Private medical insurance

The NHS will deal with any situation requiring medical assistance at no cost including GPs which is usually the starting point of medical assistance.
If your GP says you need to see a consultant, on the NHS  you will  likely have a long waiting list to see the consultant & find out what is wrong and certainly no choice of consultant, If for any reason you need to go to hospital for an operation or for recuperation you can do so for free using the NHS. However, having seen a consultant you may have a further long waiting period before you can be operated on, you will have no choice in hospital and will have to use a shared ward, where visiting access is restricted, rather than a private room.
A private medical Insurance (PMI) policy will usually have an excess to keep premiums down and therefore you will usually not be able to claim for smaller amounts such as consultants fees typically £100/£150.

The following are an explanation of some of the specific benefits in a  policy

Cancer cover includes Chemotherapy and Radiotherapy.
However there are generally two levels of cover
Core -has limitations of time and money ie usually treatment is limited to 12 months but could be less
Full cover – no limitations so Chemo and radio therapy are included

Out Patient cover usually has two sections:
Out-Patient cover which covers consultations and physiotherapy
&
Out Patient Diagnostics which covers blood tests and pathology (testing of tissue), xrays
(Note that MRI, CT & PET scans would be covered under core cover whether or not out patient cover was selected)

NHS Cash Benefit – Under a Private Medical Insurance policy, the policy will pay for any stay in a private hospital where there is a cost attached to the stay and the treatment. Obviously there are times when you may end up in an NHS Hospital – (you may be unconscious when admitted, it ay be an emergency, treatment may be considered better or more appropriate in an NHS Hospital) under this circumstance the treatment is free and the Insurance company has nothing to pay. So in this case they pay you an amount to for your “inconvenience” at having to be treated at an NHS hospital.

Transplants are not covered by private medical insurance policies because transplants can only be done on the NHS – ie there is no private market for the sale of organs!!!!!!!!

Private Medical Insurance polices are designed for cure not to care.
So all Insurance policies make a difference between an Acute Condition and a Chronic Condition. Therefore wherever there is a potential to cure the cover will continue but where there is no belief that the condition can be cured and that includes cancer where the Doctors believe that the condition has become terminal the treatment will stop.

Dental Cover
If a dental section exists any excess usually would not apply nor would it affect the no claims discount so in effect this is a cash plan bolt on. (Note it will not cover optical as a cash plan might)
There are 2 levels of dental cover  – (also see attached limits of allowable claims per year)
Level 1 – Major Dental Treatment – Crowns, Bridges, Root Canal.
Level 2 – Major & Retained Dental Treatment – exams, scaling & polishing, xray, fillings,

Dental Annual Limits:
crowns -  £300/yr
bridges, implants – £200/yr
dentures £250/yr
root canal treatment – £150/yr
apicectomy – £100/yr
extractions – £150/yr
Accident and emergency – £2,500/yr

Should Medical treatment be necessary Private Medical Insurance has the following advantages over reliance on the NHS service:

• No queues: although waiting times on the NHS have improved between referral and treatment, you won’t have to wait as long for private treatment.
• Peace of mind: if the worst happens, your treatment will be as quick as it can be. Many people are also concerned about the problem of MRSA in NHS hospitals.
• Choice: you can choose your consultant and where you want to be treated, with the proviso that some policies restrict treatment to set lists of hospitals.
• Private room: you don’t have to worry about being on a mixed-gender ward. Depending on your policy, you may have an ensuite bathroom.
• Unrestricted visiting hours.
• Personal care: a stream of medical students won’t accompany your appointment with the consultant, you won’t be kept waiting for hours to see them and you will have more time to discuss your symptoms.
• Continuity of care: you are likely to be seen by the same consultant throughout your treatment.

Your home may be repossessed if you do not keep up the repayments on your mortgage or any loan secured upon it.
Veracity financial planning is not responsible for, nor does the Financial Services Authority regulate advice given with regard to taxation matters regard to trusts; some aspects of tax advice; commercial mortgages or second charge secured lending.