What is health insurance?
Health insurance is designed to cover some or all of the costs of private healthcare, from consultations with diagnostic scans and tests through to treatment. Having a health insurance policy gives you peace of mind that you or a family member will have access to the very best treatment at a time and place that is convenient to you. Health insurance, or private medical insurance (PMI) as it is sometimes known, may be provided by a company to their employees or it can be purchased on an individual or family basis.
Why buy Health Insurance?
While we all know that health insurance helps to look after you and your family’s physical health, not many customers realise that investing in a policy can help look after your long term wellbeing, as well as to provide support and peace of mind should the worst happen.
Health insurance means getting through the health system quicker through a speedy diagnosis and reduced waiting times. It also helps to pay for some, or all, of the treatment that you need.
Will this replace my access to National Health Service (NHS) treatment?
Health insurance is designed to work alongside, not to replace, all the services offered by the NHS and customers can continue to use the NHS. These pages outline some of the reasons you might choose private healthcare and how insurance can help you to access and fund this.
What Health Insurance do I need?
There are different health insurance products to meet your needs, with a number of market providers to choose from.
Before choosing health insurance you should:
- Consider your health requirements
- Compare the benefits provided by each insurer
- Compare the costs covered