Private medical insurance will pay for all the consultations, examination, tests
and operations which are necessary for your illness. You will be treated in a private room and there will be often be no
waiting lists to deal with although i do have a personal experience where the time quoted was quicker on the NHS than
by going private. You will have a flexibility of where and when you are treated. These plans can be taken as an individual,
a couple or as a family group. They are normally on a annual contract and premiums can usually be reduced by paying
a pre-determined excess excess on each claim.
Premiums can and normally do increase each year as a result of medical inflation (which to me often appears greater
than RPI) and also payments will increase with age. It is possible to reduce the cost of the full package by paying a proportion of the claim yourself. By restricting
the range of the cover or by removing the cover for consultants fees.
Critical illness insurance is another product to think about as if you are found to be suffering from a critical
illness, you will be paid a tax-free lump of money. Critical illnesses are normally the more serious cancers, heart attacks,
strokes and a range of other illnesses. These will be listed on the policy documents and you should read through these with care.
There are also plans like denplan which cover you for
dental care.
An important part of travel insurance is
the medical side of things. It is important to have and gives great peace of mind in case of an emergency. Particularly
outside Europe.
Unfortunately, not everyone can be covered
for everything. Pre-existing conditions are those which have been diagnosed or treated before applying to join a medical
plan. In most cases the insurer will refuse cover for any condition which has applied in the 5 years or longer preceding
the application. Pre-existing conditions will not be covered by any insurers and you MUST be completely honest when
giving details of your health record. If a claim is made, the first thing the insurer will do is to write to your
doctor for your records and if the insurers find there’s something you’ve not disclosed and admitted
to, whether or not it’s related to your current conditions, it’s quite likely they’ll refuse your claim.
Within the actual cover, some exclusions might exist,
too. They vary and can include pregnancy, infertility, cosmetic surgery, some chronic, recurrent or long-term conditions or
treatment outside the UK. Long-term illnesses such as multiple sclerosis or asthma are usually excluded too.
The only way to find out about these matters is to look into each plan carefully.
Check out just what the cover offers and when filling in applications for medical insurance, make sure that you’re completely
honest with your insurer.
