Types of private medical insurance
The main attraction of private medical insurance is the degree of patient choice it offers. There is a wide variety of covers to choose from. If you have private medical insurance you can choose where, when and how you are treated. Some insurers limit the choice to specified hospitals
Private medical insurance cover used to be either for individuals, or corporate cover bought by large companies as group health insurance. In recent years , insurers have realized the importance of the individual self employed and small business sector .They have developed products for individuals and businesses. Many have reduced the minimum number of people insured on business policies as group health insurance, to as low as 3 or even 1 or 2.
Increasingly, private medical insurance is also offering preventative medicine, GP and nurse helplines, health screening, fitness and health advice, and even discounts at health clubs and gyms.
You can often add other insurances to your private medical insurance. These include health cash, critical illness, life, income protection, travel and dental.
Our aim is to help guide you through this maze.
These are the main private medical insurance categories:
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Packages
Where you have a fixed range of cover, with limited choice.
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Choice of Cover
Where you can choose to build a policy from a wide range of options.
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Limited Cover
Where cover is for a small number of illnesses/events.
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Shared Risk
Where you can drastically reduce the price by sharing the risk with the insurer.
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Special Cover Plans
Ideas and innovations that cover selected risks, or are just unusual, such as: