This site complies with the HONcode standard for trustworthy health information:
verify here.

Health insurance : Hot topics

In "Hot topics", Ian Youngman, Private Healthcare UK's health insurance writer, examines some of the key issues that affect health insurance coverage and premiums.

Twelve countries that are bad for your health The recent problems in Kenya and Pakistan remind us that there are counties where travelling is not safe. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office draws up an extensive list of countries that should not be travelled to. Insurers look at the government travel advice and decide from that whether or not they can provide insurance to travellers. Insurers also use common sense, as sometimes unsafe...
Terror problems on travel insurance A bomb alert in the UK left thousands of travellers stranded at airports across the country and overseas after flights were either cancelled or delayed. As services slowly returned to normal, many people are counting the cost and wondering whether or not they can claim money back from their travel insurers. Does my insurance cover terrorism? Unfortunately, not in the majority of cases. Terrorism...
Lincoln defends new way to cover for care An insurance policy for the elderly who fear being forced to go into care has drawn fire from critical illness experts, but the insurer defends it. Typically, the more the critical illness great and good attack a new idea, the better it is. Insurers have struggled to sell the concept, so get very annoyed when anyone comes out with something that is different from the industry approved products...
Brokers warn against online travel insurance BIBA, the British Insurance Brokers Association, have released a report suggesting that online travel insurance policies may not provide adequate cover, and may offer you poor value for money compared to traditional policies. The announcement reflects the fact that BIBA believe online policies to provide less cover than what consumers are used to, which is in turn mirrored in their pricing...
Ethical health insurance marketing or innovation? There has been a recent boom in 'Ethical' products following on from the success of 'Fair Trade' and 'Organic' but is this all marketing hype designed to boost a company's profits? There is no doubt that the use of any of these labels opens up a totally justified debate on whether they are sufficiently defined to give the general public the assurances they need. Ethical and green issues are...
Travel health insurance Although the school holidays have ended, the travel season carries on. Every month we get at least one press release with another new survey which shows people do not bother with travel insurance or fail to check that what they buy is suitable. If you are canoeing down the Rockies, bungee jumping in India, paragliding in France, the chances are that the travel insurance sold by the agent will not...
Income protection insurance - It's all your fault When your football team loses, the manager has a host of ready-made excuses. The referee, the weather, injuries, bad luck, the bounce of the ball, and the referee again. If watching, you may have a simpler explanation, the team played badly and the opposition were better. Insurance can be like that too. In recent years, insurers have founded it harder and harder to get you, the public to buy...
Law may make insurers treat customers fairly Critically ill patients who are denied insurance payouts because they did not make seemingly unimportant details clear on applications could benefit from a crucial change to the law. The Law Commission, which monitors the way laws are applied, has put forward plans that mean insurers would no longer be able to deny claims because they weren't given enough information when the insurance was taken...
International healthcare for Britons living in Spain Expatriates in Spain may be able to use the local health service. But because the system is highly regionalised, with each region exercising its own autonomy, complications may arise. Permanent and semi-permanent expatriates should register with the authorities and obtain a residence card which gives access to state-run healthcare. But this is not a guarantee. UK residents on "short-term" visits...
Do you need long-term care insurance? With healthcare costs rising and longer life expectancies, funding long-term care needs is an increasing concern for millions of people. The average annual cost of nursing home care rises every year. People who would like to protect their assets, minimize dependence on family members and control how they receive nursing or home care, should carefully consider long-term care insurance. It is a...
Last-gasp effort to stop smoking As buyers of a product which blatantly warns This could kill you, smokers may not be very moved by Government campaigns showing how wonderful they will feel after stopping. As if you will taste your food better is really going to stop a smoker! Health and life insurers can take another tack .A simple but sound one that it can save you money. Some of the nonsense in the popular press could be...
Should health insurers be able to use genetic information? The results of genetic tests should be passed on to insurance companies to allow them to assess the health risks of potential customers, a professor of bioethics says. Prof Soren Holm, from Cardiff University Law School, argues that genetic information is no more "sensitive or private" than other information about a person's health, including cholesterol levels and body mass index, which...
Lie detectors - a case of insurance foot and mouth The health insurance industry is renowned in the UK for innovation in marketing and products. But the insurance industry generally has a bad reputation with the public. The bad reputation is mostly undeserved, but the industry has a disease you will not see in any private medical insurance policy. Insurance foot and mouth" is where it says or does something to shoot itself firmly in the foot by...
Smoking and health insurance From 1st of July 2007 virtually all enclosed public places and workplaces in England will become smokefree. This includes work vehicles. A smokefree England follows recent bans in Wales and Northern Ireland, and earlier bans in Scotland and the Republic of Ireland. If you don't comply with the new smokefree law, you will be committing a criminal offence. If smoking in smokefree premises or work...
Critical illness cover - luxury or necessity Consumer group Which? has called critical illness a luxury product. The report by Which? appeared in its May issue and said: We believe that critical illness insurance is a luxury product and, for most people, it is more important you have adequate life insurance if you have dependants, and income protection, before thinking about taking out critical illness cover. Insurers disagree. If there is...

Page: [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7]

[ « Previous | Next » ]