Child health is constantly in the news and the importance of looking after the health and diet of your little ones. On staffnurse.com a news article reported on a goverment study which has indicated that although children are eating more healthy diets and greater amounts of fruit and vegetables but, at the same time, they are still getting fatter. With a staggering 16% of children in the UK now obese it is a striking statistic that reminds us of the silent damage parents can do to their child's health without realising it.

Health insurance helps you to take care of your children in the event of accident or illness.

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In an article on 26th August 2007 entitled In search of sun, sand and surgery, The Times reports how record numbers of UK residents are jetting off abroad for surgical procedures. With everything from cosmetic surgery such as tummy tucks and breast augmentations to vital operations such as hip replacements and heart bypasses now being conducted abroad, the article points out the huge savings which can be made outside of Britain.
50,000 people went abroad for surgery in 2006 and the number is expected to increase by 50% again this year, according to treatmentabroad. Most of this number will go to the continent for dental work but numerous people are sourcing their health treatment from countries like India and Thailand. The price comparison for a hip replacement in the UK is £10,000 whereas in India it is approx. £3,500. Even factoring in flight and local accomodation there is still a saving of about £2,300 to be made.
This has implications for individual private health and medical insurance in that those policies which offer a cash payout upon approval of claim, like Freedom Healthnet, are able to deliver what an increasing number of the UK population want. With a cash payout for a gall bladder operation (Laparoscopic cholecystectomy) would be about £4,362 from a freedom health insurance policy whereas an equivalent operation in Belgium would only cost £2,500. The cash saving is the policy holder's to keep, tax free.

The article also points out that surgery is never risk-free and the need to check a surgeon's credentials thoroughly.

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The latest news connected with health issues and mobile phones has been released by the UK Mobile Telecommunications and Health Research Programme, the BBC reports today. Funded by the government, the research has been looking at the impact upon health of mobile phones, masts and base stations and has found that there is a "hint" of a higher cancer risk associated with them. The study notes the need for ongoing research to be undertaken as few users have used mobile phones for periods in excess of 10 years.

Following lowered prices by health insurance companies, customers are slowly returning to private medical insurance cover according to The Daily Mail's article Private Health Revival 24 June 2007 written by Stephen Womack. This is just one of a flurry of insurance articles being highlighted by the press at the moment as criticism of the NHS intensifies and the issues with health insurance in the states reach a climax.

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The ABI, Association of British Insurers, released figures that showed the numbers of people taking out private health insurance increased last year, after declining in previous years. 110,000 extra health policies were taken out in 2006 with 5.88 million people in the UK now covered for health care either via an individual health insurance or a corporate medical insurance policy which provides employee health cover.

Medical insurance companies have been working to drive down the cost of health insurance, excluding certain longer-term medical conditions or eliminating unnecessary extras. Often these longer term conditions are covered amply by the NHS and private treatment is not essential.

Freedom's low cost policies, one of which was highlighted in a health insurance article in The Independent recently as the most competitively priced comprehensive insurance policy, provide basic cover through to a comprehensive policy with extras that include alternative therapies.

With obesity threatening the resources of the NHS, according to the BBC, decisive action must be taken to preserve our health service.

Sir Derek Wanless originally wrote a groundbreaking report in 2002 which led to record rises in the budget the NHS was given. He is now saying that too little is being done to address the growing problem of obesity in the UK. Limited NHS resources are being drained and will potentially only get worse as 33% of men and 28% of women will be obese by 2010, figures that are much worse than he originally predicted in 2002. With obesity leading to diabetes, cancers and heart disease, the burden on the NHS will only grow over the coming years.

What does this mean for private health insurance? As people become increasingly aware of the issues facing the NHS, more and more are turning to medical insurance to ensure that they can be treated promptly if injury or disease occurs.

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(picture :BBC web site)

Freedom Healthnet was recently noted in The Independent as having the most competitively priced comprehensive health insurance policy with their Platinum policy. Written within the article entitled Is private health cover really worth the cost? the newspaper copy showed a table The price of good healthcare which directly compared PHC, PruHealth and Freedom in the comprehensive policy stakes. Freedom's comprehensive platinum health insurance policy came out as the most competitively priced in The Independent's example at a full £16 cheaper per month than PruHealth for a comparable policy.
The platinum medical insurance policy is one of 4 key policies which Freedom offer. The platinum is actually our mid-range policy, with our Diamond and Diamond Plus offering increased levels of cover and the Gold policy offering a basic level of cover at an even cheaper premium.

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With so much going on within the private health insurance industry at the moment, we wanted to ensure that we were keeping a record of interesting developments that affect us all. An information blog was the most appropriate medium for our team to reflect on, comment upon and generally digest the latest health insurance news.

Utilising our talented and dedicated staff, we will endeavour to bring you stories, news and PMI facts plus latest information, videos and images associated with the medical insurance industry.

Please note: the views expressed within this information blog are those of individuals and are not representative of the company.