Healthcare Insurance

The reason that people faint is because there is insufficient blood flow to the brain. That's why, if someone is sitting down and feeling faint, she should put her head between knees. Getting the head level with the heart helps increase blood flow. If someone is standing and feels faint, you need to help her to lie down, cushion her head and elevate her feet to get blood flowing to the brain. If she goes unconscious.

If you're considering private medical insurance, you may or may not have to disclose personal details depending on the type of policy you're looking at. Find out the difference between policies here.

One of the things that most people are concerned about when applying for private medical insurance coverage is their privacy.

There are two different ways a private medical insurance company will look at you as a potential customer. The first involves a medical history declaration. This is a form that you fill out that gives all of the details of your past medical history. In addition, it usually includes permission for the insurance company to talk with your doctor about any medical information they like. This is, from a privacy perspective, the most invasive route to private medical insurance.

Private medical insurance also known as private health insurance provides access to medical treatment if you are ill. Private medical insurance covers short-term illnesses or injuries and includes consultations, surgery and nursing care and hospital accommodation. You will normally stay in a private en-suite room in a private hospital, or in a private room in an NHS hospital.

Increasingly people concerned about long waiting times on the NHS and worried about stories of dirty NHS hospitals riddled with superbugs have been turning to private medical insurance. In reality waiting times on the NHS have been reduced in the last couple of years and the incidence of so-called super bugs has also reduced. However private medical insurance will still mean much quicker access to treatment and may give you more choice about where and when you are treated.

The NHS has been around for more than 60 years and is facing the challenge of dealing with a higher population, a higher percentage of older people, people living for longer and working longer. On top of this is the cost of implementing costly new treatments and drugs as a result of medical advances. Private medical insurance could mean that you have access to drugs and treatments not available on the NHS.

Health care is very expensive and if you can't wait for treatment on the NHS it could cost you thousands to pay for your own health care. For example, if you need a knee or hip replacement it could cost you between £8,000 and £15,000 to pay for the treatment yourself. It could cost more than £3,000 to remove a cataract, almost £4,000 to repair a hernia or almost £2,500 for varicose vein surgery.

The major benefit of taking out private medical insurance is that you won't have to wait for health care treatment on the NHS. For example, you might have to wait for almost three months for a knee replacement or a hip replacement on the NHS. You could have to wait almost two months for a cataract removal and two months for varicose vein surgery.

Finding the right private medical insurance policy can be complicated because premiums vary and there are big differences in how policies work and what each covers. You can choose a policy, which is fully underwritten – this means the policy takes account of your medical history and you know exactly what's covered and what's excluded when you take out the policy. A moratorium private medical insurance policy doesn't take into account your medical history and you won't be covered for illnesses you have been affected by in a certain number of years before taking out the policy. This can mean the premium is cheaper, but you may not find out you aren't covered for a previous illness until you try and make a claim. With both moratorium and underwritten private medical insurance preexisting illnesses aren't covered initially, but may be included at a later date.

We can help you Find the Right Private Medical Insurance Policy

Private medical insurance is complicated and it's essential that you choose the right policy. We specialise in private medical insurance cover and will search the market and help you find the right cover at the best price available. Quotes for private medical insurance are free and you are under no obligation.

The next decade is going to place an increasing burden on the NHS and could be an opportunity for private medical insurance to play a larger role in providing health care for people in the UK. The NHS has been around for more than 60 years and is facing the challenge of dealing with a higher population, a higher percentage of older people, people living for longer and working longer. On top of this is the cost of implementing costly new treatments and drugs as a result of medical advances. Of course for those that can't afford private medical insurance it is crucial that the NHS continues to offer a good service for all those that rely on it.

A result of the extra burden placed on the NHS and faced with possible cuts in funding we could see the restriction of care to some groups and the end of some of the free services we currently benefit from on the NHS. For example, medical treatment may be restricted for the obese or smokers and we could see much more expensive prescriptions and charges to see a GP. Already we have seen people on the NHS given the option of paying for cancer drugs not normally available.

The NHS already increasingly has to make choices about what treatments to offer. Private medical insurance already gives people access to drugs and treatments not available on the NHS. Already the cost of these drugs is being felt by private medical insurers.

Increasingly people are aware of long waiting times on the NHS and confidence in the NHS has been dented because of stories about dirty NHS hospitals riddled with superbugs. In reality waiting times have been reduced in the last couple of years and the incidence of so-called super bugs has also reduced. However public perception is that private health care can offer a better quality of care. Another opportunity for private medical insurance to capitalise on.

Private medical insurers need to ensure that they have a range of policies and levels of cover and premiums to suit all budgets. More could be done to educate consumers about how they can find the right cover at an affordable price. For example, by explaining that there are ways of reducing premiums, excesses, opting to pay for some of the treatment etc. For most people it is the perceived cost that prevents them from taking out private medical insurance. However premiums may be less than people think. For example, research from Which? 2010 found that for a man aged 60 premiums ranged from £18 to £199 a month. A family could insure themselves for £35 to £230 a month. Again the private medical industry could do more to educate consumers about the real cost of private health care.

We can Help you Find the Right Private Medical Insurance Policy

Private medical insurance is complicated and it's essential that you choose the right policy. We specialise in medical insurance cover and will search the market and help you find the right cover at the best price available. Quotes for medical insurance are free and you are under no obligation.