Male Cancer Awareness Week

The health insurance industry has concerns at the moment about how it will fund cancer cover in the future. The aim is that health education and early detection will help to reduce the need for health insurance for cancer. This week is Male Cancer Awareness Week. Every year Orchid, the mail cancer charity use this week to raise awareness about cancers that are specific to men: testicular, penile and prostrate.

Orchid is the only UK charity which focuses only on male cancers. It was formed by a testicular cancer patient in 1997 with the aim of helping to save lives by raising awareness, giving support and advice as well as funding cancer research.

Every year 37,400 men are diagnosed with a male specific cancer:

• 35,000 with prostrate cancer
• 2,000 with testicular cancer
• 400 with penile cancer

Some of the things that Orchid have done this week include:

• A survey into the awareness of hereditary prostrate cancer has so far found that 53% of people are unaware that there is a hereditary link to prostrate cancer. They have also developed a factsheet and awareness poster in conjunction with the survey.
• A Prostate Cancer Q&A session for patients and their families was held on the 14 April at Bart’s Hospital.
• They have launched a fundraising campaign called ‘37,000 steps to beat male cancer.' The innivotive campaign encourages people to organise events based around the number 37,000. For example, bake 37 cakes, run for 37 minutes, stay silent for 37 hours.
• A 3.7km run took place on Wednesday 14 April at 5.30pm along the river starting at Paternoster Square

Conservative Promises

The current political climate means that all parties are talking about what they want to do with the NHS.

If the conservatives win the election they have promised to allow any healthcare provider that meets NHS standards to provide NHS care. Currently NHS patients are sometimes treated in private health establishments but under a conservative parliament more NHS patients will be treated in the same places as health insurance customers. This raises questions about whether there needs to be a different kind of provision for medical insurance patients.

Ramsay Health Care, the private hospital operator has already implemented changes. NHS patients only receive an 'Essential Care' package whereas their 'Premium Care' package for private clients includes more luxurious treatment including a choice of consultant, ability to choice an appointment day and time as well as better hotel services such as newspapers and an a la carte menu. According to Ramsay Health Care, the Premier package is there to:

'Ensure that private patients continue to see a clear, fair and distinct benefit from their investment.'

It is unclear whether private patients will be happy to be treated in the same place as NHS patients. So far the answer is 'no'. Additionally it is likely that people will be more reluctant to take out health insurance if they know they can be treated well and more promptly in private hospitals via the NHS, particularly as the conservatives want to give people more choice as to where they are treated. This will impact on medical insurance providers who in turn will put pressure on health establishments to create a more differentiated health care offering.

The likelihood is that more and more private hospitals will begin to differentiate between luxurious private treatment and standard NHS care. It is also likely that more private hospitals that are only designated to treat NHS patients will open up, leaving traditional private hospitals to cater for health insurance patients and privately paying individuals.

The conservatives have also promised to give people access to a GP seven days a week between the hours of 8am and 8pm. They have also pledged to increase single rooms in hospitals although they have retreated on their original promise of 45,000 new rooms.

Health Cover Survey

According to Deloitte's 2010 Survey of Health Care Consumers only a quarter of respondents said they felt they had enough health cover: four out of five said they were only 'adequately insured.'

The Deloitte survey looked at 1,000 British adults in order to find out consumer attitudes about both private and NHS medical treatment. Over a third of respondents said that they had cash plan cover but despite people's dissatisfaction with the amount of cover they had only 2% had switched private health insurance plans. 58% of those who had changed plan did so to get better value for money.

One of the biggest complaints about medical insurance was the fact that 'experimental' treatments were not covered. Experimental treatments refer to those that do not yet have enough data behind them to certify them as conclusively effective. PruHealth, for example, do cover experimental treatments as part of their plans. This is unusual however. 69% of respondents said that they would be prepared to try experimental treatments.

The findings seem to support the health insurance market's move towards illness prevention. Over half of respondents said they had a 'strong interest' in taking part in wellness programmes and 49% said they would take part in healthy living programmes if they could get reduced private medical insurance.

NHS
The NHS didn't fair too badly in the Deloitte survey. 67% of respondents said that they were 'happy' with the NHS. 50% said that it was 'average', a fifth said that it was 'failing' but only 2% said that it was excellent. The most dissatisfaction concerned waiting times which 46% of respondents felt was 'poor' and the amount of accessible information about doctor's performance where 42% felt that it was poor.

Questions to Ask: Cancer Health Insurance

Choosing health insurance for cancer is not as simple as it may sound. This is because there is a very varied offering when it comes to private medical insurance for cancer. Some companies provide very basic levels of cancer cover whereas others offer very full cancer cover. It is important to ask the right questions in order to get what you want from your health insurance.

Will I be covered for all stages of cancer treatment?
Some cancers can be treated and will never return. Others can return and be treated. When cancer cannot be removed altogether patients can have treatment which keeps their symptoms at bay and prolongs life.

Some policies offer cover for all stages of cancer. Others do not. Often when cancer cannot be removed then the patients condition is considered to be 'chronic' and therefore not covered by many health insurance policies.

Most policies will not cover patients in the final stages of cancer, during palliative care.

Are any treatments excluded?
Some policies exclude some types of treatments. Experimental treatment for example are only covered by some health insurers. Some drugs are not covered by some private health insurance companies. Herceptin, Velcade and Sutent, are examples of drugs that have been the topic of debate in the press.

At what point do benefits stop?
Different policies have different levels of cover. The number of treatments given, the total cost of treatment and the length of time the treatment may last are all considerations.

Where will I be treated?
What hospitals and consultants are on the health insurers approved list.

Does the cover include a holistic approach to cancer?
Some companies provide cover that takes into account the general wellbeing of the client. They may offer counselling and complimentary therapies and provide cover for wigs, steroids and anti-sickness drugs.

Bupa Carer of the Year Award

Bupa is the UK's largest health insurance company. They are always in the public eye, not just for their health care offerings but also for their involvement in healthcare projects across the UK. One of their latest is their Carer of the Year Award which they have launched in conjunction with the Daily Mail.

Bupa is appealing to the public to nominate derserving careers that they know. The award is designed to highlight the hard work and effort that carers put into looking after the people in their care. The award is open to health care professionals as well as members of the public. There are five categories:

• Dementia Carer - people of all ages caring for one or more people with dementia.
• Care Home Carer/Assistant - An exceptional carer or support worker who is a tower of strength.
• Family Carer - people who care for a relative, family member, or friend.
• Parent Carer - a parent or guardian caring for a child.
• Young Carer - a young person under 18 years who is looking after a family member.

The awards ceremony and luncheon will take place in London on 11th May this year. The event will be hosted by ITV's This Morning's Ruth Langsford and all the finalists will be invited to attend as part of an all expenses paid VIP London break. The Carer Of The Year will receive a luxury holiday and the proceeds of the event will go towards The Alzheimer Society.

Bupa Care Services managing director Mark Ellerby said:

'Bupa is proud to support this initiative. Every day I see dedicated carers in action. These awards are a fantastic opportunity for all of us to show our appreciation to these amazing people across the country who make such a difference to the lives of those in their care.'

PruHealth Cuts Gym Perks

PruHealth have a unique selling point - they offer gym membership as an incentive for people to buy their health insurance. This is appears to be a great bonus for their customers. However since its introduction in 2007 member benefits have been on the decrease and now this appealing incentive has been cut down again.

Initially customers who used the gym several times a week could receive free membership. Then last year gym membership could be offset with Vitality points. PruHealth awards points for a number of things including: living healthily and having health screening. The points can be traded for cheaper gym membership. Those with a Premium health insurance policy can still have free membership.

At the end of last year PruHealth wrote to policy holders to let them know that at their next health insurance renewal they would only be able to get a 25% discount on their gym membership.

Dave Priestly, PruHealth sales director said:

'If we were to keep the gym offer unchanged, premiums for all PruHealth members would go up by between 5% and 15% depending on the policy, the policyholder's personal circumstances and their level of engagement in our range of health and wellbeing activities. And this figure would again increase year on year to allow for age and medical inflation changes.'

Talking to The Guardian, Gerry Elias, who has a PruHealth private medical insurance policy said:

'I am exasperated that they are again moving the goalposts on gym membership fees and, in doing so, abandoning their fundamental marketing position – the more you visit the gym, the lower fees you will pay because you should be healthier and therefore a lesser claim risk.

'[The latest change] will mean an extra £540 a year for me, which isn't a paltry amount by any measure.'

The medical insurance market was hit hard by the downturn in the economy last year. Improvements in medical health care and the resultant increase in costs also creates a problem for health insurance companies who have to pass the load on by increasing premiums or offering less comprehensive medical insurance packages.

Health Insurance and Alcohol

As a nation our alcohol consumption is increasing and as a result so are alcohol related health conditions. Unfortunately medical insurance does not cover alcohol abuse and one of the questions you are asked when you take out a policy is how many units you consume in a week.

According to the National Office of Statistics alcohol related deaths have more than doubled since 1992 to a staggering 9,031 deaths a year last year.

Chris Sorek, chief executive of the charity Drinkaware said:

'It's shocking to discover that alcohol-related deaths are again on the increase, and it's vital now, more than ever, that we act to reduce the harms caused by drinking too much.

'With more and more people dying from alcohol misuse it's essential we change people's relationship with drinking, and education has a key role to play.

'Male alcohol-related deaths have more than doubled in the last 17 years, but women also need to vigilant.

'Regularly exceeding the daily unit guidelines can increase everyone's chances of developing liver damage, heart disease and some cancers.'

It makes sense to think that health insurance companies would increase premiums for heavy drinkers. The link between some cancers and heavy drinking is well known. The health limit for men is currently 3-4 units and for women it is 2-3 units a day.

Medical insurance companies do not provide cover for alcohol abuse. However, where is the line drawn between drinking above the safe limit and alcohol abuse?

A report from Alcohol Concern, details the different aspects involved in alcohol consumption and health insurance. According to Alcohol Concern drinking alone is not taken as a factor which will determine whether your premiums are increased or whether you are in fact refused cover. Other lifestyle and health factors need to be taken into consideration.

Alcohol Concern think that GP's underestimate levels of alcohol consumption. Sometimes GP's are asked to fill out forms when someone is applying for health insurance or making a claim. One of the questions they are asked specifically refers to 'conditions related to drug or alcohol misuse.' Alcohol Concern imply that higher premiums for heavy drinking do not necessarily apply as the insurance industry needs to be competitive as well as taking into account higher risks.

Despite the points raised by Alcohol Concern, if you take out a policy and lie on the application form about how much you drink, any details that are then uncovered by your GP that are related to a current health complaint may null and void your policy.

The advice is to disclose all details to your health insurance company. They can then make the decision about your policy. Lying may reduce a premium but won't pay off in the end when you are not covered for that all important procedure or operation after you have spent all those months paying into your policy.

Drinkaware provide

Comparing Health Insurance Costs

The cost of health insurance varies greatly from provider to provider. A lot depends on what the policy is offering. Generally the more a policy offers the more expensive it is. However finding the best private medical insurance for you is about finding a balance between what you can afford and what you would like to be covered for.

Comprehensive Family Health Insurance Comparison
A non-smoking couple (aged 28 & 30) with two children (2 & 7) wanted a £100 excess:

• £126.76 PRU Health Comprehensive
• £109.15 AXA Healthcover Deluxe
• £80.99 with Freedom Diamond Plus Medical Insurance (including therapies)

Mid Range Medical Insurance Comparison
Cover for 36 and 38 year old non-smoking couple:

• £100.49 BUPA Client Choice - £0 excess
• £89.87 AXA Healthcover Plus - £100 excess
• £59.17 with Freedom Gold Health Insurance (Inpatient & Outpatient) - £100 excess

Basic Health Insurance Comparison
Cover for two 33 year old married non-smokers

• £65.36 BUPA Client Choice - £250 excess
• 47.26 AXA Healthcover - £100 excess
• £28.19 with Freedom Diamond Health Insurance (Inpatient only) - £100 excess

As you can see from these comparisons Freedom Health Insurance provides the cheapest health insurance. They can provide lower costs because they work in a slightly different way than conventional private medical insurance. Freedom pay you cash for inpatient procedures so that you can use this money to pay for your own health care. This enables you to negotiate your treatment costs.

There have been several stories noting that health insurance companies pay more for operations and procedures than individuals who seek out private treatment.

Being paid cash directly from Freedom also means that you can choose to keep the money and be treated on the NHS if you are happy with the waiting time you are given. Some people even choose to have cheaper treatment abroad and combine this with a holiday.

It is important whenever you are purchasing health insurance that you research well and read the small print in the policy documents so that you are fully informed of the details of any policy.

London NHS Crisis

The effects of the UK borrowing policy are likely to be felt in the NHS. Cuts in public spending have been planned in order to repay the country's debt. There is debate about how the private medical insurance market will be able to help in the event of a crisis.

According to a new report published by the British Medical Association (BMA) hospital services are under threat in of closure in London as the city moves towards a 'major financial and organisational crisis.'

The report claims that patients will really loose out if the proposed cuts go through. The aim is for as many patients as possible to be dealt with at polyclinics. Polyclinics provide outpatient care at a more local area to the patient. It is not known exactly how many hospitals will close as a result moving patients towards this kind of care.

Dr Kevin O'Kane, chairman of the BMA's London regional council , said:

'While we recognise that there are problems with healthcare delivery in London, we are extremely worried that plans to cut services are being kept secret. We are calling for full disclosure of the proposals so that there can be a public debate. This is vital so that Londoners can have their say about local cuts and take a wider view of what is happening to the NHS.

'The truth is that most Londoners have no idea of what is happening to their health service. If people realised that we are heading towards financial meltdown involving cuts in bed numbers and hospitals closing or being down-graded, they would demand the opportunity to make their voices heard about these plans.

'London's doctors want to provide patients with world class healthcare but this is virtually impossible when doctors and patients are being kept in the dark about proposals.'

It remains to be seen how cutbacks are handled and the effect they will have on the NHS. Its possible that the private sector will step in with cost effective solutions.

If the public loose faith in the NHS then health insurance may look like a more attractive proposition. Private health insurance companies are likely to see a rise in applications.

Transparency in Health Care

Transparency in health care can only be a good thing. The Hellenic Project aims to show us statistics from hospitals and consultants from all over the UK. Unfortunately the private sector are not obliged to publish their information.

Companies and individuals take out health insurance but a lack of statistics could be something that deters new customers from taking out policies.

According to reports the private sector want more transparency. The Hellenic project is gathering data from independent hospitals and consultants but there is as yet no legal requirement to publish these details.

According to Jehan de Silva from Dr Foster Research who are collecting the data for the Hellenic project:

'Dr Foster is collecting data and generating care quality indicators on behalf of the independent health sector. As far as I’m aware, there is presently no intention for them to publish statistics as there is currently no regulatory requirement for them to do so.'


The Hellenic project is run by the Independent Healthcare Advisory Services (IHAS) and NHS Partners Network in partnership with Dr Foster Research (DFR). So far the statistics available for the NHS are very comprehensive and interesting. On the webiste you have the ability to compare different procedures under various criteria for any hospital in the UK:

Infection rates
Mortality rates
Waiting times
Length of stay

The site can also be searched by proceedure and Trust.

Information about private medical establishments and who works there are available but their medical statistics and waiting times are not.

A press release from the NHS Sally Taber, director of IHAS, said:

'The Hellenic Project presents an exciting opportunity. For the first time independent sector providers will be able to accurately measure clinical quality at a national level, both within the sector and against the NHS. With the advent of patient choice, patients are increasingly able to tell us where healthcare is succeeding and where it is failing and the information we gather should help us fully assess that.'

It remains unclear whether the independent sector will be publishing their statistic online. It would however be a very welcome measure.

Bupa Employee Dies in Hospital

Bupa are a health insurance provider with an excellent reputation. However seven years ago a routine kidney stone removal operation that went drastically wrong leaves two Bupa consultants with a tarnished reputation.

The incident where Carmel Bloom, a 54 year old Bupa employee died following a routine kidney stone operation is currently being investigated by the General Medical Council (GMC). Her family have been fighting for seven years to gain justice for the alleged medical blunders.

Jeremy Donne QC, for the GMC, said:

'This hearing is concerned with events that led to the tragic and we say avoidable death of a slim, fit and otherwise healthy 54-year-old woman following a urological procedure performed by John Hines with anaesthesia carried out by Dr Paul Timmis. The result of these serial failures was catastrophic.'

The then Bupa hospital where Ms Bloom was treated is now in the Spire chain.

Ms Bloom worked as a health controller in the Roding Hospital in Ilford, and decided to have her operation with Bupa when she was advised that she would be waiting a long time on an NHS waiting list. She suffered a heart attack and brain damage and died of septic shock ten days later.

Consultant John Hines is accused of failing to test for infections prior to the operation. Ms Bloom did have an infection which went undetected and caused complications. Mr Hines was unable to complete the operation and is alleged to have failed to ensure she was given appropriate medication after the operation. When he was told of Ms Blooms deterioration he delayed in returning to the hospital.

Mr Timmis is accused of not preparing Ms Bloom for her journey in an ambulance when she had to be moved to a larger hospital following her complications.

Last month Dr Andrew Vallance-Owen, Bupa's medical director said:

'We sympathise with Carmel Bloom's family for their tragic loss - however, it would be inappropriate for us to comment on her treatment as we no longer own the hospital concerned.'

More Single Rooms

One of the things that people with health insurance enjoy most about private treatment is having the privacy of their own room when they have to go into hospital. The NHS have already started to pilot the introduction of single NHS rooms. The conservatives have recently claimed that if they get into power they intend to singnificantly increase single rooms within the NHS.

The Tory plans seem very ambitious considering the level of public debt that has to be repaid over the next few years. Spending plans in the NHS are likely to have to be reduced, not increased.

The plans to create an extra 45,000 single rooms in NHS hospitals has been estimated to cost £314m a year over five years but other estimates cost the changes at around £1,903m a year over the same period.

Although it has been shown that familiar company and communication with loved ones aids patient recovery, this does not apply to strangers on a ward. Being surrounded by strangers with only the privacy of a thin curtain when you are being examined by doctors is not conducive to relaxation and wellbeing.

Private healthcare has always allowed for a higher level of privacy and patient respect. Single rooms also allow for more confidentiality. Patients can talk more openly without fear of being overheard by fellow patients.

Health Secretary Alan Johnson said that at a hospital in North West London single rooms had been trialled and were popular with patients:

'It's a thumbs-up generally from the patients. This is an important experiment in how we can introduce single rooms into hospitals and get it right.'

Patients with medical insurance are already enjoying the many benefits of single rooms whilst they are in hospital. The benefits include:

• Better sleep
• Privacy
• Patient confidentiality
• Peace and quiet
• Reduced infection rates

Good Levels of Satisfaction

In previous years the health insurance industry had a bad reputation for high levels of customer dissatisfaction. This image has improved and the UK now has one of the most reliable medical insurance industries in the world.

The poor image that health insurance had was not totally unfounded. The main complaints were about people not being able to get their treatments covered when they had been expecting to do so.

Policy definitions and procedures have now been tightened. It was inevitable. The medical insurance industry's reputation was being tarnished by sensational reports of unfair treatment in the tabloids.

The Association of British Insurers (ABI) who have most private medical insurance companies as part of their membership, took the lead in generating guidelines which were fairer to consumers. The industry on the whole has adopted its proposals and the statistics reflect higher levels of customer satisfaction.

Non-disclosure
One of the main problems occurred because of health insurance non-disclosure. Now companies have developed better ways to avoid this. Non-disclosure refers to customers not giving the full medical facts about their history. This can come about for several reasons including health insurance companies not asking the right questions in the right way when they are taking details from a new customer.

Evidence of non-disclosure can invalidate a claim. And this is where problems can really get out of hand.

The ABI proposed that customers had to be treated fairly despite problems with non-disclosure. Instead of ruling a claim to be null and void they proposed that part-claims could be honoured depending on the nature of the non-disclosure.

Standard Life Healthcare, for example, have integrated the Treating Customers Fairly diective into their company policies:

'We believe that the Treating Customers Fairly (TCF) principles-based initiative by the Financial Service Authority (FSA) in the United Kingdom is complementary to our approach to all our customers. TCF requires us to assess and monitor our performance against our customer values in a robust way. To do this we have established a group TCF policy with standards that Standard Life group’s UK Business Units1 must adhere to in relation to the six TCF outcomes.'

Complaints
When people are not happy with the treatment they receive from a health insurance company they can follow the company's complaints procedure. If they are still not happy they can take the matter to Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS).

FOS have final say over whether a claim is upheld or not and they regularly publish their statistics. This makes health insurance companies accountable. If they have high rates of upheld complaints this filters through to the media.

Since the changes in the medical insurance industry complaints to the FOS have declined and so have the number of cases that are upheld.

Currently according to Melissa Collet from FOS only 1% of insurance complaints were about health insurance and only 31% of complaints are upheld whereas overall in the insurance industry the figure stands at 70%.

Only 514 complaint cases out of 127,471 were about private medical health insurance. Melissa Collet congratulated the industry on its low levels of complaints. This is very reassuring for those with health cover or those considering taking it out.

How to Make a Health Insurance Claim

In order to make a health insurance claim it is very important to follow the correct procedure for each company.Doint this helps speed up your claim and avoid misunderstandings.

Having a good knowledge of your policy is probably the first step. Having an awareness of what you are and are not covered for will help you to have the correct expectations of your private medical insurance cover.

Your policy will also have specific details of how to make a claim. Being familiar with your policy claims proceedure is important as there are variations in what health insurance companies need to you to do in order to make a claim. Errors can cause distressing delays and misunderstandings.

The following details are a general guideline only.

The GP is always your first port of call. They are the ones that refer you for a consultation or treatment if they think this is necessary. You need to inform them that you would like to go via your medical insurance.

Normally your insurance company will provide you with a list of approved hospital networks and practitioners with which you will be covered under your policy. Your GP needs to refer you to establishments or individuals that will be accepted by your insurer.

Some companies, for example Bupa, will allow you to go to hospitals which are not on their approved lists but will not cover you completely for treatment there. They will give you an allowance instead. If the hospital you go to charges more then you have to pay for the difference.

The next step is to call your insurance company. They will let you know whether the treatment you need is covered by your policy. They will also advise you as to whether they can approve your chosen practitioner.

The insurance company may also then send you a claim form which you need to fill in and return to them. The next step depends on whether you have a moratorium or fully underwritten policy. If you insurance cover is under a moratorium policy then the insurance company sometimes need check your medical history with your GP to make sure that you are covered for treatment for the condition you are presenting with. This can delay their response.

When you go for your consultation or treatment you need to take your health cover details with you and show them to your consultant. In most cases this enables your health insurance company to be billed and not you.

With some types of health insurance policy you are given money directly by the insurer and then you are responsible for paying for your healthcare directly. This is unusual however and in most cases the medical insurance company pays.

If your consultant sends you for tests or hospital treatment you have to contact your private health insurance company again in order to check that the proposed treatments are covered.

When you go to hospital or for treatment you need to present your health insurance documents so that your bills are sent straight to the insurance company. After you have completed your treatment you will only have to pay for any outstanding personal expenses such as guest meals, telephone calls and newspapers.

If you have had any treatment that is not covered under your policy you will also have to pay for this. Normally your medical insurance company will alert you to the fact that you have an outstanding balance.

If you feel that your health insurance company should pay for something and they are saying that it is not covered, you do have redress. You can appeal to the company to review your claim. If you are still not happy you can complain via their official complaints procedure. If you are still not happy with the outcome you can take if further to the Financial Services Ombudsman.

Bupa Supports Heart Disease Research

Private health insurance company, Bupa are committed to improving health. Their Bupa Foundation is a medical research charity which has been supporting and encouraging health research for 30 years. The recent winners of the Epidemiology Award have found a link between walking speed and the risk of heart disease.

The study, conducted by Dr Mark Hamer of University College London (UCL) and his team, has uncovered a very simple correlation between slow walking speed and an increased risk of heart disease. The implications of this research is that this simple measure could provide a very cost effective and easily implemented, first-stage, diagnostic tool.

Dr Mark Hamer said:

'We knew from previous research that physical fitness and function are key indicators of health for older people. Our challenge was to use this information to develop a simple, non-intrusive test that could identify early signs of heart disease risk – and walking provided the answer. By monitoring the speed at which older people walk just three eight foot journeys, we can now estimate an individual’s risk of heart disease.'

Deputy chair of the Bupa Foundation and medical director at Bupa ,Dr Andrew Vallance-Owen said:

'Cardiovascular disease accounts for nearly 40 percent of all deaths in the UK, so finding an easier way to spot the signs of the disease in older people has the power to save thousands of lives. This is exactly what Dr Hamer and his team have achieved and we are proud to recognise their important work, by awarding them the Bupa Foundation’s 2009 Epidemiology Award.'

The UCL team won the 2009 Epidemiology Award and also received £15,000 from the Bupa Foundation in order to continue with their research.

Heart conditions are covered by most general health insurance policies although there are several companies that do specific medical insurance cover for cancer and heart conditions. These conditions are the most common serious health conditions in the UK.

Such reduced cover policies cover you for the most common conditions whilst at the same time reducing your premiums.

Bupa: Select Heart and Cancer Policy
Axa PPP: Essential Health Cover policy covers cancer, heart and stroke

Medical Insurance Payments Rise

Sometimes people purchase health insurance but are very surprised when the following year their premiums increase by what seems to be a very substantial amount. Why is this and is there anything that you can do about it?

Most health insurance companies have to put up their prices over and above the rate of inflation but believe it or not some of the reasons for this are actually of benefit to their customers.

Western societies are continuously researching and developing new medical treatments, drugs and procedures. The standard of health care is increasing exponentially and so are our expectations. We want the best and rightly so. The downside is the cost.

According to a Price Waterhouse Cooper report health cost inflation for this year will have been 10%.

Other reasons for the rising cost of healthcare include the facts that the population is getting older. The older the population gets the more the cost of health care rises as we work to sustain quality of life. The cost of a hip replacement has increased from £230 in 1989 to £880 in 2009.

Additionally, according to the Association of British Insurers, each year more and more people claim on their private medical insurance policies.

Worryingly 20 and 30 year olds are likely for the first time in history to have poorer health than their parents. Our lifestyles are unhealthy and this increases our health risks. Insurance companies have to increase their charges in order to satisfy the increased needs of their customers.

The World Health Organisation has predicted that by 2020 cancer rates will be up by 50%. This is alarming and will have a serious impact on what private health insurance companies can offer us.

What can you do?
There are several options if you want cheaper health insurance because your premiums are unafordable:

Shop around and find a similar policy with a different company

Talk to your health insurer. Some companies are flexible. They may prefer to make you an offer rather than loose your business.

Reduce your cover. There are various ways in which you can reduce your cover. Health Insurance News UK can provide you with information on this topic.

NHS Increases Private Revenue

According to new figures from the General Healthcare Group (who own BMI, the UK's largest hospital group) revenue is up by 7.6% this year. The main reason for this is the increase in the number of NHS patients being referred for private treatment. With the new government proposals, for treating patients privately by law if they have to wait more than 18 weeks, this new phenomena is set to increase.

The private sector has seen an overall decline in both health insurance customers and self-pay ones over the last year. The rise in NHS cases being treated privately is helping the private sector stay buoyant but it is also helping the NHS to keep down their waiting lists and cut costs.

A spokesperson for Netcare who own the General Healthcare Group said:

'The NHS is expected to remain a key partner now that the national Choose and Book programme has been introduced, allowing the public, through their GPs, to select private facilities directly for their treatment.'

The figures are likely to keep increasing. A couple of weeks ago health secretary Andy Burnham said that a law would be passed that would make it compulsory for patients who have not been seen on the NHS after 18 weeks to have their treatment at a private hospital.

Tory ministers are not very keen on this idea as they believe that 18 week lists are too arbitrary. They argue that some treatments need to be performed way before this date.

Talking to the Guardian Conservative health spokesman, Andrew Lansley, said about the labour plans: '

'It is the latest in a series of unaffordable and uncosted pledges that have more to do with electioneering than improving the NHS. It will be treated with contempt by NHS staff and rejected by patients because it does not put them in charge.

'We know that patients don't want to wait for their treatment. That's why we have set out clear plans to increase capacity in the NHS – we want patients to be able to choose to get their NHS care from any provider that can offer it at NHS standards and the NHS price. This should mean that patients get treated far more quickly than in 18 weeks.

'When patients are referred for treatment they should be able to choose between hospitals on the basis of not only waiting times, but also on issues such as levels of MRSA infections and the quality of treatment they will receive. That sort of patient power is the way to truly drive up standards in the NHS.'

The governments plans will be announced next week during the queen's speech.

Aviva's International Solution

Aviva Healthcare has recently launched an international private health insurance scheme: International Solutions follows the same modular and flexible model as their standard UK bases Solutions Healthcare policy.

International Solutions has been developed for citizens who are living abroad who may want the extra security of private health care. It is offered as both an individual and group policy and presents customers with a great deal of flexibility.

Customers can choose from different modules:

Wellness
Dental
Optical
Maternity
Increased outpatient
Compassionate travel

In order to cut costs customers can increase their excess, reduce their outpatient cover and reduce their additional benefits. All this can be done online. Additionally, International Solutions also offer a 24hr medical helpline and 24hr medical care.

Andrew Turner, Head of International, Aviva UK Health, said:

'As a global supplier, Aviva recognises that healthcare provision differs across the world. With budgets tight, both corporate and individual customers need the flexibility to be able to tailor their medical insurance to suit their needs and to complement the healthcare provision in their country of residence.

'Offering one of the widest choices of modules available in the market together with easy to understand, tailored policy documentation, International Solutions enables them to do just that. And, with additional benefits such as the medical information helpline providing topical information on anything from vaccinations to swine flu, we believe that International Solutions offers some of the most comprehensive benefits in the market.'

People who take out international private health insurance can do so for a number of reasons:

• People who travel widely with their jobs can never be sure where they might fall ill. Medical standards vary widely from country to country and some people feel more secure with health insurance.
• Expatriates who do not feel comfortable with the level of healthcare in the country in which they live.
• Some countries do not provide free health care for their citizens and people who live in these countries may not need to take out international health insurance. They might only need a local health cover.

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.

Health Insurance for Diabetics

Some medical insurance companies will not cover diabetic customers or they will impose very high premiums. An alternative is to approach a company which specialises in diabetic health insurance.

DiabeticHealth.co.uk offer a specialised cover which means that diabetic patients can have private health insurance. They will also cover a diabetic's family. Under their policy there is a long list of exclusions, all of which are conditions which can occur as a complication of diabetes:

• Ketoacidosis
• Hypoglycaemia
• Hyperglycaemia
• Cataracts
• Diabetic retinopathy
• Other disorders of the lens of the eye
• Peripheral vascular disease
• Chronic renal failure
• Chronic nephrotic syndrome
• Hypertension
• Neuropathy
• Glycosuria
• Atherosclerosis
• Heart disease
• Stroke

As with all insurance policies, because diabetes is a chronic condition its ongoing treatment is not covered by this policy nor are any complications that arise because of it.

Earlier this year Heath Lambert Insurance Services unveiled a cash plan insurance policy for people with diabetes. The policy was developed with Diabetes UK and is designed to provide cash for the costs involved in dental and optical treatments, diagnostic consultations, therapies, health screening, hospital in-patient stays, recuperation, home help/home nursing and child birth or adoption.

Diabetes UK is the UK's largest organisation which represents and researches to help the diabetic comunity.

Peter Hallett, Diabetes UK Affinity Products Manager, said:
'Our key aim with this new product was to secure a competitively-priced plan which readily accepted that our members are living with diabetes but which also offered them a comprehensive set of benefits.'

Diane Caplehorn of Heath Lambert commented that:
'Whilst there were many providers in the market for health cash plans, only Midlands-based BHSF could produce a plan that delivered all that Diabetes UK were seeking.'

Commenting on their recent success, BHSF Sales & Marketing Director, Brian Hall, said:
'As the public become increasingly educated on health matters, these types of bespoke arrangements will come up again and again.

'We are lucky at BHSF to have the expertise which allows us to price such policies competitively and yet sustainably. Diabetes UK is the latest in a long line of organisations and affinities that have come to rely on our customer service excellence and our pricing expertise; we are delighted to win the business and look forward to providing excellent customer service to Diabetes UK members.'

This new cash plan health insurance policy does not offer cover on any condition which you had two years prior to taking out the policy. This includes diabetes or anything arising as a result of diabetes.

The plan has an individual and a family option and also offers four levels of cover which different levels of cash back depending on the monthly premium that you pay.

The specialist health insurance market is growing which can only be good news for the consumer who will be offered more choice and the option of more tailored and specific products.