FAQ
FAQs
1. What is Health Insurance?
UK Health Insurance covers the cost of private health treatment for short term illness. Short term illness is essentially any illness, injury or disease that you have suffered that, once treated, leads to a full recovery or returns you to the health state you were at before you had the problem. This alleviates the stress and worries that if something bad happens suddenly you are able to pay for and treat the problem quickly. Private health insurance allows you to choose when and where the treatment takes place, who treats you and where you get treated (hospital). Some things are covered like long term illness, GP costs and emergency admission to the hospital. Private health Insurance doesn’t replace the NHS, it just covers you for any private treatment that may be required. The cover that you receive can be classified in three ways: Budget Insurance – Normally only included in-patient treatment. This does not include tests, consultations and after surgery costs. This best suits people that can cover tests and consults and let the insurance company cover the cost of operations. Standard Insurance – This covers most hospital costs such as operations and consulting costs (blood work, X-rays, Scans and Chemotherapy) as well as normal therapies like osteotheripts, Chiropractors, Physiotherapists and Acupuncture. However these may vary between different insurers. Make sure you read the product disclosure agreement. Comprehensive Insurance – Provide top of the line benefits. They usually cover everything from in hospital cover to external treatments and consultations. Also general benefits sicj as travel, dental and general elective care. If you want to have no worries this is the polic that you should choose.2. How do I buy Health Insurance?
When you are considering purchasing Health Insurance there are a number of avenues you can go to get the right policy to suit you. The main three choices open to you are as follows: 1. Go direct to the Insurer 2. Seek the advise of an Independent Health Advisor or Broker online or offline 3. Insurance Agents ( Banks, Building Societies, Retail Outlets) You can acquire quotes either over the phone, post, internet or face to face should you be happy to either visit or receive a visit from and a Health Insurance Specialist. Once you have decided what the best policy is for you the Insurer on receiving your application will process it and then send out your certification of membership. From the moment you receive this you are into what is termed “a cooling off period”. From the moment you receive your documentation you will normally have 14 days in which to change your mind if you so wish. If you do, any premiums that would have been taken will be returned and your policy cancelled. Some Insurers may arrange cover differently from above like over the phone. However cover will normally be provisional until they receive a completed application form.3. How do I choose the right cover?
When looking at cover, it is useful to know that treatment is categorised in the following way. In-patient treatment: Treatment which, for medical reasons, means you have to stay in hospital overnight or for longer. Day-patient treatment: Treatment which, for medical reasons, means you have to go into a hospital or day-patient unit because you need a period of clinically-supervised recovery. However, you do not have to stay overnight. Out-patient treatment: Treatment given at a hospital, consulting room or out-patient clinic where you do not go in for day-patient or in-patient treatment. There is a large variety of schemes available-from low cost schemes offering limited cover, to those which offer wide-ranging cover and benefits. Most schemes offer cover for in-patient and day-patient treatment, but not always out-patient treatment. You will need to decide what sort of cover you want. There are a number of things you will have to consider. Here are just two examples: 1. Do you want your cover to include seeing a specialist as an out-patient? 2. Do you want a choice of hospitals, or would you be satisfied to receive any treatment that you might need in a hospital available from a limited range chosen by the Insurance Company? The answers you give to questions such as these could have a significant effect on the premium that you pay.4. What am I covered for? What does my cover not include?
Private Health Insurance specifically covers any short term illness or injury that you sustain. Here is an explanation of what is and isn’t covered by health insurance. Normally Covered – Short term illness. Tests, surgery, hospital accommodation and nursing costs. Sometimes Covered – Diagnostics tests after surgery. International cover, payments for treatment under the NHS. Not Covered – Long term illness before starting health insurance. GP costs. Non curable disease and emergency admissions to hospital. Drug problems, HIV/AIDS, infertility, cosmetic surgery, organ transplant, sex change and war. Most insurers will provide your with their private health insurance policy summary sheet giving you a full outline of what and what isn’t covered.5. Will my premiums go up?
Premiums may rise above inflation. Costs are increasing for healthcare; this is why premiums go up. Also the technology of treating and diagnosing illness is also rising. Here are som options you may have.- Choice of cover affects the amount you pay
- Treatment at specified location
- Paying a higher excess
- Paying some of the claim
- Being treated under the NHS
- Choosing a different hospital
