Health insurance is a must have, not only for you, but also your family members. The rising cost of availing medical facilities and medicine has led to the increasing dependency of people on health insurance. Though companies offer group plans to its employees, most often than not, this coverage provided is insufficient. Hence, it becomes imperative to opt for the private health insurance plan for other insurance companies.

The private plans do not come at affordable prices. It is important to consider the various factors and choose the right ones while customizing a private health insurance plan for your needs. If you are relatively young and do not suffer from any ailments, then choosing a private health insurance plan that with high co-payments and deductibles will prove to be a wise choice. It will provide you sufficient coverage at low premiums.

If you or your dependents suffer from chronic diseases, then choosing a plan with low deductibles and co-payments is a wise decision since it will reduce your financial burden.

Before signing up for any policy, find out from the provider if you have the liberty of choosing the hospital and doctor beyond the prescribed network or if you have to limit yourself to the options given by them. The policies with prescribed networks are more economical than those that allow you to make your choice.

Before you go for a particular private health insurance policy, you need to ask for a health insurance quote from many insurance providers. This will give you a good way of comparing the cost and the benefits of all the insurance for a given coverage. You will need to consider your health and what the chances of getting serious health issues are. If you need prescription drugs or have a health issue already, you need to take that into consideration as well.

There are quite a few types of coverage that are usually very important. How secure you want to be would influence the cost of your health insurance. The first one is the hospitalization coverage which is very important in case you have faced a serious health issue and needed immediate hospitalization. This includes the cost incurred towards hospital room, boarding, treatment, medical tests, nurses and doctors, oxygen and blood, appliances and everything else required for the treatment. Higher the coverage better it is for you when you are seriously hospitalized as your out of pocket expenses will be reduced to a large extent. The hospitalization charges are usually the biggest medical expenses you have and if you go for slightly higher premium, your deductible would actually be less.

It is beyond doubt that health insurance has a crucial role to play during the lifetime of a person. Considering the fact that a person can fall ill or meet with an accident anytime, it is necessary to have a good plan covering you in order to reduce financial liabilities. While many companies do provide their employees coverage, most of the times it proves to be inadequate.

A private insurance plan can prove to be a better bet as compared to the coverage offered by the employers in terms of cost as well as features and benefits. However, the key is to find the right type of private health insurance coverage. There are so many providers offering varied private plans that choosing the right one may prove to be time consuming.

The best place to look for private health insurance plans is by going online. You can obtain online quotes from various insurance providers for the plans they provide and compare the pros and cons against one another. This will help you pick out the best plan at prices you can afford.

If you want to be rest assured about the choice you make, ensure you take a look at the fine print and understand the coverage and claim process clearly before signing up for the policy.

A private health insurance plan could be good or very bad and if you are not careful, you wouldn’t realize about the sore deal until you experience it. You wouldn’t want to wait until that and hence it is good to check the terms of the private medical insurance before finalizing it. You can look at a medical insurance quote and check if the cost is worth it considering the coverage you are getting. To find out how beneficial a medical insurance is you must know what you want.

If you are someone who needs to be diagnosed often then those costs of diagnosis and the lab tests must be covered by your health insurance. Similarly if you need to visit a specific doctor, e.g. an ophthalmologist or gynecologist often, you must ensure that it is covered and the clinics you prefer are part of the network where you can avail the benefits of the health insurance plan. Prescription drugs are another example where the costs tend to go up quite high for some people and you must ensure you are getting coverage for that through your health insurance. Other benefits like visiting physicians, tests, rehabilitation etc. should be services provided in your plan.

Underwriting Guide

Private Medical Insurance is designed to cover new and unexpected medical conditions.

As is common with all Private Medical Insurance products, you will not be covered for medical conditions you have already had or have at the time your cover starts. There are two underwriting options:

Full Medical Underwriting

You will be asked when you join to complete a health questionnaire, giving us details of your current and past health. If necessary, and with your permission, the insurer may ask your doctor for any further details they need. Any disease, illness or injury (whether or not diagnosed) for which you have received medication, advice or treatment, or for which you have experienced symptoms before taking out your policy, will be excluded from your cover along with any related conditions, unless the insurer agrees to accept it.

Moratorium underwriting

Instead of filling out a health questionnaire, an automatic exclusion applies to any disease, illness or injury (whether or not diagnosed), or to any related condition if,

• you had symptoms of, medication or treatment for, or advice about such a disease, illness or injury within five years before joining Express Care

and

• there has not been a clear two year period after joining during which you have been free of medication for, treatment for, and advice about such a disease, illness or injury or related condition.

After this clear two year period, your cover will be extended to include that disease, illness or injury, subject to the insurers policy terms and conditions.

To get health insurance quotes call 0800 043 6701

Private medical insurance is often called ‘health insurance’, and can sometimes be confused with other types of insurance such as health cash plans, income protection and critical illness.

Private medical insurance is designed to cover the costs of private medical treatment, for what are commonly known as ‘acute conditions’ that start after your policy begins.

Most insurers defne an acute condition as a disease, illness or injury that is likely to respond quickly to treatment
and aims to return you to the state of health you were in immediately before suffering the disease, illness or injury,  or which leads to your full recovery.

Whats normally covered?

• Hospital charges
• Specialists’ fees
• Diagnostic tests
• Radiotherapy/chemotherapy

There are some common conditions that Private Health Insurance will not cover you for:

• Pre-existing conditions
• Long term or chronic conditions
• Alcohol, drug or solvent abuse
• HIV/AIDS

For advice on Private Health Insurance call 0800 043 0725

Private medical insurance (PMI) covers expenses incurred in the private treatment of acute (short-term, curable) illnesses and injuries.

Apart from specific exclusions, the following are generally not covered:

• Pre-existing conditions (except on “moratorium” policies)
• Chronic (i.e. incurable) illnesses
• Conditions brought about through drug abuse, self-inflicted injuries, war risks and hazardous pursuits
• Treatment for HIV/AIDS, infertility and normal pregnancy; sex change (“gender reassignment”), cosmetic surgery, organ transplant, kidney dialysis and experimental treatment and drugs
• GP services, accident & emergency admissions, outpatient drugs and dressings and mobility aids.

Kinds of Private Health Insurance Policies

Policies essentially differ by their premium levels and the breadth of their cover. A standard policy excludes all ailments suffered before the commencement of the current contract, known as “pre-existing conditions”.

Pre-existing conditions can often be barriers to changing insurers, because a new insurer will want to exclude them from the cover either permanently or temporarily.

Moratorium policies cover pre-existing conditions but only after a specified treatment-free period has elapsed (e.g. 2 years), starting from when the policy is first taken out. The definition of “treatment-free” can be strict, but usually means that during the moratorium period:

* There have been no consultations with a doctor concerning the pre-existing or any related condition
* No advice has been sought about the condition, including check-ups.
* No medication or special diets have been prescribed.

Moratorium policies are often criticised on the grounds that they may encourage policyholders to defer necessary medical treatment in order to have the costs met by the insurer.

Benefits and Exclusions

• Inpatient Treatment All policies fully cover a common core of inpatient costs for accommodation (“hotel costs”); surgeons, anaesthetists & physicians; drugs and dressings, operating theatres, radiotherapy & chemotherapy, specialist consultations, diagnostic procedures (radiology, pathology etc), physiotherapy and prothesis. Psychiatric treatment and pregnancy complications are the most common exclusions
• Outpatient Treatment and Additionals “Comprehensive” policies will cover the costs of most (but not all) outpatient treatment and other “additional” expenses such as home nursing or private ambulance transport. “Budget” policies sometimes (but not universally) exclude outpatient treatment altogether.

By and large, you get the cover that you pay for although policies within the same premium range do not necessarily offer the same breadth of the cover.

To get advice from an independent health care specialist call 0800 043 0725 or visit www.yourlocalifa.co.uk to find a financial adviser