Worried that long NHS waiting times for appointments and treatments will affect your job, and therefore your income?
If you become ill or have an injury then Private Health Insurance, also known as Private Medical Insurance, offers peace of mind that you can get medical assistance quickly, so your life or work needn’t grind to a halt.
It is designed to ensure that if something were to go wrong with you or your family’s health you have access to some of the best private healthcare available in the UK, covering the costs of surgery, consultancy fees, accommodation and nursing at a private hospital.
Private medical insurance is designed to work alongside not to replace all the services offered by the NHS and in all cases customers retain their right to use the NHS.
There are lots of different Private Health insurances to choose from and while basic policies cover essential treatments while more comprehensive policies may include, your choice of hospital, specialist therapies and complementary medicines such as acupuncture or chiropody. So it pays to talk to an adviser to ensure you get the best policy for your budget and health concerns.
Private medical insurance is designed to cover the cost of private medical treatment for ‘acute conditions’ that start after your policy begins. An acute condition is a disease, illness or injury that is likely to respond quickly to treatment that 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. Amongst other things, it offers cover for early diagnosis and treatment, paying for anything from physiotherapy on a sprained ankle to seeing a consultant about chronic back pain, from diagnostic tests to major heart surgery, or even the latest in chemotherapy treatments.
Private medical insurance is designed to work alongside not to replace all the services offered by the NHS and in all cases customers retain their right to use the NHS. Some policies may cover certain types of, or elements of, long-term treatment or treatment for chronic conditions, but this is not usually the main.
The price of private medical insurance isn’t fixed so you’ll pay more as you get older.
Knowing you’ve chosen the right protection solution is only achieved if you have received professional advice. There are many Protection providers and each has their own specialisations and exclusions which means policies taken out online or without independent advice are often not paid out.
Lightblue Online was set up to provide specialist help to people unsure how to go about choosing from the many Protection products available. For example, some private medical insurance policies require you to pay the all of the bills until the excess is reached whilst others require you to pay a percentage of any claim up to an agreed limit. So it’s important to make sure that if you’re buying a policy it’s the right one for you.
Our specialists will help you to navigate all the options to find the cover that is right for you and your family at an affordable rate.
If you’re unsure what you need then contact us either by phone on 01702 719625, by email at enquiries@lightblueonline.com or by using the contact me option by clicking here.
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Types of Health Insurance
Finding the right one out of many types of insurance could be very tricky. Here are the different types of health insurance suited for different needs and eligibilities:
Individual Health Insurance
Just for you, Individual Health Insurance, is where you pay a monthly sum to the insurer and it provides protection that covers the cost of essential medical treatments such as hospital care and surgery, eliminating the need to be placed on lengthy waiting lists.
Joint Health Insurance
Joint health insurance offers protection should either of you fall ill or need medical treatment. You pay a monthly sum to the insurer and it provides protection that covers the cost of your appointments and medical treatments whilst not subjecting you to lengthy waiting times.
Family Health Insurance
Family health insurance is a great way to protect the health of you and your children should any of you become ill and need medical treatment. You pay a monthly sum to the insurer and it provides the protection a family needs for essential medical treatments ensuring you receive appointments and treatments quickly.
Child Health Insurance
Child health insurance provides protection tailored for the needs of your children. You pay a monthly sum to the insurer and it provides protection should your children become ill or require medical treatment, providing it swiftly so that it doesn’t impact too much on their formative years.
Over 50s Health Insurance
*Send to Health Insurance page.
If you’re unsure what you need then contact us either by phone on 01702 719625, by email at enquiries@lightblueonline.com or by using the contact me option by clicking here.
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Private Health Insurance Options
As with all things the more options you choose the higher the price. Private Health Insurance is no different and different insurers load the options differently. It is therefore important to determine what you need and what you would like so we can find the best Private Health Insurance policy available to you in the market place. Below are some of those options.
Excess
Many policies charge an excess – the portion of any claim you must pay yourself.
If you a looking for more comprehensive cover, but still want to keep costs down, choose a Health Insurance policy which provides the larger range of cover but select a higher excess. Bear in mind that you could end up paying for treatment for a long time without ever reaching the excess level. If you go for this option make sure you budget each year for the excess so that you have the funds for any claims you may make.
Pre-existing Conditions
Insurers for the most part won’t cover you for pre-existing conditions but some conditions might be covered by some insurers.
In-patient and day-patient
Some of the cheaper policies will not cover you as:
a day patient – a patient who is admitted to a hospital or day patient unit because they need a period of medically supervised recovery but does not stay in a bed overnight.
an inpatient – a patient who is admitted to hospital and who stays in a bed overnight or longer, for medical reasons
Out-patient Cover
An outpatient is a patient who attends a hospital, consulting room, or outpatient clinic and is not admitted as a day patient or inpatient. Out-Patient cover is not a standard cover but can be obtained with limits as well as with full cover. Seeing as only around one in five referrals by GPs leads to hospital admissions, policies which don’t cover out-patient costs are likely to be much less usable than those that do.
Therapies Cover
Specialist and therapy such as physiotherapy and complementary therapy may be included in some policies.
Chronic conditions
Medical conditions which last a long time and often have no known cure, are largely excluded, although some policies cover their beginning stages. This means some treatments and specific drugs for cancer may be included but will usually attract a higher premium. Palliative care, care for patients who are suffering from serious long-term illnesses, is usually excluded.
Exclusive Drugs
Many policies also include exclusive drugs which are unlikely to be available on the NHS. There can be limits on cover for drug treatments.
Healthy Lifestyle
Some insurers will charge you less if you can prove you can stay in good health with regular exercise and healthy eating and regularly go to the gym regularly.
Hospital lists
The ability to choose which hospital you go to varies from insurer to insurer with many having different levels of access. A low cost option would be a limited national hospital network whereas the more hospitals to choose from increases the premiums. Check your nearest or specialist hospital is on the Insurer’s list.
If you’re unsure what you need then contact us either by phone on 01702 719625, by email at enquiries@lightblueonline.com or by using the contact me option by clicking here.
