests, radiotherapy /
chemotherapy, physiotherapy and psychiatry.
Day-patient
treatments
Day-patient treatments often require the patient to
attend a hospital or clinic on a regular basis or for a period that
lasts at least half a day without requiring them to be hospitalised.
In-patient
treatments
In-patient treatment requires the patient to be
hospitalised for one or more nights. In-patient treatment usually
includes hospital charges, specialist / consultant fees, diagnostic
tests, psychiatry and physiotherapy.
As a private patient you
will usually have the privacy of an en-suite room along with other
comforts, such as a television and telephone.
What isn’t
covered by a health insurance policy?
Health insurance usually
does not provide cover for:
• Chronic conditions i.e. those
that cannot be cured
• GP services
• Accident and
emergency admissions. Depending on the insurance
company, you may be able to opt for a no-excess policy. This means that
you will not be required to contribute towards a claim, although the
cost of the policy will increase as a result. Even pre-existing medical conditions may be covered, for further information or advice call one of our experienced advisors today!
 
If you need any help or advice please call 08445 045196 and we
will be happy to help. Remember we offer free advice for all of our
services including mortgages, remortgages, life assurance, critical
illness cover, income protection, secured loans, bridging loans,
buildings and contents insurance, and many other finance related
services.
|
