Get a better deal on your Health Insurance TODAY!
Whether or not you decide to take out health insurance is a private and very personal decision. What is important, is to find the very best deal for you, not just in terms of the best value for money but also in terms of what an insurer can offer you.
There are many comparison sites (see below for a few examples), which can assist you in finding the best quotes based on the information you input.
http://www.healthinsurancecompare.co.uk
http://www.comparethemarket.com/
However, it’s not always that easy to compare health insurance particularly as so much can depend on family medical history and pre-existing conditions and that’s without even taking into account the companies which offer discounts in the first year or other rewards programmes.? It can open up a minefield of confusion when all you really want is to make sure that you and your loved ones are covered should a medical emergency arise.
The cost of health insurance has dramatically increased in the past decade, seeing the average premium increase by up to 66%, which equates to approximately ?135 a month.? For many, this is an amount which goes beyond their budget. The big four health insurers are Bupa, Axa PP, Aviva and Pruhealth and they now cover 90% of the market.
The Axa PP healthcare’s Essentials plan comes highly rated as it is a modular policy , which allows you to add on different benefits meaning it can be fully personalised to suit an individuals requirements. Sue Smith, a specialist medical insurance broker with Health Care Plus is a big fan of Axa PP and claims that it currently offers “the best combination pf premiums and benefits, closely followed by Aviva.”
To give you an idea of how these big insurers compare with one another, take a look at these comparable quotes, all of which are based on a healthy non-smoking man in his 30s:
Provider?????????????????????????????????? Cost per year
Aviva???????????????????????????????????????????? ?643
PruHealth??????????????????????????????????? ?728
Axa PP????????????????????????????????????????? ?747
Bupa???????????????????????????????????????????? ?855
The increase in premiums has seen the emergence of some smaller insurers who can offer an alternative and sometimes cheaper policy to these market leaders. One such insurer is a not for profit mutual organisation called the Benenden Healthcare Society. With over 900,000 members, Benenden used to only offers it’s insurance to public sector employees, but since September it has opened this up to any UK resident. Offering it’s members a policy which comes at a flat rate of just ?6 a month and rather refreshingly doesn’t automatically exclude pre-existing conditions, Benenden has given people an alternative, more affordable option for their healthcare. Sounds too good to be true, doesn’t it?? Well of course, there are some downsides.? Neil Barnes from Benenden goes on to explain that, “we are an affordable, viable alternative to private medical insurance, but we don’t offer comprehensive cover. We aim to complement, rather than replace, NHS provision”. The main referral hospital is in Kent, but there are also 18 affiliated hospitals in Britain and they also offer local private consultations and tests of a value up to ?1,500.
If you are confused and need advice about applying for health insurance always seek the help of an independent adviser.? The Association of Medical Intermediaries will be able to find you an adviser in your local area.