Cash plan private medical insurance could be one of the most suited types of private health cover to the needs of the over 50s. According to research carried out by Saga, the freedom to choose where and when a patient receives their treatment is the second most important factor to this age group when it comes to choosing a private medical insurance policy. Freedom Healthnet offers just this, and unlike many other cash plan providers, has no hospital lists from which to choose from. This gives even greater choice when it comes to deciding where a patient would like to be treated. Another benefit to cash plan private medical insurance is the low cost premiums. Over 50s can often be put off by the rising monthly prices of private health insurance with increasing age, but this is one affordable way to gain access to the some of the best hospitals and treatment centres in the UK.


The reason why most people over the age of 50 choose private medical insurance is to avoid NHS waiting lists according to the survey. Hygiene is also a big issue following high profile cases of MRSA, and was the third main reason that over 50s chose private health cover in 2009. Only one in ten of the people who took part in the study were happy with the cleanliness of NHS hospitals and may have wanted access to an alternative to give themselves peace of mind. Private health insurance is an affordable way to do this, especially as people may not wish to use their savings to pay directly for private healthcare which can be costly.