Difference Between Freedom Healthnet and Cash Plans

Health cash plans and private medical insurance both cover you for aspects of medical care but they are not the same. Freedom Healthnet is a traditional private health insurance company who put cash straight into your bank account should you become ill and in this they are unique in the field of medical insurance.

Cash plans are designed to cover everyday health bills. For example dentistry, opticians, osteopathy and chiropractic treatments. Some policies will also pay a cash sum if you need a hospital stay. Normally you pay for your treatments as normal and then your provider reimburses you.

HSA Cash Plans start from as little as £9.99. They have four levels of cover and their most comprehensive plan cover the following:

-Optical costs such as sight tests, prescribed glasses and contact lenses
-Dental costs including check-ups, investigations, x-rays and hygienist visits
-Chiropody assessments and treatments
-Complementary therapies such as physiotherapy, osteopathy, chiropractic, acupuncture and homeopathy treatments
-A total of 11 healthcare benefits including hospital in-patient
-Maternity benefit
-Allergy testing
-28 day European cover

The benefits of this cover, as with any insurance policy, is that it makes it easier for you to budget. You are paying in a regular sum each month. When you do have to go to the dentist you are not having to worry about a huge bill that needs to be paid all at once,

Private medical insurance on the other hand has a larger scope of cover. It pays for medical treatments, including operations and hospital stays. Depending on the level of cover you take, some treatments covered by cash plans are also included, for example acupuncture, osteopathy and physiotherapy. Usually however dentistry and opticians fees are not included. The only time that traditional health insurance companies pay out cash is when you have a baby. Health Insurance News UK looked at medical cover and pregnancy and found that some companies offer a £100 cash lump sum if you have insurance with them. However you do need to have had your policy for anything up to 18 months.

The traditional way is for health insurance companies to pay the providers of your medical care directly. However, Freedom Healthnet is different. They provide cover in the same way as other medical insurance companies but instead of paying consultants and hospitals directly for your treatment they give you the cash instead. This means that you have a lot of choice. Most medical insurance providers supply you with a list of hospitals that you can choose from. With Freedom you can go to any establishment. Of course you can also go abroad for medical treatment, get excellent care cheaply and keep the remaining cash for yourself. Another plus point for Freedom Healthnet is by cutting out some of their administration costs they can offer cheap medical insurance premiums.

You can of course take out private medical insurance and a cash plan at the same time. This would be perfectly compatible and would provide you with maximum cover for both the unexpected health claims and your everyday medical bills.