Millions of people in the UK are covered by some form of private health insurance to cover private healthcare costs for when they fall ill. Why not join them today by signing up for private health insurance to cover the costs of your private medical care and give yourself peace of mind and an alternative to NHS long waiting times?
Private health insurance is available at a range of different levels of cover at various premiums designed to meet the needs of different customers. There are many private health insurance options available in the UK. Read on to find out more about the reasons to get private health insurance.
Much like other insurance, you’ll pay monthly or annual premiums – then, should you need private medical treatment, your provider will pay out for some or all of the costs, depending on your insurance policy.
Private medical insurance works as medical support when you need it most, from in-patient treatment to extra support for mental health, depending on your insurance policy. You can take out private health insurance for yourself, or as a joint policy to cover you and your partner’s or family’s private medical costs.
Avoid waiting lists and ensure you receive speedy treatment by paying a monthly subscription to a private health insurance company.
Who sells private health insurance?
The list of private health insurance companies in the UK includes:
- Aviva
- AXA PPP
- BUPA
- Saga
- Vitality
Private health insurance gives you access to:
- Private clinics and hospitals which are better equipped to offer personalised care
- Shorter waiting times
- Excellent doctor-to-patient ratios
- State-of-the-art medical equipment
- First class amenities
- Faster access to the best medical specialists
Private health insurance options
Read on to find out more about the various policy options available for the aforementioned Aviva; AXA PPP; BUPA; Saga; and Vitality.
Aviva
Aviva offers a comprehensive policy called ‘Healthier Solutions’, and a ‘Speedy Diagnostics’ policy.
Healthier Solutions – comes in “Limited” and “Full” tiers of cover. The main difference is that Limited lacks outpatient consultations, diagnostic tests, therapies, non-surgical treatment and outpatient mental health treatment, which come as standard with “Full” cover.
However, there are options to customize your policy using either as a starting point to increase or reduce the cover. Non-standard options, such as in-patient mental health cover, and alternative treatments and therapies, can also be added.
Speedy diagnostics – as the name suggests, this cover ends once a condition has been diagnosed. It pays for prompt access to tests, scans and hospital charges whilst a condition is being investigated.
AXA PPP
AXA PPP Healthcare is the second largest health insurer in the UK.
Its Personal Health Policy offers as standard inpatient treatment, including comprehensive cancer care, alongside outpatient surgery, tests, and scans.
You can tailor your policy to increase the range of outpatient cover available and other extras, as well as adding in a six week waiting period.
You can also reduce the cancer cover to ‘NHS Cancer Support’ to reduce the premium. With ‘NHS Cancer Support’, AXA doesn’t pay for your cancer treatment unless it’s for licensed cancer drugs that aren’t available through the NHS.
Bupa
The largest health insurer in the UK, Bupa runs a wide network of private hospitals as well as offering insurance.
You can choose between its “Treatment and Care” or its more expensive “Comprehensive” cover. The main difference between the two types of cover is that Comprehensive covers a wider range of outpatient tests and consultations than Treatment and Care.
One area in which Bupa stands out is in offering a month’s worth of treatment for mental health conditions as standard.
It is possible to further adjust cover levels and excess fees within the policy options.
This includes a choice between full cancer cover and the more restrictive “Cancer Cover Plus” which works specifically to cover required cancer treatment not available through the NHS.
Saga
Saga provides insurance exclusively to customers over 50 years of age.
Saga offers five plans, ranging from “Super” (the most comprehensive option) to “Saver” and “Support”, which are the most streamlined and only available by phone.
Super, Secure and Saver Plus all cover inpatient and outpatient surgery, chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and surgical cancer treatment, and scans and therapies, although there are variations between the three.
Super cover elements such as mental health treatment and dental injuries.
You can tailor and improve your policy so as to cover hypertension, add cash benefits for everyday health costs, and also extend the level of cancer cover so as to fund treatment of drugs not available on the NHS.
Vitality Health
Vitality is known for its Active Rewards Scheme, which rewards members for living healthily, for example, giving members points for logging healthy activities, such as walking or gym workouts, via activity tracking devices. The points earn members discounts on products and perks with partner companies.
Vitality’s health insurance policy, like most, provides full inpatient cover, cancer care and outpatient surgical procedures as standard, along with extras such as mental health support and home nursing.
It has limited standard outpatient cover (£500 a year) but the plan is highly customizable and more cover can be added, with a “full cover” option removing the cash limit.
You can choose a fixed excess to pay towards claims, which you can select as being payable per plan year or per claim (reducing the premium).
How to get private health insurance
Speak to a broker for advice on how to choose which private health insurance policy suits you best. Private health insurance is a complicated product so a broker make the process easier for you, especially if you have had medical problems or need specialist cover for certain illnesses.
You can find a broker that focuses on private health insurance by looking at the British Insurance Brokers’ Association (BIBA) website here, or the Association of Medical Insurers and Intermediaries (AMII) website here.
For same-day appointments with a private GP call MyHealthcare Clinic on 0207 099 5555 now. Visit our award-winning private GP London clinics in Wandsworth, Fulham, and Wimpole Street, Central London.
We can offer you a private GP services appointment on the same day you need one. Each of our appointments are 20 minutes long, allowing your doctor to listen, understand your symptoms properly, and take a detailed note of your medical history.
Our main focus is to ensure all of our patients get the best quality of care. Being a member of MyHealthcare Clinic is like having your personal doctor on speed dial. You will be able to see the same GP every time you visit for a health screening to make sure you are always with a doctor who knows you and understands your health status.