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Health insurance

There are times when we all need a trip to the doctor or even the hospital. And don't forget that to prevent health problems we often need regular care, like visits to the dentist or the opticians to check everything's ok

From special dental or optical policies, to private medical insurance, there's lots of different types of health insurance. There are even plans around which pay out money to cover your household bills if you are hospitalised and can't work.

• Private medical insurance
• Cash plans
• Dental plans

Private medical insurance
Private medical insurance pays for private healthcare within set limits. It's for covering unexpected and curable health problems, rather than if you have a chronic (long-term) illness, and is beneficial if you are not happy to rely on the NHS.

Key pros and cons of private medical insurance

Pros

• Could be useful if you don't want to rely on the NHS or want to choose exactly when and where you are treated
• It may be good if you want better facilities, you'll often get a private room
• If you want to go private even a minor operation can cost upwards of £2,500 - so private medical care is often the only way most people can afford it

Cons

• Private medical insurance can be expensive, and the older you get, the more expensive it often is
• There are limits as to what it covers and pays out, so in some cases you still might have to pay some costs

Things to consider when taking out private medical cover:

• Which hospitals can you be treated in? Do you have to pay extra for a particular hospital?
• What's the excess for different types of claims?
• Are you covered for just operations, or as an outpatient too?
• Are you covered for medicines when you're an outpatient?
• What is the maximum for different types of claim and is there a maximum number of times you can claim for the same thing?
• Are your children covered? If so, up to what age?
• Does the policy cover alternative or complementary medicines?
• How long do you need to have the policy before you can make a claim?

What are you not covered for? Most policies don't include:

• Paying for tests when you are an outpatient
• Dental cover or optical cover
• Pregnancy related medical conditions
• Pre-existing conditions

Making a claim
For information on making a claim visit our making a claim section.

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