Being With Your Children In Hospital

There is nothing more distressing for parents than when their children are unwell, particularly if they need hospital treatment. For people with private medical health insurance this ordeal is made easier.

Many companies cover the parents to stay in hospital with their child. In the NHS facilities for parents are very limited and are usually only available in larger hospitals. They also tend to be funded by charitable organisations who recognise the need for parental care to continue when a child is in hospital.

Keeping a child happy in hospital is very important and having the security of a parent during an overnight stay can make a big difference to a child's well being.

With PruHealth each of their policies, Core, Essential and Comprehensive, covers accommodation for one parent to stay overnight with their child of 12 and under. Bupa is similar, with accommodation for one parent available as long as the child is 11 and under . AXA PPP have the same cut-off age as Bupa.

Norwich Union Healthcare have a more restrictive policy and offer free accommodation for one parent if the child who is staying in hospital is under nine years of age.

Most medical insurance policies will cover children in with their parents and some, like Norwich Union Healthcare, who include newborns free for three months, will you offer you family deals to encourage you to buy from them.

There are some health insurance policies just for children, for example, AXA PPP who provide First Healthcare.

'First Healthcare is for people who may not be able to afford private health care cover for their whole family but who want to make sure their children are covered. It will give parents peace of mind knowing that their children can be seen promptly as a private patient,' said Geoff Salter, AXA PPP healthcare head of product management.