Nearly 300,000 teenage girls in the UK will receive a vaccine against the virus which causes killer disease cervical cancer this autumn. The Health Minister, Dawn Primarolo, made the announcement this month, which means that girls in their final year at school will join 12 and 13 year old girls across the country taking part in the scheme in September. The vaccine protects against the sexually transmitted human papilloma virus which is thought to cause around 7 in 10 of all cervical cancer cases. The disease kills around 1,000 women every year, and the government hopes that 400 lives will be saved with the introduction of the immunisation scheme. However, some people have expressed concerns however that routine smear tests will eventually be phased out.

Currently, the NHS offers smear tests to women over the age of twenty-five, every three to five years, in order to diagnose any abnormal cells developing in the cervix, but some people are worried that women will get complacent about their visits, and that doctors will not offer the test as regularly. This is concerning, especially as around a third of all cases of the cancer are not related to the virus at all. With some private medical insurance policies, women have access to full medical health checks. Alternatively, women can opt to pay for a private smear test via a private doctor and then claim on their health insurance policies to fund treatment, if needed. Even if smear tests are eventually scaled down, ther are options for those who wish to put their minds at rest.

Routine testing as it currently stands has failed some women in the UK, even before any reduction in services. At just twenty four years old, Katie Hilliard from West Sussex, has been given two years to live after being diagnosed with terminal cervical cancer. Katie was refused a smear test on the NHS twice because she was ‘too young’. Doctors and specialists are hoping that the immunisation programme may help to lessen the numbers of cases like Katie's.

Corporate health insurance has many benefits to both the employer and employee, most importantly losing less days to sickness each year through a generally healthier workforce. There are however many misconceptions about group health insurance policies that may put bosses off from investing in something that can be very worthwhile for their businesses.

One of the most common mistakes is that managers believe all health insurance policies cost the same. This of course varies according to many factors, such as the general age and size of the workforce as well as the type of health cover. Cash plan medical insurance policies, like those offered by Freedom Healthnet, can work out more cost effective than traditional plans and give more choice to the employee as to where they would like to receive their treatment. Many people also believe that they will have to go through the hassle of getting a referral, but in fact most health insurance companies are based on an open access system and require no referral at all.

Some business owners are led to think that they will have to use a broker in order to get the best deal for them, but this can be expensive and unnecessary. Quotes for private medical insurance are easily available online as well as all the information a company will need to help them decide if that particular level of cover is well suited to their needs. If advice is needed, independent brokers are available to help for little or no cost. On the other hand, some corporations think they know everything that there is to know about private medical insurance when in fact they are missing out on vital knowledge that could save them a lot of money. The industry is constantly changing and it is hard to keep up with the latest information with a busy business to run. It is worthwhile enquiring into a new quote regularly and taking advice from independent brokers to ensure that the company’s group health cover is both cost efficient and gives the most relevant benefits.

September is coming round again, and many parents will be packing off their teenagers to begin their first year at university. It is a worrying time for mums and dads as they can no longer keep a watch over their youngsters. Many questions run through a parent's mind - are their children feeding themselves properly? What if they get ill? Will they know what to do? Will they get the care they need?

Moving away from home is also a big step for many young people, some of whom may have only just turned eighteen years old. They very often are unaware of how much they rely on their parents for providing meals, clean clothes and comfort when things don’t go quite as expected. Freedom Healthnet offers a specially designed health insurance policy for students which can provide that extra assurance, for both parents and teenagers, that protection is there if something unexpected does happen.

Fresher’s flu is one of the first illnesses that a student can expect to come across this autumn. Symptoms include fever, headaches and a sore throat, arising perhaps from a mixture of alcohol, the stress and excitement of moving away from home, and various types of bacteria coming together, possibly from from all over the world, to which some people will not have immunity.

Although most students should not need to seek private medical care for this cold-like illness, there are other more serious conditions, like meningitis, which can crop up. Having a student medical insurance policy will ensure that healthcare is available if an emergency occurs, or if treatment is required for a more long term condition. With the choice offered by Freedom Healthnet, students have the choice as to whether they would like to visit a clinic close to home or to university, and if their parents are covered by a family health insurance policy they will even be able to claim treatment until they are 25 years old, if they are still in full time education.

A survey has discovered that 41% of gay men do not know that they are HIV positive. The investigation, which was carried out in London, Manchester, Glasgow, Brighton and Edinburgh, found that of the 3500 men who took part, nearly one in ten tested positive. More worrying is the large number who are oblivious to HIV. Equally as concerning is the large number of HIV positive men who have previously had tests and still thought they were free from the disease. Out of 92 percent who had been tested, the figure who thought they were HIV negative was nearly two thirds of that, at 62.3 percent.

Experts are concerned that despite being aware of their condition, HIV positive men are still having unsafe sex. Will Nutland, Terrence Higgins Trust's Strategic Lead in Health Promotion told PinkNews, “All of the data shows that at the point of HIV diagnosis it is men who practice unsafe sex who are more likely to be found to be HIV positive, but I don't believe it is the case that men start to practice unsafe sex after they find out their status. What is most concerning about these results is the large amount of gay man who are unaware of their HIV status.” HIV is the sexually transmitted virus which leads to AIDS. The disease leads to many health conditions through a weakened immune system, including rare forms of cancer, loss of vision and some mental health problems. It is advisable for everyone to have a regular general health check-up which involves tests for HIV as well as other health conditions like diabetes and blood pressure. Freedom Healthnet offers fairness in all their policies and offers private medical insurance for homosexuals with equal benefits and conditions.