Private Medical Insurance (P.M.I) Introduction - At the present moment in excess of 900000 persons are on hospital waiting lists and many of these will have to wait in excess of over a year for treatment.  Many of us have become worried about the state of the National Health service and it’s seemingly decreasing ability to provide early care for us. Hopefully this will change but until it doers many people are considering or already have purchased Private Medical Insurance.  The cost involved increase in line with age but when you actually break down the amounts involved on a day to day basis, this product is certainly cheaper than a packet of cigarettes for example. There are many providers for this type of product all with different terms and conditions, shop around and select the insurance product that you believe is right for you.

What is Private Medical Cover? - In the event that you become ill, in the first instance most people would simply make an appointment to see their GP. Depending on the condition, the GP may refer you to hospital or to see a consultant.  At this stage you should mention that you have the benefit of health cover, your GP may still recommend a route for you but if your contact you provider company, they may be able to make all the necessary arrangements for you. An appointment will usually be made in days and anyone who has had to use this type of cover will tell you that being seen in a mater of days certainly helps to keep the amount of natural worry down.

You may find that tests are required and you may have to spend some time in hospital, these tests and hospital stay are usually paid for by the insurer. In some cases the insurance company may have there own hospital or medical centre or you may be referred to a specialist hospital.  If you are required to have surgery, you will find that this usually arranged within weeks and at your own convenience.

What type of cover is available? - The type of Medical Insurance cover that you can purchase will depend to a certain degree on your previous medical history. Most insurers will include a Pre existing medical condition warranty on to a policy.  This basically means that if you have already suffered from a problem, they will not provide you with cover against it happening again in the future.

Some insurance companies take a view that if you have suffered from a condition and a certain period of time has elapsed with no reoccurrence ( usually a couple of years) they possibly cover can be provided.  Depending on how much money you actually want to pay for your cover, you can choose the type of hospital that you will be treated under. This is usually based on the location and the facilities on offer at the hospital. Certainly the famous and well know city hospitals are likely to be in the highest rated bands. You may even elect to have an operation in a National Health Hospital but without the wait.

Policy wordings normally give you a breakdown of the payouts possible for each eventuality, they may mention a sum insured for each operation with a cost included for the surgeon , anesthetist, etc. Some policies are open ended with no limits, but off course, these will cost the most money.

It is probably best to consider your personal budget, the area in which you live and what you expect the cover to provide. Remember, the National Health still provides a good emergency service and for certain serious conditions they still offer fantastic facilities and skills. P.M.I should be viewed to complement the National Health service not to replace. It

This type of cover may be purchased as a Group Scheme or Individuals may take it out for their family etc. As with all other types of insurance, it pays to shop around, the cost depends on the type of cover you require and discounts can be obtained if you are prepared to accept lower limits or accept a time delay for treatment. Is vitally important to study policy wordings because this really is a case where the best price may not be the best cover.

With an increasing number of United Kingdom citizens option to live abroad, it is now possible to buy policies on an International basis. Always point out to the insurer the type of cover you are looking for and try to find a company that specialises in this type of contract.