Health insurance

Rachel_M

Hello all

I'm not too sure if this is the correct forum - but here goes.

I have several chronic ailments and have decided i need private medical insurance, as waiting for NHS help, which is often very shoddy and rushed is doing my head in! I quickly established that the only company who do insurance for chronic or pre - existing illnesses is Exeter Family Friendly. I have to wait for 2 years to get treatment for the chronic conditions, but, after that, I'm fully covered.

As I'm only in my mid-50's and my condition will get worse as I get older, I feel I have no choice. I'm resigned to paying out the money - and I can just about afford it. I'm in London, which I believe can push the premiums up as hospitals charge more.

My question is - does this quote seem a good one? I guess it's a bit more than usual, owing to the chronic condition situation - but does it seem reasonable? I'd be very interested in other people's recommendations and experiences.

Here is the quote:

Exeter Family Friendly
Health Choices For Me
£166.47 per month
£100 excess
Once per person per policy year
Fixed Mori

Exeter Family Friendly
Health Choices For Me
£151.30 per month
£250 excess
Once per person per policy year
Fixed Mori

Underwriting Explained

Fixed Moratorium (Mori) – Any pre-existing conditions you have had in the last 5 years will not be covered initially, any acute flair ups relating to any pre-existing condition will be covered after 2 years.


RECOMMENDATION


You have kindly advised me that you are looking into private medical insurance, due to having to wait on the NHS or an MRI. You also explained that you have suspected arthritis of the spine and therefor this has been a very easy recommendation for me to make.

Exeter Friendly are the only company that will cover you for acute flare ups after you have gone 2 years being a paid member. As discussed, maintenance and monitoring of the condition will not be covered, but this is the same with all companies. The benefit of Exeter Friendly is that any ongoing treatment, advice or medication you may need in the interim will not affect the two year moratorium period.

I have based this on a fully comprehensive level of cover which means all inpatient and day patient treatment is covered in full, so all hospital costs and operations once you are admitted into hospital. All outpatient consultations with a specialist are covered in full as too are diagnostic tests such as MRI’s/CT/PET scans, X-rays and blood tests. Full cancer cover including access to the high cost cancer drugs that the NHS won’t always pay for and unlimited cover for manipulative therapies like physio."

InsideInsurance

Who has the recommendation come from? Presumably a broker and not Exeter themselves?

Presumably you dont have the option of PMI through your employment? It isnt uncommon for larger employers to have PMI that covers all conditions without a moratorium. Lifewise, once you've been covered under such a policy many other private plans will take you on as long as there is no break in cover. I know how this is how I got my private Bupa with full pre-existing cover

Rachel_M

Thanks for your reply.I'm self employed. And,yes, it was through a broker. So BUPA take pre-existing and chronic illnesses?

InsideInsurance

Rachel_M wrote: »

Thanks for your reply.I'm self employed. And,yes, it was through a broker. So BUPA take pre-existing and chronic illnesses?

BUPA are the same that with chronic illnesses they only take on acute flareups.

Pre-existing (chronic or not) would be subject to their normal underwriting. I had to fight to get them to cover ours and was helped by the fact they were at the time covered by Bupa under a company scheme but had only been under that scheme for 9 months or so (obv didnt say that at the time).

Initially Bupa declined the conditions under the personal lines side but as I was forming a Ltd to go "self employed" I phoned their business team about setting it up for the company for our two employees (Mrs and I). They agreed to provide cover but it was never going to be cost effective to do so. I then went back to the personal lines side and said it was daft that one half would do it and the other half wouldnt. The chap went away, figuratively, and a few hours later came back saying he'd got the underwriters to agree it.

Rachel_M

Do you think the prices i've been quoted are reasonable?

InsideInsurance

You can always use Confused.com or such to get an idea on the price.

Exeter for me was a little more expensive than Bupa when a broker did a review 2 years ago. There are certainly cheaper providers but you presumably need to balance cost and quality.

The broker I spoke to raved about Exeter and in his opinion they were the best with Bupa being second however in our situation one was covering pre-existing where as the other there would be the 2 year gap and a higher premium

Rachel_M

Thanks. So i could get BUPA, for cheaper and covering my arthritis straight away? Without the 2 year thingie? Even though I'm not a business?
And for the £150-£165 price roughly?
Still wondering if that is expensive, cheap or average!

InsideInsurance

Rachel_M wrote: »

Thanks. So i could get BUPA, for cheaper and covering my arthritis straight away? Without the 2 year thingie? Even though I'm not a business?
And for the £150-£165 price roughly?
Still wondering if that is expensive, cheap or average!

As I say, go to confused.com, click the medical insurance, put in your details, and it comes back with prices.

Exter are not cheap, there are certainly cheaper out there but they have lower cover. Doing a dummy non-smoker born in 1960 premiums range from £30 to £180 exc any pre-existing or with a moratorium (though many moratoriums require you to be symptom free)

I got Bupa, after "discussions" with them, with immediate cover for pre-existing subject to the normal rules on chronic conditions. Whilst PMI isnt my area I do work in insurance, have done for too many years, and think I am reasonable at "discussing" things with these types of people. If others would have the same success is another matter and of cause my medical conditions are different to yours.

Rachel_M

Thanks - that's really helpful. My quote was for comprehensive, with an excess, as you'll have seen.

So, your advice would be to call BUPA?

InsideInsurance

Rachel_M wrote: »

Thanks - that's really helpful. My quote was for comprehensive, with an excess, as you'll have seen.

So, your advice would be to call BUPA?

PMI is complex and so, despite UKBA's immigration requirements, there is nothing really labeled as "comprehensive". You can get a great policy but it excludes psychiatric cover or one that doesnt cover complimentary therapy but does cover psychiatric.

No cover in the UK covers EVERYTHING as all emergency medicine is done by the NHS - you wont see a BUPA ambulance at a motorway pileup. Likewise you wont find things like routine pregnancy or routine maintenance of chronic conditions.

You could ask your advisor about Bupa and if they feel they could get their contacts to do anything for you. Alternatively you could give it a go yourself

Rachel_M

Thanks! The only advantage with BUPA would be getting immediate cover for pre existing conditions. I bet they wouldn't give it to me!

I've looked at Confused.com and got - erm - confused!

That's why I asked on here, as would prefer to hear people's personal experiences.

Thanks for your help x