Why We Choose Health Insurance

Why We Choose Health Insurance

Why we choose health insurance

We all tend to buy health insurance for the same reasons. We want to bypass the NHS waiting lists and receive treatment when we need it.

Going into hospital is a stressful occasion and as a patient you want to be as comfortable as possible, private health cover will often mean your own private room with en-suite and home comforts such as television, internet and a choice of food when you want it.

Health insurance is not designed to replace the NHS, a health plan is designed to provide cover for the treatment of acute conditions. The private sector has very limited resources for Accident and Emergency and the treatment of chronic conditions, so both will tend not to be covered on your health insurance.

Health insurance for women who are pregnant

If you take any of the leasing insurers and look through the policy terms the health insurance tends not to cover normal pregnancy.  In the majority of cases midwives and doctors carry out the everyday care of the pregnancy through the NHS.  A pregnant woman will have regular appointments and scans with their general practitioner and midwife to ensure the pregnancy progresses as it should and this will continue after the birth to ensure the baby and mother is in good health.

Now although a standard health plan may not cover normal pregnancy you do have the option of going private and paying for the services of a midwife and obstetrician should you require.However given the quality of the antenatal care through the NHS the private sector resources for everyday pregnancy care is limited.

Cover you can expect for pregnancy

Now although many plans will not cover normal pregnancy it is important to note that each insurer has its own terms and any cover relating to pregnancy can differ significantly. Some insurers provide cover for pregnancy related issues and it’s important to understand the differences between the policies.

Although health insurance for women is not technically specific below are some of the benefits you could expect from your insurance during pregnancy.

Cover for some complications of pregnancy and childbirth
Cash benefit if child is born using the NHS
Cover for certain obstetrics procedures.

If you are looking for health insurance for women which specifically covers pregnancy some of the more comprehensive plans after a period of membership, say 2 years include cover often capped at a monetary limit for private consultations and tests as long as you have a normal pregnancy.

Additional Health insurance options to consider

Outpatient cover

Health insurance is built around inpatient treatment, as a policy becomes more comprehensive so it provides a greater level of outpatient cover, with increasing levels of outpatient cover comes increasing premiums. It is important you read the terms of the policy to understand the level of cover it provides for your specificneeds, cover for pregnancy will increase the more comprehensive your plan.

Alternative medicines

An additional option in many health plans which will add around 6% to your premiums, providing cover for complementary treatments such as physiotherapy and chiropractic treatment.

Excess

An excess can help reduce your monthly premiums, by including an excess you are agreeing to pay the value of the excess either pre policy year or per claim to help towards the cost of treatment. Excesses can range from as little as £50 up to £1,000. A £100 excess could reduce your premiums by approximately 5%.