Health Insurance FAQs

Most health insurance plans are not designed to cover pre-existing medical conditions. Pre-existent conditions are illnesses for which you had symptoms, consultations, medication, surgery or other treatment in the past.

You can still get private medical insurance even if you have pre-existing conditions. However, depending on the condition(s) or their severity, insurers may not pay for their treatment.

However, some insurers think that if there has been no reoccurrence for a few years, this may be considered eligible. Contact us to talk to one of our insurance experts who will be able to advise you on the best solution.

Typically, there are general exclusions found in most health insurance plans, these include but are not limited to:

• Chronic conditions.
• Pre-existing conditions.
• Drug or substance abuse.
• Sex change.
• Organ transplants.
• Prescribed drugs.
• Fertility treatment.
• Cosmetic surgery or treatments.
• Trial or experimental drugs or treatments.

Insurers do not typically pay for treatment towards chronic conditions. However, they may provide cover if there is an acute flare up of the condition.

Health insurance is a way to manage your private healthcare costs should you need treatment for unexpected illnesses or injuries. The way health insurance works is:

• If you suspect you have an illness or injury, visit your GP and let them know you are privately insured.

• Should your GP decide that you require treatment, they will be able to refer you to a specialist.

• Prior to any costs being incurred, you should contact your health insurance company to ensure your claim will be eligible. Once you have obtained approval, you can liaise with your specialist about getting your treatment.

In the UK, the private healthcare sector doesn’t run Covid-19 testing and treatment centres. These are entirely managed by the NHS and Public Health England. Therefore, private health insurance doesn’t cover Covid-19. However, some insurance providers will pay you an NHS cash benefit if you need to be hospitalised for Covid-19 treatment.

Health insurance covers your private healthcare costs for acute medical conditions that you develop after your policy start date. Typically, health insurance covers hospital stays (inpatient) and hospital appointments (day-patient). Depending on your policy, your policy can also cover outpatient appointments, physiotherapy, alternative therapies and cancer treatment.

A UK health insurance policy covers only medical treatment while you are in the UK, you would therefore be unable to use your policy when travelling abroad. To be covered for short periods of time abroad (e.g. while on holiday), you would need other types of insurance, such as travel insurance. However, if you are spending longer periods abroad for work or study, you might be interested in an international health insurance plan.

With most health insurance policies, you will have access to a network of hospitals that you can use for your treatment. Most insurers would typically allow you to expand this network by including the more expensive hospitals, however this would also mean paying more premium.

It is not unusual for your premium to go up at renewal. There are a number of factors that could affect your insurance premium, including medical inflation (the price of medical equipment and drugs going up), your age, increases in IPT (Insurance Premium Tax) and previous claims. If you think you are paying too much for your policy, request a quote and we’ll give you a call to discuss your options.

If you make a claim and you have a policy with a no claims discount then it is very likely an increase will be applied at renewal. There are companies that offer products without an NCD (no claims discount) and therefore do not penalise you for making claims.

No, we never charge you for our services. If you decide to take out a policy through us, we will receive payment by way of a commission from the insurer. Important to note that the premium you pay is the same as if you went to the insurer directly.

No, you are not charged more for buying private medical insurance through us. The premium you pay is the same as if going to the insurer directly. The insurer however would only be able to advise you on their own products and not the whole market which is one of the advantages of using a specialist broker.

We always provide our service free to you as we receive payment directly from the insurance company only if you decide to take out a policy.

Yes. We are a whole-of-market broker authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and we recommend the right products for our clients’ based on their specific healthcare needs and budget.

We usually start by reviewing your current situation by establishing your budget and protection requirements and by understanding your preferences and concerns. We then do a thorough search and comparison of the insurance market and get you several quotes that best fit your situation. Then we answer any questions you may have to help you decide on the right product for you.

We offer free, expert insurance advice and compare the market to help you purchase a health insurance product that’s right for you. If you already have an existing health insurance plan, we’ll review your existing policy to ensure it meets your protection requirements.

Our support doesn’t stop after you bought a policy through us. We are available to answer your questions at any point and we also offer an annual market review to ensure you continue to receive the right policy at a competitive price.

If for any reason you are not happy with your current health insurance provider or policy, we can help you switch to a different insurer when your policy comes up for renewal. Our expert team can advise you accordingly and find you a better option.