Health Services Archive

Pre-existing conditions are usually chronic, long-term health conditions and illness that are present before you take out an insurance policy. Many insurance companies do not offer cover for pre-existing conditions. Examples of pre-existing conditions include:

●      Arthritis

●      Heart disease

●      Asthma

●      Irritable bowel syndrome

●      Type 2 diabetes

●      Eczema

●      Hypertension (high blood pressure)

●      Depression

●      Cancer

●      Epilepsy

Some insurance providers will not accept clients with pre-existing health conditions, while others will accept applications but impose a set period of time before the client can make a claim after buying the policy.

What policy should I get if I have a pre-existing health condition?

If you have a pre-existing medical condition, it is important that you are honest with the insurance company from the outset or it may end up costing you a lot of money in the long-run. It is important that you shop around and see which insurance providers offer policies for people with pre-existing conditions. Many companies may make a decision based on recent medical history and the likelihood that you will require treatment in the future, they may ask you to have a medical or provide proof of your medical records before they agree to offer you cover.

Most companies will cover people who have had conditions in the past which have not required treatment in the last five to ten years (depending on the provider). For example, asthma is classed as a pre-existing condition but if you are 30 years old and you had asthma as a child and you have not used an inhaler or had any other treatment for 20 years, this will not affect your ability to take out a standard insurance policy.

If you have private medical insurance as part of your employment package, your policy may not cover certain illnesses and treatments. Always call your insurance provider before you have treatment to make sure that the policy covers that particular treatment.

Many private medical insurance policies cater for people up to the age of 65, some also offer cover up to the age of 70. Some providers will not take clients over a certain age, while others will cater for clients of all ages, it is important to shop around in order to find out what deals you can get from different providers.

People are living longer and as a result more insurance companies are offering insurance policies to people over the age of 65 or 70.

Do policies cost more for older people?

Statistically, older people are more likely to become ill, even they have good general health and live a healthy lifestyle, so insurance policies are more expensive. Fees vary according to the provider, the health of the individual and their age, so it is a good idea to get quotes from a few different providers and see what different companies can offer for your budget.

How can I find a policy for older people?

You can research insurance policies by going online, telephoning different insurance companies or arranging to see a financial adviser. If you have no idea what you are looking for it is probably best to see a financial adviser as they can get all the facts from you, find out what you want from your policy and explain the options available to you. They will also be able to recommend good plans, highlight current offers or incentives and ensure that you use a reputable company.

Saga specialises in insurance for older people, they offer car, home, life and travel insurance as well as private medical insurance.

Choosing the right policy can be difficult because there are so many different policies and insurance providers. If you type ‘private medical insurance’ into an online search engine, you will notice hundreds of different links and search results and all the companies will claim that their policy is the best.

Shopping around

It is important to shop around so that you can get the best deal for your money. You can look at different websites for different insurance providers, use comparison websites to compare prices, telephone different providers to ask about incentives and perks for new clients and talk to financial advisers about the different policies on offer.

Choose a reputable company

It may be tempting to go for the best offer, but it is advisable to go with a company that has a good reputation and a solid performance history. Major insurance providers in the UK include Bupa, AXA, Boots, Aviva and the Prudential.

Cater for your needs

Your policy needs to suit your health and lifestyle choices; if you already have health problems, you are overweight or obese and you have unhealthy lifestyle choices (such as smoking or heavy drinking), you may be required to choose a more comprehensive policy, which is more expensive. If you are a healthy individual, you will probably be advised to choose a standard policy and you can choose to include additional bolt-ons if you want to.

Additional cover

If you are married, you live with your partner or you have children, you may want to take out a policy that includes the rest of your family. You may also want to add cover such as dental insurance, insurance for ophthalmic care and specialist insurance if you participate in dangerous sports.

Contents of the policy

As a general rule, the more you pay, the more you get in return; if you pay only a few pounds of months, your insurance policy will be quite basic. Fixed policies are usually the most popular option as they are relatively cheap and cover a variety of different treatments and stages of treatment, most fixed policies include:

●      In-patient treatment

●      Diagnostic tests and procedures

●      Out-patient treatment

●      Physiotherapy

●      Hospital accommodation

●      Consultant fees

If you have an existing health condition, you may need a specialist insurance policy. Contact different insurance providers to ask them about specialist healthcare policies or arrange to see a financial adviser.

There are three main types of private medical insurance currently available from UK insurance providers, these include:

Personal insurance:

Personal private medical insurance plans cover an individual or a small number of individuals, such as a family. Personal cover is taken out by the individual and covers any treatment they may have. Many families take out family policies, which cover the individual’s partner and any children they may have.

Group insurance

Group insurance policies are usually taken out by companies and businesses, the policies cover a number of individuals. Employees cannot choose which treatments or procedures are covered by their policy and if they undergo treatment or require an operation that is not covered by the policy, they will have to pay for it themselves.

Some companies include insurance as a free perk of the employment package, while others offer reduced insurance rates as an incentive and others take small payments out of employees’ wages in exchange for insurance cover.

Self-employed medical insurance

These policies are designed for people who are self-employed. Some insurance providers offer schemes that are open to other people, such as work partners, but this is not always the case so it is important to check the details of the policy.

Types of policy

There are many different types of private medical insurance policy, some are basic, while others are much more comprehensive and some are aimed at individuals, while others cater for a number of individuals. You should choose a policy based on your budget and your general health. If you can only afford to contribute a few pounds a month, you will get a more basic policy, whereas, if you are prepared to part with more money, your policy will be more comprehensive. If you already have existing health conditions, you need to be particularly careful about taking out a policy, as many policies do not cover pre-existing medical conditions.

Many people in the UK do not have private medical insurance because they rely on the NHS for medical treatment. NHS care is free and accessible to everyone in the UK but it may still be a good idea to have private medical insurance, for the following reasons:

Pros of private healthcare

●      Private healthcare offers patients a greater choice. Generally speaking, patients can choose which hospital they want to go to and which consultant they want to deliver their treatment.

●      Better continuity of care; patients are usually treated by the same consultant throughout and this improves the continuity of care and allows the patient to build a stronger relationship with their doctor.

●      Private rooms: private hospitals have private rooms, rather than same sex or unisex wards, which enables the patient to enjoy greater privacy. Many rooms also have en suite bathroom facilities.

●      Shorter waiting lists: private hospitals often have much shorter waiting lists than NHS hospitals because there is much less pressure on the system.

●      Modern facilities: many private hospitals are fairly new and have modern décor, whereas NHS hospitals are generally not the most attractive buildings and many are quite old and tired looking.

●      Some treatments offered by private hospitals and clinics are not available on the NHS.

●      Flexible appointments: many private healthcare providers offer appointments outside of work hours.

Are there any disadvantages of private healthcare?

Private healthcare does have many advantages but there are also disadvantages; these include:

●      Cost: cost is the major drawback of private healthcare, a procedure or course of treatment that is available free on the NHS may cost hundreds or even thousands of pounds privately.

●      Waiting lists: if you are desperate to see a consultant who has a particularly good reputation, you may end up waiting even longer than you would on the NHS.

●      Logistical problems: if your health condition or treatment plan is not straightforward it may be difficult to liaise with specialists from other departments and hospitals and if you need additional tests or further treatment after your initial course of treatment this will add to the cost. If you have to be referred to another department, this may be confusing and it may take longer than it would at an NHS hospital.

●      Accessibility: private healthcare is not accessible to everyone because of the cost of treatment. If you do not have private medical insurance and you earn a low income, you may struggle to afford private healthcare.

Private medical insurance

Many people have medical insurance as part of their employment package but if you don’t have this with your job and you are interested in having private healthcare or you may consider going private in the future, it is a good idea to buy private medical insurance, as this will cover the cost of treatment, which will work out a lot cheaper in the long-run.