Workplace Private Health Insurance

ayers

Hello.

Have you ever heard of anyone transferring their treatment from their workplace private insurer to the private health insurer for their new workplace?

I am receiving check up appointments with my private health insurer through my current employer. I was diagnosed with cancer in May 2020, had treatment and was cancer free in September 2020 . I am expected to have check up appointments for the next five years from when I was cancer free.

If I obtain employment from another employer who has private health insurance, I am hoping I will be able to continue my check appointments with them. Does anyone know if this is possible?

Marcon

ayers said:

Hello.

Have you ever heard of anyone transferring their treatment from their workplace private insurer to the private health insurer for their new workplace?

I am receiving check up appointments with my private health insurer through my current employer. I was diagnosed with cancer in May 2020, had treatment and was cancer free in September 2020 . I am expected to have check up appointments for the next five years from when I was cancer free.

If I obtain employment from another employer who has private health insurance, I am hoping I will be able to continue my check appointments with them. Does anyone know if this is possible?

Depends entirely on whether your new employer offers a scheme which covers pre-existing conditions for new entrants - and this would count as a pre-existing condition, albeit you are cancer free (and I very much hope will stay that way). 

An alternative would be to see if you could continue your private health cover (including these checks) through the same insurer if you leave your current employment. 

It might be worth checking to see what the cost would be if you wanted to go private and had to meet the cost yourself - it may not be as prohibitive as you fear.

ayers

Thanks Marcon. I never thought about checking if I could continue these costs myself. That is a very good suggestion. Thanks.

lisyloo

Your new employer may use a different company in which case the answer would probably be no.
Unless you go for a larger company with a gold plated "medical history disregarded" scheme.

I suspect the answer is probably no as even the same health insurer would restart underwritting.
If you get your own I suspect it would be prohiitive.

one of the "medical history disregarded" schemes would be great.
I know CGI offer this with Cigna.

Sandtree

As others have said, even if its the same insurer it'll be a new policy and will be subject to its terms and conditions. Some employers do offer the full fat option of covering pre-existing conditions but others dont. Depending on how senior you are it can be worth conversations if its a deal breaker for you... I know when looking at the records of one PMI provider they had employers paying for additional treatments for certain employees beyond what the policy provided for. 

ayers

Thanks Lisyloo and Sandtree. This is useful.

TELLIT01

Many company schemes don't ask about pre-existing conditions, which is one of their great benefits.  If the new and old employer run schemes from the same provider you may be able to transfer but otherwise I think it unlikely.  Taking on the PH cover yourself could be extremely expensive.  I did so as I was made redundant shortly after major knee surgery and didn't want to lose continuity of private treatment.  The first year wasn't too bad at £90 per month.  To continue in subsequent years the cost went up to £300 so I then cancelled.  This was nearly 20 years ago, so I've no idea what it would cost now.

Sandtree

TELLIT01 said:

Many company schemes don't ask about pre-existing conditions, which is one of their great benefits.  If the new and old employer run schemes from the same provider you may be able to transfer but otherwise I think it unlikely.  Taking on the PH cover yourself could be extremely expensive.  I did so as I was made redundant shortly after major knee surgery and didn't want to lose continuity of private treatment.  The first year wasn't too bad at £90 per month.  To continue in subsequent years the cost went up to £300 so I then cancelled.  This was nearly 20 years ago, so I've no idea what it would cost now.

In my experience many companies dont ask but that is because they take one of two extreme responses... either everything is covered or everything is excluded.

Certainly had a previous very basic policy from a very large employer and all pre-existing conditions were blanket excluded and so no need to waste time up front asking what they are,

TELLIT01

There will be variations between schemes but the one I was in had no exclusions.  That was fortunate for me because I'd had knee problems for years before needing surgery.

lisyloo

TELLIT01 said:

There will be variations between schemes but the one I was in had no exclusions.  That was fortunate for me because I'd had knee problems for years before needing surgery.

That’s fantastic and it’s what I’d call a gold plated one.
smaller and often medium sized employers don’t have those kind of schemes and it’s either no pre-existing conditions or moratorium based e.g not in the last 5 years.
often they don’t check everyone beforehand because I guess that would loads of admin for the majority who don’t claim and just check it when you claim.

they are great scheme if you can get one.

TELLIT01

It was through my employer which was a major bank - at least it was a major bank at the time!