Private health and the NHS

For many years the National Health Service of the United Kingdom has represented one of the finest state funded services in the world. With people living for longer and with more a more knowledgeable and demanding consumer profile, not surprisingly the pressure on the restricted NHS resources to deliver a quality service, has never been greater. The consequence of this increased demand for service has resulted in longer waiting lists and less choice for the individual.

Taking out some form of private medical insurance is a way of restoring that choice, giving the individual the freedom to receive treatment from preferred clinically qualified professionals, at a time and in an environment of their choosing.

There is a variety of different PMI cover available depending upon your specific requirements but the majority of policies cover short term (acute) medical conditions and include in-patient tests, surgery and hospital accommodation with nursing. Some policies also include out-patient tests and consultations. Excess options are frequently available.

Most schemes do not include cover for conditions which you had before taking out insurance (pre-existing conditions) or cover for long term illnesses which cannot be cured by hospital treatment (commonly labelled chronic or recurrent conditions by the insurers). In addition Accident and Emergency admission is normally excluded