Opinions on private medical insurance?

ripplyuk

I've read something about National Friendly offering medical insurance which sounded good. Could anyone tell me if this still exists? I've checked the website and it doesn't mention it but does say how to make a claim. I'm with Benenden Health which I've been happy with so far but I'm worried about the 'discretionary' aspect of it and was thinking of getting something more comprehensive. Are there any good companies out there or is it like most insurance where they'll do anything not to pay out?

InsideInsurance

Not sure which companies you are referring to that do anything not to pay out? Have had 3 claims over the years on our PMI from Bupa and never had a single claim questioned and all were preauthorised within 24hrs of them getting the referral letter.

ripplyuk

From the reviews I've been reading on reviewcentre, they all sound bad, even Bupa only got 1.5 out of 5. I've also heard that they're really expensive compared to others but then, maybe thats because they're better. The national friendly sounded good as it worked differently somehow and was much cheaper. I'm just keen to hear who people have found reliable.

InsideInsurance

I was interested in quality of cover rather than price as I charge my time by the day to my clients and so if I dont work I dont get paid so saving a couple of hundred a year on lower quality cover doesnt make sense if it costs me thousands a week in lost income if I am off sick for something a full fat PMI would have covered.

Professionally PMI isnt my area of knowledge but I do wonder if most issues are not similar to those experienced with non-underwritten protection products which is undeclared pre'existing conditions and symptoms.

I was fortunate that I had full cover with them from my last employer and whilst it took some arguing they did finally agree to provide full cover for all preexisting conditions (not that any of our claims have been related to these)

I did think we were going to have a problem because I bothered to speak to them about how ongoing authorisation happens once the initial consultation had happened and they said they'd review what the consultant sent them but it sounded beyond their normal treatment plans. In the end it all went through without any issues at all and if I hadnt bothered calling I would have been none the wiser to the potential problem.

When chatting to an advisory broker they recommended two providers for those wanting the best coverage but being less price conscious, Bupa was second unless you had pre'existing you wanted covering and the other I cannot remember its name but had no option for pre´s to be covered from inception

ripplyuk

Thanks Anne, I decided to go with WPA in the end but I'll definitely keep you in mind at renewal time.

tomtontom

Anne, please note you cannot advertise on MSE. Your posts have been reported to the forum team.

dacouch

Healthinsuranceexpert wrote: »

Hi really sorry just noted rules - will desist in future please ignore other posts that I may have made

Kind regards

Anne

You're welcome to use your experience to help posters but you cannot tout for business or promote your business.

The forum would be a mess if they allowed this and it would affect the quality of the posts

dunstonh

The FCA rules on financial promotions also apply to this medium. There are some here that report such breaches. So, you ought to edit your posts pronto.

rs65

Healthinsuranceexpert wrote: »

Hi really sorry just noted rules - will desist in future please ignore other posts that I may have made

... and delete your homepage from your profile. While you are at it, you could delete your detailed location.