Top Medical Health Insurance Providers

In the UK there are hundreds of health insurance policies. The data below shows you the proportion of the health care market that each of the major private health insurance companies currently hold.

1. 42% Bupa


2. 24.5% AXA PPP Healthcare


3. 10% Norwich Union Healthcare


4. 7.5% Standard Life Healthcare


5. 3% WPA


6. 2% PruHealth


7. 8% Other

The advise is if you want to find the best health insurance for you, your family or your company, that you do your research. Initially look at several companies and familiarise yourself with their policies. If you get in touch with an intermediary they will be in the best position to help you compare health insurance policies in order to find the best policy for you.

Alternatively, if cost is a very important issue for you then comparison websites such as moneysupermarket.com will also help you to find cheap health insurance that does not compromise on quality.

What's Not Covered in Private Medical Insurance?

It's important to be aware of what is not covered when you are investigating private medical insurance. People are often surprised, when they become ill or want to have a procedure done, that their provider does not cover their particular ailment.

Here is a list of specific things which general policies will not cover:

Pre-existing conditions
Long term or chronic conditions
HIV/AIDS related conditions
Pregnancy and childbirth
Infertility treatment
Routine medical check-ups
Surgical or medical appliances
GP charges
Alcoholism or alcohol abuse
Solvent abuse
Addictive conditions
Psychiatric or mental illness
Kidney dialysis
Out-patient drugs and dressings
Professional sports injuries
Experimental treatment
Treatments that have not been referred by a GP
Self-inflicted injury
Treatment required as a result of terrorism, criminal activity or war
Cosmetic treatments/surgery
Emergency treatment
Ambulance cover
Organ transplants
Treatment for obesity
Refractive eye surgery and optometry

Most policies exclude the above conditions however there are add-on packages which include levels of psychiatric cover and some companies provide some health cover for complications of pregnancy and childbirth after you have held a policy for a period of time with a health insurer.

Policies vary, for example, Bupa's Select Heart and Cancer Policy covers organ transplants.

What is important is to read policy documents to find out exactly what is and isn't covered when you compare health insurance policies.

Ten Questions to Ask About Private Medical Insurance

Seeking the help of an Independent Financial Advisor (IFA) when looking for medical insurance is a good idea. Unbiased.co.uk is a good place to go to look for local advisers that specialise in health cover. An IFA has a large knowledge base and is best placed to compare health insurance policies on your behalf and find the best ones for you. Here are a list of important things that you need to ask your advisor about the policies that they suggest:

1) What is covered in the policy?

2) What is not covered in the policy?

3) What level of cover do I need at the moment and is it something I can afford?

4) Is it possible to negotiate a reduction in price?

5) Are my children covered in this policy?

6) Is the policy fully underwritten or a is it a moratorium policy?

7) Are there any additional benefits to this policy?

8) Is there a voluntary or imposed excess to pay? If so, are there different levels of it?

9) Does the policy have a no-claims discount built in?

10) How much commission will you get for selling this policy to me?

A good IFA will offer you impartial advise on the best health insurance policies for you, they should not be swayed by sales incentives from the private health insurance companies. However, every policy is different and there can be specific things that you want to have included that you may think are standard on policies. It is very important to check the full policy documents (rather than the more general advertising type materials that you may be given initially) yourself.

The advise is to go away, armed with your information and advise and look through the policy documents of the policies that most appeal to you in order to come to an informed decision. Its far better to take this time out now than discover later on that you are not covered for something that you assumed you would be insured for.

EU Members: Travel for Treatment

Private health insurance providers have been advised to take into account the desire of UK patients who want to travel abroad to access treatment. Last month Health Insurance News UK outlined the increased trade in health tourism but this new directive from the European Commission is specifically for those who wish to travel to Europe to seek treatment.

The directive applies to all provision of medical health care: 'regardless of how it is organised, delivered and financed or whether it is public or private.'

Baroness Howarth, chair of the House of Lords EU Sub-Committee on Social Policy and Consumer Affairs, says: 'We are pleased that the European Commission is proposing to give patients across the EU clear guidance on their right to cross-border healthcare. The current ad hoc arrangements are unsatisfactory and clear new rules are essential.'

'Most patients will still want to be treated locally but everyone will at least have the opportunity to seek healthcare abroad, and to do so in possession of detailed information on what they can expect at each stage of the process. We don't know yet what impact the Directive will have on the numbers of patients wanting to travel to and from the UK for treatment.'

The Association of British Insurers (ABI) said that it considered the main purpose of the directive would relate to state provided healthcare and was concerned about the possible increases in premiums that would have to be passed on to customers should these proposals become compulsory.

It remains to be seen how any new directives will affect medical insurance companies. However, for Freedom Healthnet Ltd it will not present any problems. They currently provide their customers with cash when they need in-patient treatment. Their insurance money is deposited into their bank accounts and they can use this money to have treatment abroad if they wish. If you compare health insurance policies Freedom do not just provide this flexibility but they also offer cheap medical insurance.

Alcohol Increases Women's Risk of Cancer

Last week findings from the latest alcohol study were released and suggested that women's risk of cancer is significantly increased by drinking alcohol. Private medical insurance companies are aware of the health risks related to alcohol consumption and adjust their premiums accordingly.

Oxford University researchers found that by drinking as little as one small glass of alcohol a day a woman can increase her risk of developing cancer by as much as 6%. This represents 7,000 cases a year with the greatest risk being breast cancer. Other linked cancers were rectal, liver, throat and mouth. The study followed one million women over seven years.

The risks of too much alcohol consumption have been well documented. Sara Hiom, director of health information at Cancer Research UK, said: "We know that too much alcohol increases the risk of a number of cancers. This latest study shows that even relatively low levels of drinking increase a woman's risk. It is important that women are as well informed as possible so they can take responsible decisions over how much alcohol they drink.'

Previous research has shown more positive links between alcohol and health. In some small studies red wine has shown some protection against prostrate cancer although other studies have contradicted this. Also drinking small amounts of alcohol has been found to protect against heart disease in men and women over 40. Conversely heavy drinking will increase the risk of heart disease by a large percentage.

Overall, alcohol consumption has more negative health links than positive and it is the middle classes who are at greater risk. Recent studies showed that middle class people are more likely to be heavy drinkers (exceeding the safe alcohol limit by double) when compared to working class people. This has implications for health insurance as most people who have medical cover are from middle class backgrounds.

Misuse of alcohol is thought to cost the economy £25bn a year and there are 811,000 hospital admissions a year that are linked to drinking.

Some private health insurance companies will not cover any health matters that are linked to alcohol misuse and may not cover individuals with a history of alcohol abuse at all. If you compare health insurance policies you find that BUPA do provide cover for alcohol related symptoms in their more expensive policies under the psychiatric conditions. And AXA PPP do not cover it for individuals but do in 'group' policies. The FSA ruled that it is not necessary for private health insurance companies to include alcohol related illness as part of their exclusions therefore it is important to read the small print because what that means is that even if it is not explicitly ruled out it does not mean that you will get treatment.

So what are the government recommended alcohol limits?

Men: no more than 3 or 4 units
Women: no more than 2 or 3 units

The NHS has a useful website which explores safe limits and gives advise on safe drinking as well providing a unit calculator which helps you work out how many units in typical drink measures.

In conclusion, what is clear is that alcohol is linked to many health risks and social problems. Alcohol consumption appears to be on the increase, particularly amongst the young which makes the current statistics even more alarming. Sticking to the current medical guidelines seems to be the most sensible option for now.

Who do Intermediaries Work For?

Who does your broker work for, you or the medical insurance company? Some brokers deal with just one company or a small group of companies and others can offer you a whole range of products. People usually go with an 'intermediary' (the official word for broker) because they should have a wide range of product knowledge and are able to compare health insurance policies across the board and find the best policy for you and your family and business. So why does it matter who your broker works for?

If there is ever a dispute between you and your medical health insurance provider then it might become very important for you to know whether the intermediary was acting for you or for the health insurance company. In cases of non-disclosure it becomes particularly relevant.

Recent industry guidelines promoted by the Association of British Insurers (ABI) encourages providers to treat customers fairly. Whereas in the past an inaccuracy in your initial forms may invalidate your claim completely now the onus also falls on the medical insurance company to make sure that there have been no misunderstandings.

It's a little bit like Chinese Whispers - the more people involved in the chain (you, the insurance company and the broker) the more likely it is that there could be a misrepresentation or misunderstanding of the facts. In the case of a claim rejection it becomes very important to know who said what to whom. For example, if the broker is representing the company and they misinterpreted something you said when they took your details then the onus is on the company to deal with you fairly as it is not your fault that you gave the wrong information.

The Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS) provides information on what you can do in disputed cases and can get involved and have the right to get a company to reinstate a policy and pay claims . They state that,

'If the “intermediary” firm was acting – technically speaking – on behalf of the insurance company, then the insurance company cannot claim that information you gave to the “intermediary” wasn’t properly disclosed.'

Intermediaries usually make money by taking a percentage commission based on the premium the health insurance company charges for its policies. Companies are offered incentives and rewards to sell as many policies as possible. PruHealth, for example, offers Broker Vitality Rewards which include hospitality events, training courses and advertising support.

Pay Upfront or Pay Monthly?

There are two ways of paying for private medical insurance: either by purchasing a private health care plan or by just paying for it as and when you need it. But which is best?

For some people paying for treatment as and when the need arises is not a problem. This applies to people who either have a very high income or a good degree of capital. This is not the majority of people. Statistics show that most people who use private health insurance are either part of a corporate scheme or are individuals and families who pay monthly premiums.

For most people then, paying regular medical insurance premiums is a way to cover themselves should they ever become ill. However there are disadvantages to this:

-You may never become ill and therefore will have paid out on premiums without ever having used the private health cover
-You may already have illnesses which will not be covered by your medical insurance provider
-There are many exclusions to health insurance policies, particularly if you are only paying for basic coer

An alternative is to save up and put money to one side to pay for treatment should you need it. However, recent evidence from the Association of British insurers reports that British people are loosing confidence in the benefits of saving. The research conducted by YouGov showed that Nearly three-quarters (73%) of consumers felt that the benefits of saving had fallen over the last year, compared to just over half (53%) in the third quarter.

One of the reasons people may not consider saving for ill health is that they do not consider what the costs of possible treatments might be. Below is a selection of operation costs taken from the website of Spire Murrayfield in Edinburgh:

Hip Replacement: £8,200 - £10,300
Cataract Removal £1,900 - £3,250
Haemorrhoids £1,575 - £3,075
Hernia £1,650 - £3,800
Breast Lump Removal £1,530 - £2,500
Carpal Tunnel Release £1,000 - £2,100

An advantage of upfront cash payments is being able to negotiate on price with hospitals and private clinics, something that is not possible if you have private medical insurance.

There is a company which gives you cash should you fall ill and allows you to choose where and how you spend it and again here you also have the option to barter on your treatment costs. Freedom Healthnet Ltd gives traditional cover but delivers cash straight into your bank account should you fall ill. If you compare health insurance premiums on the market you will find that they provide very cheap medical insurance across the board.

A compromise between saving and paying a high cost for medical insurance premiums could be to take out an inexpensive policy where your excess is very high. All you need to do here is make sure that you have the excess available. This type of policy is available from 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.

Private Medical Insurance For Mental Health

Mental health still comes with stigma attached . Compared to other sides of medicine it is an area which is underfunded and little researched. Although it has been suggested that at any one time one in ten British people will be suffering from a mental health problem it is something that is not often talked about. But what about when you are taking out a private health care policy? Is this something you take into account? Unless they have experience a close family member with mental health issues most people never consider that it might be something that they could be at risk from.

Private medical insurance does cover some aspects of mental health. As with all health concerns you will not be covered for any pre-existing condition. So if you are already suffering from a mental health condition you will not be able to get a policy which covers you for treatment. Mental health issues are often long term which then creates problems when seeking medical health insurance as policies are designed to cover only 'acute' conditions.

So what is covered and how can we compare health insurance policies when it comes to mental health?

Some companies exclude mental health care completely from all their policies. For example Norwich Union (soon to be AVIVA) do not cover mental health and do not provide psychiatric services. Most companies will provide cover but only in their more expensive policies and then sometimes as an optional element.

PruHealth provide in-patient cover in their Comprehensive Plan but only for 45 days per year of cover. They do however provide full out-patient care in this plan and restricted cover in their Essential Plan.

BUPA provide different levels of psychiatric cover with their two top plans Healthcare Select 1 and 2 providing out-patient, in-patient and out-patient treatment cover again with 45 days per year limit on in patient stays. However they also qualify that 'psychiatric treatment is covered on a discretionary basis and after two years of continuous membership.'

Freedom Healthnet, who operate in a slightly different way by providing you with money to pay for you own health care in a way that suits you also provide health cover for psychiatric conditions. In-patient treatment is covered in full up £10,000 per policy year and out-patient treatment is covered for up to £1,500 per policy year.

Even though developing a serious mental health problem is not something we want to think about it can be devestating not only for the individual but also for the whole family. It is something that is well worth considering when taking out health cover for you and your family.

Beginner's Guide to Private Health Insurance

This blog aims to answer some questions for people who are considering taking out a private health insurance policy.

What is Private Medical Insurance?
Usually private medical insurance covers the costs of the private medical treatment of acute conditions that start after your policy begins. 'Acute' refers to conditions that are short term.

Why would it benefit me to take out Private Medical Insurance?
There are many reasons why people choose to take out medical insurance:
A desire to be treated quickly and have more time with specialists
To increase their choices: which hospital they go to and which specialists they are seen by
A concern for the high rates of MRSI and other superbugs within NHS environments
A desire to be treated in a more comfortable and private environment

How do I choose which Insurance Company to go with?
Research is key to this in order to find the right policy for you. Private medical insurance is sold in three different ways:
Directly from the insurance companies
Through independent advisors
Through agents (bank, building society or retail outlet, such as a supermarket)

It is important for consumers to look carefully at all policy documents before making a decision. Independent advisors will search for the best policy for you but if you are dealing directly with an insurance company, it is important to be aware that they can only advise you on the best health insurance policy for you from within their own portfolio.

How do I know if I am dealing with a reputable company?
The FSA (Financial Services Authority) is the regulatory body for all UK Insurance Companies. They 'regulate financial services and protect your rights' so if you have any concerns with an insurance company you can contact the FSA for advice.

What will happen when I take out my medical insurance?
Insurance companies do not cover you for any medical condition that you have at the time of taking out the policy, so it is very important to be honest about your medical health because if you later make a claim and your insurance company discovers that you did not disclose everything, your insurance will become null and void.

When you are taking out your policy you will find that companies work in one of two ways:
Full Medical Underwriting where they ask you a series of detailed questions about your medical history.
Moratorium Underwriting where they do not ask details of your medical history but will check your details with your GP should you make a claim.

You will receive a full policy document from your insurer which you are advised to read carefully.


What will be covered?
This varies from policy to policy, and it is important for you to choose the best medical insurance for you. A broker can help you to compare medical insurance policies. Some questions to think about:
How much can you afford to pay each month? What level of cover would you like? Do you want your insurance to cover all treatment costs or would you be willing to part pay? Do you want your cover to include diagnostic tests? Do you want outpatient cover?

What will not be covered?
Generally, private medical insurance is not designed to cover long term treatment or chronic conditions. This list of exclusions is taken from the ABI's consumer guidelines.*

• Going to a general practitioner (GP)
• Going to Accident and Emergency
• Drug abuse
• HIV/AIDS
• Normal pregnancy
• Gender reassignment (sex change)
• Mobility aids, such as wheelchairs
• Organ transplant
• Injuries you get from dangerous hobbies (often called hazardous pursuits)
• Conditions you had before taking out the insurance (commonly known as pre-existing conditions)
• Dental services
• Outpatient drugs and dressings
• Deliberately self-inflicted injuries
• Infertility
• Cosmetic treatment
• Experimental or unproven treatment or drugs
• Kidney dialysis
• War risks


How much will it cost?
The cost depends on the kind of medical insurance cover that you choose. It is advisable to research the costs of a range of treatments and then carefully compare health insurance policies.

If I change my mind, can I cancel the policy?
You have the right to change your mind, and have your money back within a set period (usually 14-30 days) after purchasing your medical insurance.

*For further Information
The Association of British Insurers represents the interests of the UK's insurance industry and has published a comprehensive consumer guide for people who are looking to buy private medical insurance.