Consumers Report Confusion When Purchasing Private Medical Insurance

What we as consumers are looking for is simply the best medical insurance that we can afford. It sounds very simple but is it easy to achieve?

The private medical insurance market is huge. There are many companies offering us various levels of cover and there are many different ways in which we can make our purchases. Recent evidence suggests that the process of searching and finding the right policy is far from straightforward for the average consumer.

Recently CS Healthcare conducted a survey of 1,000 UK adults who currently have private medical insurance. 60% of them said that they had been moderately or really confused when buying health cover. The main reason given for this was that there were so many products available. 36% of respondents said that they in fact purchased from the first provider they came across (a great incentive for companies to invest in high visibility marketing!)

More disturbingly 70% of respondents said they would think twice about claiming off their policy if it meant losing their No Claims Discount. Medical insurance is designed to cover people in times of ill health but this evidence suggests that worrying about increases in premiums is deterring them from seeking appropriate care.

CS Healthcare is a health insurance specialist for those who work or have worked for the civil service, the public sector, charitable or not-for-profit organisations.