What is Private Medical Insurance?
Private medical insurance is an insurance policy that helps you to meet the costs of private healthcare, from diagnosis to medical treatment.
By paying a monthly premium, you’re covered for all or some of the costs of treating acute health conditions that develop after the medical insurance policy has been taken out. Private medical insurance gives you quicker access to medical treatment, and the level of cover you receive is dependent on the policy you take out.
Medical insurance when you need it
There are two main types of private medical insurance policies we offer:
Medical Indemnity Insurance
Meets the costs of having private medical treatment for an acute illness or injury on a short-term basis. This could include a private room in a hospital, surgeons' and other specialists' fees, outpatient treatment like physiotherapy and daycare treatment including surgical and diagnostic procedures.
Health Cash Plan
Provides a lump-sum benefit payment in certain situations. Generally, the consumer will pay a monthly premium in return for cover for up to 100% of costs for treatment, such as an inpatient stay in an NHS hospital or a dental or optical treatment. These may not be included under an indemnity policy.
Benefits of Private Medical Insurance
Both indemnity and cash-plan policies can have additional benefits, such as:
• Cover for partners and/or children
• One-to-one telephone support for cancer and heart patients
• Customer health checks and helplines
• Access to complementary therapies and psychiatric treatment
• Dental and optical treatment
• Treatment at home for intravenous therapies like chemotherapy