The Benefits of Health Insurance

In the UK, most residents are entitled to free healthcare from the NHS. Those with private health insurance are still able to use the NHS for emergency treatment, but for non-emergency treatments or operations can choose to use the NHS or private services.  Private health insurance covers the cost of private healthcare, should you need it. Those who choose to take out health insurance pay a monthly or annual premium which entitles them to receive private health care as stated in their policy details.  

What does health insurance cover?  

What health insurance covers is agreed when the policy is taken out. The level of cover affects the cost of a policy and normally policies will not cover pre-existing conditions or chronic illnesses such as diabetes.  

What are the benefits of health insurance?  

  1. Reduced waiting times  

Those with health insurance can reduce or avoid NHS waiting list times for non-emergency diagnostic tests, treatments and operations. We all know the NHS is under extreme pressures and for many, this means having to wait weeks or even months for non-emergency operations.  

With health insurance you can seek faster treatment – choosing to use your cover to reduce or avoid the time you have to wait for treatment.   

  1. More choice  

The NHS is a public service and when you require treatment you are assigned an appointment and treatment location based on what is available. This means, there is little choice.  

With health insurance you have more choice. Individuals with private healthcare cover can often choose when and where they are treated, which makes fitting the treatment you need into your life easier. Policyholders can also often also choose who they are treated by if that consultant or specialist offers private services.  

  1. Access to drugs and treatments  

Some drugs and treatments are not available on the NHS because they are too expensive or because they are not yet approved by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence in England and Wales (NICE) or the Scottish Medicines Consortium. 

Although access to drugs is not guaranteed, those with private health insurance can often gain access to treatments that are not available on the NHS.  

  1. Private hospital rooms  

One of the most popular benefits of private health insurance is the ability to request private hospital accommodation, instead of staying on a mixed ward. Private rooms offer more privacy and often include ensuite facilities and more relaxed visiting times.  

  1. Additional services  

As well as covering the cost of private treatment, many health insurance policies provide their members with other benefits such as access to video GP consultations, mental health services and member discounts and offers.  

For example, those who choose Bupa health insurance can gain access to their Digital GP service which provides 24/7 access to GP services via a phone app. Those with VitalityHealth insurance can choose to join the Vitality Points programme which allows them to earn points by being active, which can then be spent on member discounts and offers.  

Finding health insurance  

If you want to find the right private health insurance, but don’t want to trawl comparison sites fill in our online form. Our advisers are health insurance experts and will search all major UK providers on your behalf to find you the right cover, for the best price, guaranteed.