A surprising number of children are using alternative medicines. Twelve per cent of young people are experimenting with unconventional treatments, according to research carried out in the USA, by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH). There are huge amounts of alternative treatments available, ranging from herbal supplements such as Echinacea, to slightly more unusual therapies, like acupuncture. Alternative therapies, often seen as less invasive than mainstream medicine, are covered more often nowadays by private medical insurance policies like those offered by Freedom.  This means that more children could have access to these popular treatments, if their parents were to obtain a quote for private medical cover.

Thirty eight per cent of adults were also found to have tried alternative treatments in the past year, and children were five times as likely to have tried the therapies, if their parents had also experimented. Alternative and complementary procedures and pills can be used to treat a wide range of illnesses and health problems, the most popular among children being back or neck pain, colds, anxiety or stress, other muscle and skeletal problems and attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). While some people have expressed their concerns about the proven safety and effectiveness of such treatments, such as the use of St John’s Wort to treat attention deficit and hyperactivity which has been shown to have no effect on the conditions, the popularity of such procedures cannot be ignored. Children can have access to these alternative medicines through a family health insurance policy or individual child private medical cover if they so wish. The survey also showed that the treatments were also popular among teenagers, who could also be included in family health insurance or on a low cost student health insurance policy. 

You may be inclined to think that a private health insurance policy is a private health insurance policy, whether you buy it from Freedom Healthnet or one of its competitors. But there are many different levels of cover, and different types of policy itself, as well as minor differences which may make you think twice before you buy one health insurance policy over another.

One example of these minor differences are hospital lists, which are given by some private medical insurance providers to their customers from which they are required to choose where they would like to be treated. One provider who offers this kind of service is Norwich Union, and in order to gain access to a wider range of treatment centres, customers have to fork out for a policy with a much higher premium.  Freedom Healthnet on the other hand doesn’t have any hospital lists on all levels of cover (with the exception of some areas in London) so policy holders are free to choose either a private or NHS hospital in an area that is most suitable to their needs. Private medical insurance customers with a limited hospital list on their policy could use the money they would have spent to extend this list on topping up a Freedom Healthnet policy so that it includes more benefits. By upgrading from Freedom Gold to Freedom Platinum, you could nearly double your in-patient treatment limit from £30,000 to £50,000 and this could be from just 33 pence extra per month.

A quote for private medical insurance is based on many factors including age, occupation and area of residence. Some people will undoubtedly end up with a higher bill for private medical cover than others. In a time when income is being spread further than it has been in the past decade, most people will be looking for ways in which they can save – and their private medical insurance policy is one of them. By making a few simple lifestyle changes however, a person could put themselves in a significantly lower risk category than someone else. Here are just three ways in which this can be done:

The healthier you are, the less you pay. You may have been a smoker all your life, but it is never too late to change. Simply by taking a second look at your diet and participating in exercise – even something as easy as walking further than you usually would – can make a big difference to your general well-being. The private medical insurance provider will undoubtedly have to pay out for more health care treatments for someone who has a lower standard of health so this is reflected in the insurance quote.

A less hazardous occupation can reduce the cost of your private health insurance policy. There are dangers in every walk of life, but some workplaces expose their employees to more risky situations than others. Some areas of the country also mean people more likely to be susceptible to a certain condition than others – for example heart disease is known to be more prevalent in areas of the North and Scotland. You do not necessarily have to change your job or move house – but this is something to consider when you are enquiring into private health insurance.

A good credit rating can also save you money on your medical insurance premiums. This factor is becoming increasingly relevant across more areas than before, as your ability to pay also affects health insurance companies, as well as other institutions like mortgage providers. A customer with an excellent credit history will obviously be more attractive and will benefit from a reduction in price.

In the second part of Freedom’s look at 2009, we continue to look at some more of the exciting prospects and challenges for the healthcare industry in the coming year.

Genetic testing has been emerging more and more over the past decade, with the possibility of it being used in every day diagnosis becoming increasingly likely. It has not come without controversy, and ethical issues have meant that the introduction of new methods of testing has been slow and careful. But for the first time, it looks like the market for genetic testing may take off, as costs have dropped significantly, making them much more widely available particularly to those people with private medical insurance. These developments mean that people can get their entire DNA mapped out, so that genetic diseases such as Alzheimer’s can be identified on a person’s genome. Personalised medicine is something that is also in the pipeline for the coming year, meaning that side effects from drugs are much less likely. However these will be expensive, and people may get a quote for private medical insurance to allow them access to these treatments.

Technology is likely to be a big factor in the way that patients experience healthcare in 2009. The increased use of the internet, in particular social networking sites has allowed patients to interact with each other. Patient forums such as patientslikeme.com are also becoming more and more popular meaning that the way people receive medical information is changing. Blogs, like this one offered by Freedom, are also providing an alternative source of information. 

A new disease classification index known as ICD-10 will be introduced in 2009. ICD-10 (International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems) is a way of coding many different healthcare problems such as diseases, symptoms, social circumstances and external causes of injury or diseases as defined by the World Health Organization. This will have two impacts. Firstly, it will be a costly transition for health institutions that some with limited funds (like the NHS) may struggle with, meaning that private health care companies may come out on top. However, it will allow the tracking of new procedures and diagnoses so that there may be a better standard of healthcare and treatments available for those with private medical insurance and NHS patients alike. 

Healthcare in 2009 – Part One

Another new year is on our doorsteps, undoubtedly bringing with it challenges and exciting prospects for individuals and businesses alike. The healthcare industry is no exception to this and Freedom looks ahead to just two of the issues likely to be raised in 2009, according to PricewaterhouseCoopers' Health Research Institute.

Smaller pharmaceutical companies could boom this coming year, as the overall economic downturn has meant that production in large businesses has slowed down. These big companies, also known as Big Pharma (referring to those companies with revenues of over £2 billion, such as the British GlaxoSmithKline) will be increasingly relying on the takeover and mergers of smaller pharmaceuticals to bring innovation back into the drug development industry. This could be exciting news for private health insurance customers, because more new drugs could become available on the market as a result, and with NHS top-ups now available, private medical insurance policy holders could choose to take advantage of their cover by paying the difference for these more expensive new drugs.

Preventative treatments are also likely to get a boost in the New Year from a range of health care players including drug makers. Vaccines will be at the forefront of the market and new ones are likely to emerge, like the cervical cancer vaccine that began to be delivered to teenage girls earlier in 2008. Some of these brand new preventative healthcare measures may not immediately be offered by the NHS, so a quote for private medical insurance could posibly help to ensure full access to the treatments, as and when they become available.

Private health insurance has traditionally been seen as a luxury, particularly for those with a lower income. The introduction of cash plan medical insurance policies made the privilege available to a large number of people who couldn’t afford access to convenient and high quality healthcare in previous years. But with money becoming tight for everyone and sacrifices being made, there was speculation about whether private medical insurance might no longer be seen as a priority. This doesn’t appear to have happened though, with people preferring to find ways of saving money on their private health insurance policy, rather than cancelling it altogether.

There are many ways in which people can cut costs on their private medical insurance – firstly by switching to a cash plan provider like Freedom Healthnet. This type of policy offers a much more competitive rate than traditional levels of cover and yet still has many benefits to offer, including the choice as to whether a person would like to receive their treatment in a private health clinic, in a healthcare centre abroad, or whether they would prefer to get help towards any costs incurred as a result of NHS treatment. 

Mike Dalby, director of Health-on-Line says, “We are seeing evidence that health insurance customers are taking a longer term view on their private medical insurance and now consider it a necessity when it comes to protecting the welfare of their families." People have been put off completely ending their policies for a number of reasons. Firstly, someone could lose cover for a medical condition that has developed in the time they have had a private medical insurance policy. They could also lose money in the long term by no longer being subject to their no claims discount which may have built up over many years. Overall, it could make better sense to keep up a health policy, but to look for providers who offer great value.