The Cheapest Health Insurance

With many families still feeling the pinch of the recession cheap health insurance is something that they are still interested in. In order to find good deals and quicly compare what is available the best way forward is to look on comparison sites such as comparethemarket.com or moneysupermarket.com.

Not all sites carry policies from all providers however so it is worth looking at all available comparison sites to see what there is. With moneysupermarket.com for example Freedom Healthnet provides the cheapest health insurance at £17.98 a month for a 40 year old, non-smoking, man living in Northampton to have Freedom Gold Inpatient medical insurance. Comparethemarket.com however does not use Freedom Healthnet at all.

The advantage of looking on comparison sites is that you can compare like for like policies quickly and easily. Health insurance policies are getting better but they are legal documents which can be quite complicated and detailed.

An alternative method when you are looking for cheap health insurance is to go online to each company and look at what they quote you. It is important to be honest at this stage when you answer questions online so that you get a realistic quotation. Private medical insurance companies will need to ask you several questions online so that they can give you an accurate quote:

• Your age
• Your sex
• Where you live
• Whether you smoke

Some companies also ask you about medical conditions you may have, for example, if you are diabetic. Looking online will enable you to look at each companies documents in order to assess what cover you might need.

The disadvantage of online quotes is that they cannot be totally accurate. On the whole they do not take account of your medical or family history for example, all of which will affect your cover.

Some companies, for example, Bupa, are unwilling to give online quotes as they say that talking to people individually is a better way to assess their needs and therefore to give them an accurate quote.

An alternative way of looking for cheap health insurance is to go to an independent advisor. However bare in mind that they take commission from health insurance companies for selling their policies. Additionally not all independent advisors will know about every policy.

Cheap Health Insurance

There are different ways to cut down on your health insurance costs. Companies offer several specific products which are more limited in their scope but which offer more affordable cover but another way to cut costs without loosing lots of cover is to look for the cheapest health insurance possible.

Freedom Healthnet Ltd offer a cheaper alternative to other health insurance companies. The data below shows a comparison of costs between Freedom and other well known insurers.

Comprehensive Private Medical Insurance
Age	Freedom Diamond Plus + All options	Standard Life Primecare Plus	BUPA BUPACARE	Norwich Union Solutions	PRU Health Comprehensive
30	£38.17	£85.83	£50.61	£51.62	£40.34
40	£52.24	£106.56	£63.54	£66.68	£53.69
50	£71.70	£137.19	£80.39	£84.58	£72.31
60	£106.18	£188.43	£113.07	£118.88	£105.96
Mid Range Private Medical Insurance
Age	Freedom Diamond Including outpatient cover	Standard Life Primecare Saver	Health On Line Essentials Mid Range	Pru Health Essential	AXA PPP Health Cover Plus	Secure Health Care Plus
30	£25.04	£57.76	£33.74	£41.66	£36.69	£47.72
40	£34.27	£72.26	£41.73	£54.08	£48.83	£56.90
50	£47.03	£95.52	£58.57	£69.05	£65.76	£70.94
60	£69.64	£144.14	£86.32	£97.63	£96.36	£101.87

Freedom is able to offer such cheap insurance because it works in a slightly different way to most medical insurance companies. When you make an outpatient claim Freedom pay you directly for the costs of your treatment. It is then up to you to arrange where and with whom you are treated. The joy of this scheme is that it enables you to stay with the NHS if you are happy with their waiting times and you are then free to use the insurance money is which ever way you please.

Another option is to seek cheaper treatment abroad. Health tourism is on the increase and many people combine their procedures with a recuperation holiday. If you are unwise to not seek treatment at all however and use the money for something else then Freedom Healthnet Ltd will not cover you again.

Another plus point of choosing this type of health insurance is that being a private patient with cash in your pocket enables you to shop around within the independent sector. Recent reports suggest that private medical establishments charge insurance companies more for treatments than they do their independent customers.

Young Ones Feel Older

There is a general importance placed on health prevention and wellbeing in the UK which is also reflected in the health insurance industry. A current survey by health insurer PruHealth however shows that there are differences in how people feel about their wellbeing depending on how old they are.

The survey showed that people between 20-30 feel older than they really are in comparison to over 40's who felt 11.5% younger than their actual age. PruHealth speculate that these differences could be attributed to the fact that younger people seem to lead more unhealthy lifestyles.

Shaun Matisonn, PruHealth CEO, said:

'While it’s wonderful to see that the older we get, the better we feel, the energy levels of those under 40 clearly needs more attention. This age group need to get more exercise – and more sleep – eat healthily and follow more active lifestyles to help boost their energy levels.

Finding time in your 30s to exercise and eat healthily can be especially difficult while you’re juggling a career and looking after a young family, but incorporating small steps in your daily routine, such as getting off the bus a stop early and snacking on fruit rather than crisps, can help make all the difference.'


Pruhealth focus on health and wellbeing as part of their private health insurance scheme. With Vitality they encourage you to increase your wellbeing by taking a variety of pro-active steps. They reward you with lower premiums if you take part in their scheme. Pruhealth insurance is expensive in relation to other cheap health insurance policies but it is comprehensive and their Vitality scheme has proved popular. The scheme is available to individuals as well as those with company health insurance.

Aviva have added a wellbeing element to their policies as well. They reward you with a 15% discount for healthy behaviour as part of their My Health Counts scheme.

Looking for Cancer Care

Cancer care and prevention are improving and the cancer statistics show that the survival rates in the NHS and the private medical insurance sector have improved a great deal even since the 1990's. Vast amounts of research on prevention and early detection have helped arrest cancer. Additionally there have been huge developments in drugs and treatments.

Of course the improvement of cancer services comes at a cost. Research and treatments are expensive. This affects not just the NHS but the private health insurance sector too. Some companies are concerned that treatment expectations are becoming so high that customers will not be willing to pay for the higher costs of premiums that will inevitably come. There is speculation that health insurance for cancer will become a thing of the past.

Most cancer cover only provides cover whilst there is a chance that you will survive the disease but will not cover palliative care.

Health insurance policies vary a lot, from the giant PruHealth which offers the most comprehensive cancer care policy through to providers such as Freedom Healthnet Ltd which offer cheap health insurance for cancer where you get to decide where and how you spend your insurance money.

Over the next few weeks we will be looking at different providers of cancer health insurance to see what they are offering in their policies. We will also be looking at the costs of different treatments if you choose to go privately and pay for your care up front. Finally we will be looking overall at the future for cancer care in this country and whether our high expectations can be met both by the NHS and the health insurance sector.

Female CEO for Freedom

As reported by Health Insurance News women at the top levels of business are still in the minority. Freedom Healthnet however has a woman, Nahid Salehi as its chief executive officer.

Nahid Salehi launched Freedom Healthnet's private medical insurance policies in 2003 with the aim of providing the best health insurance whilst still keeping costs down.

Freedom provide traditional health insurance cover but instead of paying for your treatment they pay you. And then you can do as you wish with the money.

'We give them the freedom to our clients to choose when and where they want to have treatment. They can go anywhere in the world,' said Ms Nahid.

Currently Freedom offer three levels of cover and are still providing one of the cheapest private medical insurance on the market. You arrange your own treatment which can be at home or abroad. Alternatively you can choose to be treated by the NHS and keep the money to use as you wish. Premium costs are kept low because their administration costs are low.

Aviva Reward Wellness

Aviva, formally Norwich Union, have launched MyHealthCounts, a health management service that encourages you to take pro-active steps to improve your lifestyle if you have a Health Solutions health insurance policy. The success of PruHealth's Vitality Scheme, which also rewards people for healthier lifestyles by giving them lower premiums, has probably influenced the development of Aviva's new scheme.

If you are looking for cheap health insurance it is worth considering as taking part in the wellness programme enables you to get up to a 15% discount on your next renewal premium. The new scheme offers the following features:

-Access to free health advice via a health coach who can advise and encourage you to look after yourself

-Your personal Q score which statistically compares your health risks to others who are the same age, gender and race as you. The Q score is based on weight, height, cholesterol level, resting heart rate, blood glucose. Lifestyle information is also taken into account, for example, whether you smoke and how often you exercise.

-Health Trackers - this looks at your data in the following area and aims at showing any improvements that you make. Some of the areas looked at are: Weight/BMI, Fitness, Smoking, Alcohol, Blood Pressure, Cholesterol, Heart Disease, Q Score

The new scheme is free and completely optional and is not affected by your no claims bonus. You can still be eligible for your discount even if you have to make a claim.

One interesting about this new scheme is that the information you give is not used to 'assess any claim you are currently making, or may make in the future.' This is very curious as medical insurance policies are always very keen to sniff out non-disclosure whether it is intentional or not. Non-disclosure can invalidate a claim and sometimes your whole policy.

Free Healthcare for Asylum Seekers?

The issue of health care for asylum seekers has been raised by the government who now plan to extend the conditions under which asylum seekers can have free NHS healthcare. Although some welcome this more inclusive move, others think it does not go far enough and others still think that all visitors to the UK should have health insurance before they enter the country to prevent abuse of the NHS.

The NHS is free at the point of use so if you turn up at a UK doctors or hospital you cannot be refused and must be treated for free although you are required to pay for your treatment at some point. European visitors with an EHIC card are entitled to free care but government guidelines require NHS trusts to charge non EEC visitors for their treatment. In 2004 un-recovered debts from foreign visitors were estimated at £30m.

At the moment those who are seeking asylum are also entitled to free NHS treatment. Once asylum has been declined then they are not. This is about to change however but for only some of those who have been denied asylum: the destitute, those who have children and those who are unable to return home. It is estimated that out of 450,000 asylum seekers in the UK, only 10-20,000 will benefit from the new rules.

Health Minister, Ms Ann Keen said:

'The Government has not been persuaded that this...should be extended to all those who's application has failed but have not yet left the country. It has however recognised the case for those whose claim has been refused but who are being supported by the UK Border Agency because they would otherwise be destitute, have children and/or because it is impossible to return home through no fault of their own.'

The UK has problems with 'health tourism' whereby people from other countries come to have treatment in the UK and then disappear without paying the bill. One of the solutions proposed to alleviate the cost burden on the NHS is to make it compulsory for people entering the country to have private medical insurance. This could be part of their travel insurance or taken as a separate international health insurance policy.

Ms Keen said:

'These changes will support a clearer and fairer system of access to free NHS services that will maintain the confidence of the public and prevent inappropriate access, while maintaining our commitment to human rights.'

It is likely that the restrictions of the recession and the high rate of public borrowing will force the government to take stricter measures to save money for the NHS. The new inclusive measures for rejected asylum seekers are not welcomed by everyone. According to the Telegraph, Sir Andrew Green, chairman of MigrationWatch, said the rules opened up the gates for others to come and use the NHS for free.

Ironically many British people take part in their own form of health tourism. They go abroad and use insurance money to pay for cheaper operations and procedures there and keep any cash savings they make.

Compensation for Asbestos Sufferers

Health insurance companies are being asked to help fund research into asbestos in an bid to alleviate sufferers symptoms. Many suffers who worked with asbestos in the 60's and 70's have already received compensation from the UK government who set up a scheme to help in 1979. Many of these individuals did not claim on their insurance.

Since October last year the government have been reclaiming any insurance payouts that victims have received. Before this date however the medical insurance got to keep the monies they would otherwise have to have paid out. The Daily Mirror have launched a campaign to put pressure on the insurance companies to donate some of the saved money to help asbestos sufferers.

According to some sources private medical insurance companies have saved £14 million over the last ten years and this is what the Daily Mirror Campaign wants them to donate. According to the Institute of British Insurers this is not the case as they would have used projected compensation figures in their calculations of premiums.

The Daily Mirror campaign is using recent positive business figures from some insurance companies to add weight to their argument:

Aviva - (Norwich Union) - operating profits of £2.3 billion. £875 million in dividends to shareholders

AXA - £1.2 billion profits last year. £835 million in dividends to shareholders.

Royal Sun Alliance - pre-tax profits of £759 million last year. £250 million in dividends to shareholders

Zurich - £3.5 billion profits last year earning. £913 million to shareholders

Tony Whitston, of the Asbestos Victims Support Group Forum, said:

'The insurance industry saved millions of pounds in compensation that was instead paid by taxpayers. They should do the decent thing and donate this money to researching ways to help future victims of the asbestos timebomb.'

It is expected that asbestos compensation claims will not stop until 2030 as the last type of dangerous asbestos was not banned until 1985.

It remains to be seen if the private medical insurance market will respond further to this call for help. It will also be interesting to see if individuals who have received compensation will be claiming on their insurance if they know that any monies will be reclaimed by the government.

Reading the Small Print

Health insurance policies come in all shapes, sizes and price brackets but one of the most important things to look at is the small print. Here is where you will find out the details of what your policy does and does not offer. When you are shopping for medical insurance ask to see the actual policy documents that govern the insurance you are interested in and then compare it to other policies.

Most policy documents are also available on-line which makes it easy for you to have a good look at them before making any decisions.

Here is a list of things to look out for:

What am I covered for?
Up to what cost level am I covered and will it be enough?
Some policies will pay for unlimited treatment costs and in-patient costs others have restrictions. Its worth researching what typical treatment costs are for certain types of conditions and assessing whether you think the insurance you are considering would offer you the right amount of cover. Here are some examples of the differences between what companies offer:

Tesco: No annual maximum for specialist's fees, inpatient consultations, surgical procedures, radiotherapy and CT, MRI and PET scans will be paid in full as long as they are in their Directory of Hospitals.

Norwich Union Healthcare: They are similar with no maximum on fees, consultations and procedures however they only allow a maximum of £250 per night for hospital inpatient stays and £200 for outpatient visits.

PruHealth: They have a £600 limit on outpatient care in their Core Level plan for specialist consultations, chiropractors and osteopaths combined. Other policies often treat 'complementary' treatments as a separate set of treatments.

Children on Your Policy?
Will you be covered to stay overnight in hospital with them? Some medical insurance companies cover parent's overnight stay.

Where do you want to go for treatment?
Different policies offer different options. Most health insurance companies have a list of hospitals that you can choose from and to be covered for treatment you have to go to one of those hospitals. It is worth looking at the hospital lists that are provided so that you can be sure that you will be treated at a hospital which you are happy with. Currently Bupa offer the largest choice of hospitals with over 400 accredited ones on their list.

What am I not covered for?
No insurance company will cover you for a pre-existing condition however some private medical insurance companies will take any previous symptom that is remotely related to any new condition and use this as a reason not to pay-out on your policy. It is important to read the small print as it could be very distressing to have paid out on premiums only to discover that what you thought would definitely be covered is not.

Psychiatric treatment is often not covered, or sometimes covered within an additional add-on package. Bupa, for example in their Bupa Healthcare Select 1 do offer psychiatric care on a 'discretionary basis' but not within the first two years of being with them. In other words cover is conditional and ambiguous.

Most health insurers will have a set of standard exclusions in addition to their own list of exclusions which you will need to familiarise yourself with.

Private Health Insurance Overcharged?

Consumers are likely to be outraged by the current news that some medical establishments may be charging health insurance companies up to 50% more for treatments than they do private individuals. Ultimately what consumers will ask is whether premiums could be cheaper if health insurance companies were being offered the same deals as independent self-pay patients?

An article in the Daily Mail last week revealed that one patient was sent two bills by accident. One bill was sent to them as an individual for an MRI scan for £477 and another one which charged them £720 for the same treatment as a private health insurance patient. On the last invoice they were asked to ignore the first invoice 'as we were unaware patient was insured'.

Industry experts argue that over-cutting costs will ultimately lead to an unsustainable business model and will decrease the quality of care and that most people who use private medicine do so via either individual or corporate health cover. This means that companies can afford to offer independent individuals reduced treatment costs particularly if business is slow. So, it could just be a case of self-payers having been offered particularly silly reductions rather than medical insurance clients being ripped off.

However, Steve Broker from Consumer Focus said, 'This seems a clear case of double standards. Any additional costs have to be justified and should be made clear to the patient.'

The chief executive of the patient's health insurance company WPA, Julian Stainton said, 'In fact, and in law, every patient receiving treatment in the private sector is a self-pay patient.

'The legal position is that prices should be fair, displayed, clear and readily understood; they are not. The public has every right to expect at least as much consumer protection buying healthcare as when they buy any other goods or services.'

With some less traditional health insurance policies you can get the best of both worlds. Freedom Healthnet Ltd offers a cash payment for your in-patient treatments should you fall ill. This means that you have all the security of private health insurance and also the buying power of an independant self-payer. You take the cash and you make the choice of where, when and even if you pay for your treatments. You can choose to use the NHS and keep the cash if your treatment time is reasonable. Freedom can offer cheap health insurance because you take on the responsibility of choosing, arranging and paying for your healthcare so their administrative costs stay lower.

HealthFund also offer an alternative private health insurance. As part of their policy they have introduced a savings fund where you can withdraw money and spend it on health care in anyway that you choose, including treatments such as plastic surgery which is usually prohibited under normal insurance policies.

Drop in Health Insurance Spending

A recent report has indicated that consumer spending on private medicine is down for the first time in 20 years. This obviously has implications for medical insurance companies but if you are planning to take out health cover we may see strong competition in the near future from companies vying for your business.

The report by health analysts, Laing and Buisson, found that in 2007, £345 million was spent by patients on operations and treatments compared to 2006 where spending was £374 million: a fall of 7.8 per cent. The figures did not include cosmetic surgery figures and when taking into account inflation the drop represents just over a 10% fall in spending.

The change in consumer spending is said to be triggered by two things. Firstly NHS waiting times have reduced.

The Telegragh reported that Ben Bradshaw, the Health Minister said, 'It is a mark of the faith that people now have in the NHS that 10 per cent fewer patients chose to pay out of their own pockets to go private last year - the first fall for 20 years.

'These figures show that patients are voting with their feet. More and more people are turning their backs on paying out of their own pockets for private health care because they now trust the NHS to treat them quickly, effectively and comfortably.'

The Laing report also pinpointed the economic recession as another reason why people were turning their backs on private health insurance and predicted that spending figures would drop further.

'Economic prosperity and business / consumer confidence in the past has driven demand for private medical insurance.

'A strong and predictable business environment and high employment in particular has corresponded with solid corporate demand for health and care cover.'

The current economic climate is creating conditions where people either cannot afford medical cover or feel that they cannot. The report says,

'The recession leads to a sizeable fall in demand for private medical insurance, as employers and individuals feel the pinch, and the economy takes time to pick up again.'

Health Insurance News UK has provided many articles on the best way to secure good quality, cheap health insurance and find ways to cut down on costs by being able to compare medical insurance cover and pick the policy that best suits you and your families needs. We will wait and see how the health insurance companies respond to the drops in health care spending.

Co-Payment for Health Insurance

Health Insurance News UK has previously outlined many ways of getting cheap health insurance. Co-payment, or shared responsibility as it is also known, is another option for those seeking to keep their monthly premiums down.

With co-payment plans you pay a percentage of treatment costs as and when you fall ill. The more you agree to pay, the lower your premium is set. Most co-payment plans offer a choice of how much you pay typically 25% or 50%

The Exeter Friendly Society offers a policy called Shared Care. This has a range of care benefits with cover in hospitals in the European Economic Area. You can contribute either 10%, 25% or 50% towards your treatment costs and reduce your premiums. You also have a range of levels of cover available to you.

WPA offer a Shared Responsibility Scheme where you pay 25% of any claim unless your 25% comes to over £1,000 in which case WPA will pay for the remaining amount. Once you have paid £1,000 in any one year then you will not have to pay for any more treatment.

Criticism has been levelled at co-pay schemes with the suggestion that people may be less likely to seek help with medical problems if they are concerned with having to pay out lump-sums. From an insurers point of view it has been suggested that co-payment dissuades people from making minor claims for issues that can quickly be cleared up with the NHS. Financially, this is great for the insurer and, long-term, it ultimately helps to keep premiums down.

An alternative to co-payment are medical insurance policies with large excesses. The disadvantage of these is that with co-payment you can benefit even when your claims are small.

Types of Health Cover

There are three main types of insurance which protect you against the ill health: critical illness cover, medical health insurance and long-term care insurance.

Critical Illness Cover
This is an insurance policy which pays out a tax-free lump sum should the policyholder be diagnosed with one of the critical illnesses in the policy. Each policy varies in the number of conditions it covers. However all policies will cover heart attack, cancer and strokes. Amongst other conditions which may be covered are:

Coronary artery by-pass surgery
Alzheimer's disease
Blindness
Deafness
Kidney failure
Organ transplant
Multiple sclerosis
Parkinson's Disease
Terminal illness

There will be conditions within each type of illness or condition too. For example Parkinson's will only be covered if the symptoms of it are not permanent. The same applies to cover for Multiple Sclerosis where there are often periods of remission.

Critical illness cover is sold separately but also often in conjunction with life and mortgage life insurance and costs vary depending on your sex, age, lifestyle, occupation, whether you are a smoker and your personal and family medical history.

The payout is designed to take away the financial burden of a critical illness for example any loss of earnings from not being able to work.


The Association of British Insurers (ABI) has published a handy guide to help you if you are looking for this type of cover: A Guide To Critical Illness Cover.


Long-Term Care Insurance


This covers people when they need long term care because they are unable to perform the basic activities of daily living (ADL's), for example: bathing, dressing, toileting, eating, continence, getting in and out of a bed or chair and walking.

60% of people over 65 will need some kind of long-term care within their lifetimes however 40% of people who get long term care are between 18 and 64.

With long-term care insurance you are covered for your care either at home, or in a residential or nursing home. There are three ways to fund this:

Immediate:
You pay a lump sum which entitles you to care straightaway and ensures you have care for as long as you need it

Regular premiums
You pay regular premiums or a lump sum to cover you for future long term care.

Equity Release Plans
Equity release allows you to exchange some of the equity in a house to pay for long term care premiums. This may be useful for those who have no mortgage and a low income level.

As with all insurance the cost of cover depends on your age, sex and state of health at the time you take out your policy. Generally however, State provision for long term care is considered skant so it may be a worthwhile investment.

The Association of British Insurers (ABI) has published a handy guide to help you if you are looking for this type of cover: A Guide To Long Term Care Insurance.


Private Medical Insurance


Private medical insurance covers people for their medical care during periods of acute illness.

Although the NHS provides free treatment for all citizens some people prefer to use private medical insurance. Private care can generally be delivered quicker and people also consider that private hospitals are cleaner and offer a higher standard of comfort to patients.

Payment for private health insurance is via monthly or one-off yearly premiums and cost is dependent on a range of factors including age, sex, general health and whether the customer smokes.

Costs for medical cover vary and usually the private medical insurance company pays the healthcare provider directly. However less expensive health insurance is available via Freedom, a cheap health insurance plan which gives you cash and allows you to choose your own outpatient care.

The Association of British Insurers (ABI) has published a handy guide to help you if you are looking for this type of cover: Are You Buying Private Medical Insurance?

Product Focus: Freedom Healthnet

Health Insurance News UK provides you with up to date health insurance news including information on the cheapest health insurance available. Today we will be focusing on Freedom Healthnet (who consistently come up on searches as cheap medical insurance providers) and looking at their best medical insurance policy, Diamond Plus Comprehensive Medical Insurance.

The most interesting aspect off all Freedom's medical insurance policies is that they offer you cash and instead of paying for inpatient treatments themselves, you arrange to pay for your own treatment. With this cash you have more freedom to choose:

Choose exactly where you have treatment (this could include overseas),
Choose who performs the procedures
Choose to be treated by alternative therapists
Choose to stay with the NHS and keep the cash
Choose a time of your convenience
Choose to barter over the cost of your treatment

The Diamond Plus Comprehensive Medical Insurance is Freedom's top product.

In-Patient Annual Benefit
There is no annual benefit limit with this policy. So no matter how often you need to be seen, you will be covered. The policy covers you for:

-hospital charges, nursing fees, medical expenses, ancillary charges and prescribed drugs and medicines
-CT scans, tests, X-rays and MRIs
-Oncology tests, drugs, consultants fees
-Pregnancy complications (after 11 months of cover)
-Physiotherapy

The cover also includes the use of a private ambulance should it be needed and parent accommodation for an insured dependent child until the age of 14. This is particularly important if you wish to travel to a better hospital which may not be near your home.

Out-Patient Cover
The same applies to out-patient cover: there is no annual limit. Outpatient treatments are normally settled directly to the hospital by Freedom. Things covered are:

-Specialist consultations and treatment fees
-X-rays, diagnostic tests and proceedures, pathology
-Radio and chemotherapy, CT scans, MRI
-Up to £500 of physiotherapy treatment

The Diamond Plus policy can be upgraded with a choice of three add-on options:

Choice 1: Alternative Therapies
-GP referrals to - physiotherapists (an additional £500 on top of your outpatient physiotherapy cover), osteopath, Chiropractor, Acupuncturist, Homeopath, Chiropodist/Podiatrist
-Your level of cover is £1,000 per policy year with up to a maximum of 6 referals from your GP

Choice 2: Psychiatric Care
-Full In-patient cover up to a maximum of £10,000 a year
-Outpatient cover £1,500 each policy year with an excess of £100 per claim

Choice 3: Rehabilitation Benefits
-Home Nursing - full cover for 28 days
-Recuperative Care - Up to £1,000 per claim
-Specialist second opinions - 1 per claim

There is a compulsory £100 excess per person per claim although you can increase your excess in order to reduce your monthly premiums.

Exclusions to the Policy
-Dental Treatment
-Accident and Emergeny
-Pregnancy and infertility
-Treatment for chronic conditions
-GP consultations
-Drug, solvent and alcohol abuse
-HIV/AIDS
-Cosmetic surgery

Examples of Costs
32 year old non-smoking man or woman - £33.52
42 year old non-smoking man or woman - £45.83
52 year old non-smoking man or woman - £63.70

These costs were taken from comparison site moneysupermarket.com and do not include the add-on options. They were the cheapest medical insurance policy prices when compared to others on the site.

Profit Share Private Medical Insurance

If you are a small to medium sized business keeping an eye on every penny is important but at the same time health insurance is an extrememely valuable resource for your employees and for your own productivity. However, if you get to the end of the year and find that the cost of what you have paid out in premiums is more than your employees have used it is understandable that you may be frustrated and feel that you have wasted your money.

PruHealth offers profit shares for small businesses by giving you 25% of the difference between the claims and the premiums you have paid. This is offset against the next year's premiums. In 2008 PruHealth's small group clients where able to renew their policies for only a 2% increase on the previous year. This may not sound like a good deal but actually amounts to a saving of 6% as premiums had increased from 2007 - 2008 in line with the rest of the industry.

This profit share offer means that if your claims are low you do not feel that you are wasting your money and what you pay is a fairer reflection of the claims made. It also means that you could save the time and inconvenience of shopping around for a better deal. However, the medical health insurance market is very competitive and therefore it is always worth taking a look at the best medical insurance policy for you and your employees. Using a reputable broker will save you time and provide you with the best overall cover.

People Happier with NHS

According to the latest British Social Attitudes report people have never been happier with the NHS. So what does this mean for the medical health insurance business? Does it mean that the consumer is less likely to take out private health insurance? And are there options which combine NHS care with private health care?

The report, conducted by the National Centre for Social Research, found that people are the happiest they have been with the NHS since 1984. When asked the question: And how satisfied or dissatisfied are you with the NHS as regards being in hospital as an in-patient? 46% answered that they were either 'very' satisfied or 'quite' satisfied. The similar levels of satisfaction applied to people's experience of the care of children and young people in the NHS.

However, even though there is a higher level of satisfaction this still means that there is a high proportion of people who are not happy. 18% of people surveyed said they were either 'quite' dissatisfied or 'very' dissatisfied with the NHS. It is interesting to note that this figure is close to the 12% of Britons who have private medical insurance.

The ABI has reported that they are not seeing a decrease in the number of people taking out medical insurance but that they are seeing people reducing the level of their cover. This appears to be related to the current economic situation rather than any other factor. Additionally recent survey's by BUPA show that the main reason people turn to the private health insurance sector is that they have concerns over NHS levels of cleanliness and the risk this poses of catching superbugs.

There are a couple of private health cover options available which capitalise on the improvements in the NHS:

The Six Week Option
This is where you only use your health insurance policy if you have to wait more than six weeks in the NHS. One of the reasons that people are happier with the NHS is that waiting lists have been cut down since 2004. The target set by the NHS is 18 weeks. However this is still a long time to wait if you are unwell and distressed. There are several companies that offer you a reduced premium if you are prepared to wait six weeks to see if you can be treated by the NHS in that time. Standard Life Healthcare for example, offers this in both of their EspritHealtcare plans and provide a 10% reduction in your premium if you take up this option.

Freedom Healthnet Ltd
Freedom offers an excellent alternative to traditional health insurance policies. They give you, in many cases, very cheap health insurance cover and in return you get paid in cash should you fall ill. This leaves you with a great amount of freedom. If you are perfectly happy to be treated on the NHS then you are free to use the cash for anything else that you choose.

Renew Your EHIC Card

Many British travellers now make sure they have a European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) when they travel. This card enables you to receive free or reduced cost medical treatment in all European Area Countries and Switzerland. However, some people do not realise that there is an expiry date on the card and that they need to apply to renew it.

According the direct.gov.co.uk currently 28 million UK citizens have an EHIC, but three million of these will have expired by the end of March 2009. Travel companies have reported that less and less people are taking out travel insurance in a bid to save the pennies and they are relying on their EHIC cards to pay cover them for ill health abroad.

Martin Lewis, consumer champion, says, 'Everyone travelling to Europe should ensure they've got an EHIC. It's a no-brainer. It's totally free, and entitles you to the same treatment in any EU or Swiss hospital as a local would get, at the same price. So if they would get free or discounted medical cover so do you.

It's not exactly arduous either. It only takes a couple of minutes to get one, or renew it if you're one of the worryingly large number of people who are letting old cards lapse - and it's hugely valuable free, added protection.

Though don't see it as an alternative to travel insurance, as it doesn't provide baggage cover, cancellation cover, and you may need to pay some costs, but it's a strong addition to it."

There are different rules that apply to each country however and it is important to check when you are travelling so that you are clear what you need to do if you fall ill abroad. Health Insurance News UK explains some of the pitfalls that you may experience.

The general rule is that it is better to have comprehensive travel insurance before you travel, however failing that the EHIC is essential and also useful even if you have travel insurance. Churchill, insist on policy holders having an EHIC card and as a benefit waive card holder’s excess.

Finally, it is possible to get health insurance abroad with some medical health insurance policies. For example, in the Standard Life, Prime Care Plus policy you will benefit from World Wide Travel cover for up to 90 days in any one year whether you are travelling for business or pleasure.

4 Ways to Cut Medical Insurance Costs

We are all looking to cut out outgoings at the moment as the cost of living has increased. At the same time it is good to think that we can still have the same standard of living and security that we have always enjoyed. When it comes to health cover there are five main areas where we can save money but still enjoy the best medical insurance.

1) The six week option
The private health market has schemes available that will pay for your treatment if you have to wait more than six weeks on the NHS. Standard Life Healthcare for example, offers this in both of their EspritHealtcare plans and provide a 10% reduction in your premium if you take up this option.

2) Excess
Most companies offer you reduced premiums if you pay a certain amount for each claim and the premiums will go down the greater the excess. Excesses can start from £100 and go up to £5,000. XS Health offers a comprehensive health insurance policy and there is a choice £1,500, £3,000 or £5,000 excess to pay. Premiums are as low as £55.83 a year and once your treatment costs get higher than your excess you have unlimited cover for a full year before you have to pay any more excess. This policy allows you to budget to your excess with the security that you will never need to pay more than this.

3) Specific policies
Policies that are very specific are often cheaper than general ones that are designed to cover a wide range of people and conditions. Examples of this are Retirement, students, Heart and Cancer, policies just for children. AXA PPP Healthcare has a policy for which is aimed at 65 and overs which just covers you for accidents and falls. If you fall into one of the categories that these specific policies cover then you may be able to obtain cheaper health insurance.

4) Choose the cheapest insurance
Recent price comparisons show that Freedom Healthnet are providing consistently cheap health insurance for a whole range of people both in the business and individual markets. Other than providing you with good value for money Freedom also give you the cash that you need for your treatments. This means that you can negotiate cheaper prices with private hospitals and keep any money that you have left over to spend as you please. So you could end up with money in your pocket.

Women Pay More For Health Insurance

Statistics show that our gender influences our health but does it influence what we pay for our private medical insurance?

According to the Association of British Medical Insurers (ABI) gender can affect the cost of medical insurance cover. From the 6th April 2008 there was a change to the Sex Discrimination Regulations which now specify under which conditions insurance companies are allowed to differentiate in pricing on the basis of biological sex. Differences based on sex must be based on 'relevant and accurate statistical data.' So what is this data and how does it affect pricing?

In June 2008 the ABI published a data bulletin outlining the number of claims made by women in comparison to men. Data was drawn from four private medical insurance companies: AXA PPP Healthcare, CIGNA Healthcare, Norwich Union Healthcare, PruHealth. The data shows that from the ages of 26 and 65 women the average cost of a claim on a health insurance policy is higher than a man's. In the 36-40 year old category women peak at a claim cost that is a staggering 80% higher then men's.

The ABI are keen to point out that the data they have published are averages and there are many factors which will affect people's premiums, including their medical records, lifestyle, location, social group, age, postcode, usage and no-claims discount.

So what is the impact of this on the cost of women's health insurance? Do women in the higher claiming category have to pay 80% more to get the same health cover as men?

An analysis of recent premiums shows that women do pay more in this age group but only with some health insurance companies. BUPA, Patient Choice, Standard Life, Norwich Union and BCWA do not give online quotes that differentiate on gender but Pru Health and AXA PPP Healthcare do. Here are a few examples taken from insurance comparison site gocompare.com. They are for mid-range policies for 41 year old people living in the south. These figures were collected on 23rd January 2009.

Pru Health
Men: £52.91
Women: £56.80

AXA PPP Healthcare
Men: £50.05
Women: £50.56

BUPA
Men & Women: £36.50

Patient Choice
Men & Women: £25.56

We cannot say from these figures that women are unhealthier than men just because their claims are more costly but what we can say is that on average if you are a woman between the ages of 26 and 65 it will pay you to shop around when looking for medical health insurance.

Singles More Unhealthy Than Marrieds?

Statistically speaking being single appears to increase your risk of ill health and unhappiness. So, when it comes to taking out health insurance does it mean that singles have to pay more for their cover?

Research conducted at Universities all over the world seems to point to the fact that married people do tend to be healthier and happier. Here is some of the evidence:

-'One of the most consistent observations in health research is that the married enjoy better health than those of other [relational] statuses.' Conclusion drawn by researchers at the University of Massachusets (1985)

-Unmarried people spend twice as much time as patients in hospitals as their
married peers and have lower activity levels. Verbrugge & Balaban (1989)

-Researchers have consistently found the highest rates of mental disorder among the divorced and separated, the lowest rates among the married and intermediate rates among the single and widowed. David Williams (1992)

It would follow that medical insurance for singles would be more expensive than for married couples. We looked at the top level health cover for Freedom Healthnet Ltd, Axa PPP Healthcare and Pru Health. Our case study was for a single men and women aged 41 and a couple of the same age. Both are non-smokers. The premiums show monthly payments. All figures were taken from each site's online quote systems on 23rd January 2009.

Freedom Healthnet Ltd: Comprehensive Cover
Couple: £82.62
Single Person (gender was not asked for online quote): £42.38

AXA PPP Healthcare: Ideal Choice Cover
Couple: £108.21
Single Woman: £56.91
Single Man: £51.30

Pru Health: Comprehensive Plan
Couple: £143.65
Single Woman: £74.37
Single Man: £69.28

Our research found that for 41 year olds what is most significant is whether you are male or female. If you are a single woman you will be paying between a 3.5%-5% higher premium than if you are married compared to a man who would be paying between 3.5%-5% less if they are married.

Freedom Healthnet Ltd does not differentiate between men and women on their online quotation system and provides the most cheap health insurance of the three health insurers for both couple and single status. If you become ill Freedom provides you with a cash lump sum which you then have the choice of spending with any provider in any country.