Where To Buy Medical Health Insurance?

Thousands of medical insurance policies are purchased every year but how do we decide who to go with? There are many policies available and it is highly recommended that you research the market well in order to purchase the right policy for you, your family or your business. But how do you know what is the best health insurance for you? It's not always a case of finding cheap health insurance but of seeing what you feel your needs are.

You could research the market yourself. This is an option if you have a lot of spare time and a real fondness for small print. The largest medical health insurance companies in this country are BUPA, Pru-Health, Norwich, AXA PPP, Standard Life and Norwich Union they each have several levels of cover that all provide different things.

Another alternative is to go to a price comparison site. There are several such as gocompare.com or moneysupermarket.com. They will compare the prices on a large range of health care policies after you input your details into their system. It's important to be aware that some major companies do not participate in these schemes, notably BUPA, AXA and Standard Life. These sites do however give you a good starting block and provide you with valuable information. From here you will need to review each of the policies suggested to make sure they will provide you with what you want in the future.

Another way to purchase insurance is through a broker. This is a common term and we all know what it means however recent regulations mean that the word 'broker' is no longer recognised and has been replaced by 'insurance intermediary'. A private health care insurance intermediary will have access and knowledge of a wide range of policies. They should also take the time to get to know you and your needs and match those to that of the policy which is the best fit for you, your family or your business. As a consumer you should be aware that a broker (sorry) works on a commission basis however this in no way should prevent them from doing their job properly or casue them to act in an unethical or unprofessional manner. Medibroker, a large UK medical insurance broker (sorry again), boasts that their 'aim is to be the consultant to our clients and never the salesman of any insurance company.' They also provide a very useful list of commonly asked questions which could be useful for people buying health cover for the first time.

The disadvantages of using an insurance intermediary is that they will not have access to all companies policies and it is also important to make sure that you are dealing with a competent and knowledgeable firm. Essential Healthcare, for example have one a whole host of industry awards and hold policies with the major health care providers. They also claim to be able to offer you up to 20% discounts if you purchase from them rather than direct with the provider.