‘Moratorium’ Vs ‘Full medical’ Underwriting

When you have made an application for private medical insurance (PMI), insurers use one of two methods to underwrite your application. These are:

• Moratorium underwriting
• Full medical underwriting

What do these two terms mean? And how do they affect your application? Keep reading to find out.

Your guide to Cancer Cover

One of the main reasons that you may be considering private medical insurance (PMI) is to ensure you have access to the highest quality cancer care. Figures from Cancer Research show that around 320,500 people were diagnosed with cancer in the UK in 2009, equivalent to about 519 cases for every 100,000 people. The charity reports that the most common cancers are: breast, lung, bowel and prostate.

What are the advantages of PMI over the NHS?

In the UK, the National Health Service (NHS) will take care of your medical issues very well, but there are long waiting lists. Sometimes it takes years to receive the inpatient care you need from the NHS. Private health insurance (PMI) solves this problem by allowing immediate medical attention. It requires making payments on premiums every month, and many people cannot afford it. Premiums for PMI can be expensive, but there are ways to reduce the cost, and it has become affordable for many people.

Joint Medical Cover For Husbands, Wives + Partners

A joint private health insurance (PMI) policy gives you the peace of mind that neither you nor your partner will have to wait for medical treatment on the NHS. It also gives you a choice about when and where you are treated and gives you access to the best quality drugs and care.

Health Insurance Vs Cash Plans

If you’re looking at protecting you and your family’s health there are lots of insurance options to choose from. Two of the most common are ‘private medical insurance’ (PMI) and ‘health cash plans’. Keep reading to find out more about each type of cover and what the differences are between the two types of scheme.

Medical cover for older adults and pensioners

Yes. Many insurers now offer private medical insurance to people nearing retirement. These are often called ‘over 50s health insurance’ or ‘over 50s private medical insurance’ plans.

In the past, lots of health insurance companies applied upper age limits to people wanting to take out private medical insurance. However, with more and more people living longer and staying fit and healthy into their 70s and 80s, many health insurance providers now offer cover to people of all ages.

Laser eye surgery on PMI

Generally, health insurance (or ‘private medical insurance’) won’t cover the cost of laser eye surgery. This is because laser eye surgery is mostly done for aesthetic or cosmetic reasons and it isn’t typically carried out as a medical procedure.

Generally speaking, if you are short-sighted then you can wear glasses or contact lenses to correct your vision. Laser eye surgery is considered by PMI providers to be a ‘luxury’ rather than essential treatment.

There are three main reasons that why using a broker rather than heading directly to an insurer can benefit you:

1. Using a broker for your private medical insurance quote will save time

Getting quotes for private medical insurance can be time consuming. When you approach a PMI provider they will require a lot of information from you in order to provide you with a quote. This will include your personal details, information about anyone else you want to be covered by the policy and details of your medical history.

Should you buy private medical insurance?

If you live in the UK, the chances are that you are entitled to free medical care from the NHS. However, if you would prefer to be treated in a private clinic or you want access to a wide range of the latest drugs and treatments, these may not be available from your local hospital.

If you’re looking for private care and the widest choice of treatment, you may want to consider getting a health insurance quote – sometimes called Private Medical Insurance or PMI.

Limits on health insurance claims

This depends on your private health insurance policy. With dozens of different healthcare policies available, the amount of cover you will benefit from will differ from insurer to insurer and from policy to policy. For example, some basic PMI policies are likely to have maximum claim limits or annual limits which restrict the amount you can claim towards your treatment. Others may offer unlimited medical cover.

Choosing an excess

If you’ve ever bought car or home insurance you will probably have agreed to a policy excess. Your policy excess is the amount of any claim that you have to pay yourself. And, private medical insurance policies are no different, with most having a choice of excess amount.

When you shop around for health insurance you should always take into account the policy excess. Most policies have a choice of excess levels which can range from £100 or £200 up to £500. Your excess could be:

The cost of private medical cover

Yes. Most private medical insurance costs are reviewed annually and you can expect to see your payments rise at each anniversary. And, as the cost of providing medical care becomes more expensive, you can expect to see your premiums rise above the rate of inflation.

There are a number of reasons why your premiums will rise over time:

Emergency health coverage

No. While private health insurance (PMI) is designed to provide cover for a wide range of in-patient and out-patient treatments, it does not typically cover a visit to Accident and Emergency (A&E).

It is important to remember that healthcare insurance is designed to supplement NHS services, not take their place. Consumer group Which? says in their PMI buyer’s guide: ‘PMI doesn't replace all NHS services - for example, accident and emergency treatments aren't covered.’

Pregnancy + Private Medical Cover

No. Pregnancy and childbirth is not normally covered under a private medical insurance (PMI) policy.

Health insurance is designed to offer fast, private treatment for unexpected illnesses and medical conditions. It allows you to bypass NHS waiting lists and for you to see a consultant, get diagnostic tests and treatment quickly and, often, in a private hospital.

Dentistry + Medical Insurance

Private medical insurance does not generally cover you for dental treatment although there are lots of dental insurance options available.

The Association of British Insurers’ health insurance buying advice includes ‘dental services’ in their list of treatments that are not ordinarily covered by a PMI policy alongside organ transplants, pregnancy and childbirth, accident and emergency treatment and gender reassignment.