March 10th, 2011
Freedom Healthnet affirmed the benefits of private health insurance as the company launched a range of new comprehensive health insurance policies.
Freedom Healthnet is already a market leader in the UK for health insurance, providing policies to both private individuals as well as companies and this new suite of insurances offers a wider range of medical options to the discerning client.
According to CEO, Nahid Salehi, “Freedom Healthnet has always been an innovative company looking to serve the practical needs of modern society in new and exciting ways. These new medical insurance policies offer basic cover through to cover for top london hospitals, private GPs, etc.”
Freedom Healthnet was the first company in the UK to radically change how private health insurance is used, by offering a cash payment on a claim, rather than simply paying medical bills. This gives Freedom Healthnet’s customers the choice of where and how to take their medical treatment, whether at home or aboard, public or NHS, using the cash from a health insurance policy payout.
Freedom Healthnet Ltd is also pioneering elements of private health insurance for people who have to spend significant time working overseas to ensure they are appropriately covered both in the UK and abroad.
Nahid Salehi continues, “It doesn’t matter whether it’s an individual looking for private medical insurance or a company looking to develop a group or company medical insurance scheme, we’ve made sure that Freedom Healthnet can provide for them. Even still, we’re not resting on our laurels, and intend to push the envelope further in terms of how we can tailor health insurance provision to the widest range of needs.”
Contact:
Hooshiar Mires
Freedom Healthnet (http://www.freedomhealthnet.com)
Bourne Gate
25 Bourne Valley Road
Poole
BH1 1DY
08703 50 40 30
Tags: freedom healthnet, Freedom Healthnet Insurance, Freedom Insurance
Posted in Health Insurance Policy, Medical Insurance Policy, Private Health Insurance, Private Medical Insurance | No Comments »
January 24th, 2011
When people talk about health insurance they normally mention the wonderful benefits and reassurance that it can provide but what is seldom talked about is what it does not cover. Its important to know about this so that you have realistic expectations and also so that when you go to make a claim you can be happy in the knowledge that you know your policy well and there will be no surprises.
The Freedom Healthnet Elite health insurance policy is slightly different in that is does provide cover in ways that other health insurance policies do not and this is what makes it unique.
Pre-existing conditions
Normally medical insurance will not cover you for a pre-existing condition. You have to be free of symptoms of a past condition for five years from the date you take up your health cover.
Chronic conditions
Chronic conditions are those that are long term and need managing. For example asthma or arthritis. However sometimes policies can provide cover for unusual ‘flare ups’ that need to be controlled for you to carry on leading a normal life again even if your condition is chronic. Additionally if you present with a new acute condition that ends up being a chronic condition you are normally covered for your initial investigations.
With Freedom Elite comprehensive medical insurance however you are covered for chronic conditions under their Executive Option.
Emergency medicine
Medical insurance is not designed to cover emergency medicine. However after a visit to an emergency NHS department you can be moved to a private hospital once your condition has stabilised.
Addictions
Private health insurance is not designed to cover problems that are related to drug, solvent or alcohol abuse.
Cosmetic Surgery
Health cover is not designed to cover cosmetic surgery that is elective. Sometimes policies will provide cover for cosmetic procedures that are related to your condition. For example, if a person had to have a mastectomy then a breast reconstruction done during that surgery would be covered. Conversely if you then decided later on that you wanted to have the other breast done for cosmetic reasons, that would not be covered.
No GP referral
Any treatment that you undertake without GP referral will not be covered under the terms of your health insurance. The GP is the first port of call when it comes to health care insurance. This protects you and the insurer.
Self-inflicted injuries
Even though self-harm may be triggered by an acute psychiatric attack it is not covered by any health policies. If you have psychiatric cover you can be treated for psychological problems but not if they have been preceded by a self-harm incident.
Professional sports injuries
Normal health insurance cover does not treat professional sports injuries. The risk for insurance companies is too great in this area.
HIV/AIDS
These conditions are taken to be chronic conditions and are not covered by any health insurer.
The above is not a comprehensive list of exclusions. Policy documents should always be referred to when looking into private health insurance.
Tags: comprehensive medical insurance, Freedom Elite, Freedom Elite health insurance, health cover, health insurance, health insurer, medical insurance
Posted in Health Insurance Policy, Medical Insurance Policy, Private Health Insurance, Private Medical Insurance | No Comments »
December 27th, 2010
With the government focus being on saving money and spending cut-backs it is no wonder that they have turned their eye on savings that can be made in the NHS. The most recent focus is on whether ‘unnecessary’ treatments can be axed. In some ways this would align the NHS more with what’s available through conventional private health insurance.
Currently the NHS offer many treatments which could be considered to be life-enhancing rather than medically necessary. Hair removal, skin tag removal, cosmetic surgery, the treatment of minor varicose veins and even gender reassignment are examples of this. Through its history the NHS has moved from offering basic treatment for the medically and mentally infirm to a new position where it provides sophistiated medical treatments and additionally proceedures that may not be medically necessary but that have an enourmous impact on people’s quality of life.
Using medical science to improve our quality of life as much as possible is one of the great things about the treatments that are available today. No, they are not strictly ‘necessary’ in the medical sense but they can have an immense impact on our day to day lives. Additionally, we the British public, are becoming accustomed to being able to have anything that’s available for free as long as we qualify for that treatment. Removing this is a backward step for the NHS.
The point of health insurance is that you can get quicker treatment for acute conditions, usually in an environment which is more conducive to a healthy recovery. In a boom economy if the NHS were to cut its ‘unnecessary treatments’ this would mean that we would be treated very quickly for important procedures. This could be a risk to private health insurance. But the reality is that there will still be a need for good private medical insurance because the Government will not use the savings to put back into the NHS but to reduce spending.
The boom sector will be the private health sector. Treatments that are not possible through the NHS or private medical insurance will be available if you pay directly to private doctors or hospitals. Additionally the NHS may be required to charge for some treatments that are considered to be ‘unecessary.’
Tags: health insurance, Private Health Insurance
Posted in Health Insurance Policy, NHS, health news | No Comments »
October 24th, 2010
Freedom Healthnet medical insurance, like other health insurance does not cover all medical eventualities. Making sure that you are aware of this is a very important step in buying private health insurance. So what isn’t covered?
Chronic conditions
Chronic conditions are categorised as follows by Freedom Healthcare:
A disease, illness or injury which has at least one of the following characteristics:
• It continues indefinitely and has no know cure
• It comes back or is likely to come back
• It is permanent
• You need to be rehabilitated or specially trained to cope with it
• It needs long term monitoring, consultations, check-ups, examinations or tests
Pregnancy
Pregnancy services are not covered by health insurance companies although pregnant women who present with other medical conditions can claim health insurance if they have been with a medical insurer for a designated period of time. This varies from insurer to insurer.
Emergency medicine
Private health care establishments are not equipped to deal with emergencies. This is the proviso of the NHS. Patients can be referred under the terms of their health insurance policy once they have been stabilised.
Pre-existing medical conditions
Pre-existing medical conditions are never covered by health insurance policies. Medical insurance is designed to cover you for unexpected acute medical conditions only. If you are diagnosed with a new chronic condition then an insurance company may cover you for the diagnostic tests that led up to the diagnosis.
GP consultations
Most people use NHS GPs who can then refer them to private health hospitals and consultants. However health insurance companies do not pay for private GP consultations. Additionally NHS GPs sometimes charge for private referral and these fees are not covered either under health insurance policies.
Cosmetic surgery
Elective cosmetic surgery that is not part of a medical problem is not covered under health insurance policies.
Dental treatment
There are many cash plan insurers that cover dental treatment but this is not covered by normal health insurance companies.
Other things not covered:
Drug, solvent and alcohol abuse
HIV/AIDS
It is important to refer to policy documents to find out exactly what your policy does and does not cover you for.
Tags: freedom healthnet, health insurance, medical insurance, Private Health Insurance
Posted in Health Insurance Policy, Medical Insurance Policy, Private Health Insurance | 2 Comments »
July 8th, 2010
The NHS could be hit by massive job cuts, say the Royal College of Nursing (RCN). The organisation has revealed how the government plans to get rid of at least 10,000 staff in the health service to help pay back some of the billions of pounds of debt which the country is now in. It comes after the new government had promised to protect front line health services and now experts are predicting a rise in the number of people taking out a private medical insurance policy if the quality of healthcare suffers as a result.
The job cuts will be carried out via a freeze in recruitment and by not replacing people that have retired, a method which the General Secretary and Chief Executive of the RCN has branded an ‘insidious erosion of staffing.’ Many people are concerned that this will have a detrimental effect on the running and quality of the health service. If this begins to have an effect on patient’s experience of dealing with the NHS, it does seem likely that people may begin to look at private medical insurance as an alternative. With policies becoming increasingly affordable for most budgets, especially the often cheaper cash plan cover, people may decide to make an investment in their health to ensure the best quality of healthcare is available to them should they need it.
Tags: freedom healthnet, NHS jobs, Private Medical Insurance
Posted in Health Insurance Policy, NHS | 1 Comment »
May 27th, 2010
Expensive cancer drugs could be made available on the NHS if new Prime Minister David Cameron manages to put through one of his election proposals. Last month, the Conservative said that up to £1 billion of extra funding could be made available for more expensive cancer treatments which are currently only available in private hospitals. He said that by not increasing National Insurance, the NHS could save up to £200 million a year, which would be allocated to cancer treatments like Herceptin. The proposals were welcomed by cancer charities and will be waiting to hear whether it will still be included among policies for the coalition government. A Conservative spokesperson said: “We reject the notion that the public should have to take out private medical insurance to get access to the best cancer drugs.”
It is not only cancer drugs which people purchase private health cover to help pay for though. Other services and new medicines are often not available if they are expensive and people who cannot afford to pay for the outright cost may find that the small monthly premiums of a cash plan private medical insurance policy may be a more cost effective way of topping up their NHS care. New rules on NHS top-ups, which allow patients to pay the added cost of upgrading their healthcare, rather than footing the bill for the whole cost of the treatment have meant cheaper forms of private medical insurance like cash plans have become an ideal solution.
Posted in Health Insurance Policy, NHS | No Comments »
May 26th, 2010
Private medical insurance companies have expressed concerns over a new test for cancer, despite scientists’ claims that it could revolutionise the treatment of the disease. Cancer tumour genomic analysis, or Oncotype DX as it is more commonly known, is a form of gene profiling which can determine whether patients should receive chemotherapy or not. Although it is widely used across the United States, private medical insurance companies in the UK as well as the NHS have not favoured it over traditional diagnostics as of yet, stating it needs to prove it is better than current methods. A lot of private medical insurance policies do not include cancer care within their benefits at the moment, but experts believe it could cut the cost of treating the disease and may mean it could be included in the future.
The test is potentially cost effective for insurers and the NHS because it can help them to avoid over-treatment as well as to provide more targeted treatments than they can currently. Genomic Health, who developed the diagnostic, says that it can change the initial treatment of cancer in almost a third of cases. However, private health insurers remain wary of the savings this will bring in real terms to often costly price of treating cancer and want more evidence before they offer it to their customers. In the past, people have taken out private health cover because they want to have access to drugs which are not readily available on the NHS, in particular revolutionary cancer drugs such as Herceptin.
Posted in Health Insurance Policy, NHS | No Comments »
May 24th, 2010
Patients are getting stressed as they wait to be given their diagnosis according to one of the latest studies. Almost nine out of ten people who took part in the ‘Delayed Diagnosis’ study for Aviva, said that waiting to find out what is wrong with them can cause them more stress whilst they are ill. This has also meant that people are turning to self-diagnosis for their health problems which can cause even more worry. Over half of people in the study admitted to looking on the internet to find out what their illness is, and a third of people have been left worried after asking family and friends for advice. Private medical insurance could be a good option for these people, as they could expect a quicker diagnosis than on the NHS and the unnecessary worry could be eliminated.
NHS waiting lists have been a concern for many people for a long time, and have been stated as one of the top reasons for why people opt for private medical insurance. This latest research has found that it is still a worry for patients, despite some figures showing that waiting lists have reduced. Almost nine out of ten people (86%) said they think NHS waiting lists are too long and almost half named being able to get a prognosis quickly as one of the main benefits of having a private medical insurance policy. Being ill can be stressful enough on its own, despite having to wait often lengthy periods of time without knowing what is wrong, so it is no wonder millions of people in the UK begin to look for an alternative.
Posted in Health Insurance Policy, NHS, Private Medical Insurance | 1 Comment »
May 12th, 2010
Private medical insurance provider PruHealth has announced this week it is buying out its competitor Standard Life’s Healthcare branch. Standard Life is the fourth largest provider of private health cover in the UK, and the purchase of the company by Discovery – who joint own PruHealth with Prudential – means that they will cover more than 700,000 people across the country. The two companies currently offer different advantages in their private medical insurance policies and they have said the joining of the two will mean a wide variety of policies for their customers. The deal is not expected to go through until the end of July though, and the two companies are expected to continue working as rivals in the private health insurance market until it is confirmed.
Spokesperson Herschel Mayers for PruHealth and PruProtect said: “These are indeed exciting times for the UK PMI market – the NHS has performed well recently whilst benefitting from unprecedented levels of funding. Increased pressure to curb the current levels of public spending is likely to create significant opportunities for growth.” All areas of the private health insurance market have been growing in recent years, in particular the cash plan sector as people increasingly look to save as much money as they can on their expenditures. Cash plan providers like Freedom Healthnet have seen an increased demand, with 2008 being a record year for the number of people being covered by one of the most cost effective and affordable types of private medical insurance policies available.
Tags: private health insurance news
Posted in Health Insurance Policy, Private Health Insurance | No Comments »
