As various election campaigns get into full swing across the country with only weeks left until polling day on May 6th, Freedom Healthnet continues its special look at the party’s proposals for healthcare provisions. The NHS is a long standing and vital issue for the vying politicians and their plans for its future not only have an effect upon the state of free healthcare itself, but also for the private sector. Today, we look at the Conservative party’s manifesto and the impacts it could have if they win the general election.


GP opening hours is a continuing issue, despite the reform brought about in 2004 and it has not escaped the Conservatives plans for the NHS. Similarly to Labour, they promise access to GP care twelve hours a day, seven days a week for every person in the UK. But Cameron’s plans say that GPs themselves would be responsible for deciding how the services will be provided which means that contracts will have to be negotiated again. Six years ago, GPs opted out of out of hours care in favour of a pay cut and meant that doctors were brought in to cover the service. The Chairman of BMA Council, Dr Hamish Meldrum told the BBC: "The idea of being able to see a GP from 8am to 8pm, seven days a week is bound to be popular, and patients deserve good access to GP services, but this shouldn't come at the expense of the quality of a patient's overall care, which is at risk if services become fragmented.” If the level of care does drop, people could be tempted to get a quote for private medical insurance.


Other healthcare proposals from the Tories include ruling out the planned closure of some Accident and Emergency and maternity departments in certain hospitals. While this seems to be a popular policy, critics have said that some of these closures are needed and without them patient safety and quality of their healthcare could be at risk. Private health insurance could then become a more attractive option for increasing numbers of people if they wish to gain affordable access to private hospitals where some of the highest quality healthcare in the UK is on offer.

Premiums for private medical insurance could end up being up to twenty percent lower following a new ruling from the Monopolies and Mergers Commission (MMC). At the end of last month, the Commission told the British Medical Association (BMA) that it could no longer publish guidelines on the fees that consultants can charge for private work. The corporate affairs minister, Neil Hamilton, told the Independent that this has meant that doctors have been able “to charge higher fees than would otherwise be possible”. With this now eliminated, the cost of private health care could be reduced and private health insurers will then be able to pass on the savings to their customers and this could mean that more people decide to take out a quote for private health cover in the future.


At the minute, Bupa is still allowed to publish a list of the maximum fees they charge for each procedure and some people have called for this to be stopped as well. The MMC say they are allowing it to continue because it has a ‘restraining effect on consultants’ charges,’ despite thei research showing that 70 percent of the market is influenced by Bupa and other insurers. If Bupa are included in these new rules, it’s been predicted it could speed up the savings to private medical insurance policy holders. Now these rules have been brought in, it seems likely that the next step will be for private consultants to advertise their prices to family doctors and increased competition could bring down costs even more. Private health insurance companies like Freedom Healthnet already look for ways to save their customers money on their premiums. One way in which Freedom Healthnet does this is by giving a cash lump sum to patients. By being in a position to pay up front for treatment, the cost of the treatment will be lower and savings can be passed on to other policy holders.

Some private medical insurance providers are beginning to encourage their client’s employees to consider being treated in an NHS hospital rather than making full use of their private health insurance cover. Staff are being offered £200 a night to use the NHS for their treatment rather than going into a private hospital. The BBC is reported to be involved in such a scheme, although a spokesperson has denied it, because they have been inundated with senior staff who are claiming on their corporate health insurance policy for a stay in a private clinic that could cost up to £1,000 per night. Offering a cash incentive is one way in which companies like this are trying to cut costs on their private health cover. Another option for businesses is to compare other types of policy with their current one and considering swapping to a cheaper alternative. Cash plan private health insurance is one of the cheapest ways of providing this valued benefit to employees.


Private medical insurance providers, like Freedom Healthnet, have been recognising the importance of giving people the option to use the NHS if they wish for years. Cash plan policies in particular have found that the choice that people get from being given a cash lump sum to cover all or part of the cost of their treatment is an advantage. This means that people can choose whether they would prefer to be treated in a private hospital, in a clinic abroad or in an NHS centre if they so wish. This may be the most convenient option for some people if the hospital is closest to their home for example and then the policy holder can use the money to help cover other costs incurred as a result of the illness, such as having to take a day off work or travel costs.

National waiting lists make no difference to the number of people who take out private medical insurance. That’s according to one study that investigated into the many factors that could encourage a person to seek private healthcare. Gavin Wallis, in his 2003 ‘The Determinants of Demand for Private Medical Insurance: Evidence from the British Household Panel Survey’ found that it was regional waiting times that actually confirmed people’s worries about being treated in an NHS facility. Despite the huge press coverage given to the latest waiting time statistics in the national press, it seems that people responded to those results that were much more relevant to themselves. Wallis also found that a drop in waiting times meant that people were less inclined to take out private health insurance, but the most recent national statistics on this stating that the majority of waiting lists are now under the 18 week target could now not be as significant as the government may hope if regional results are not as successful.


Locality was also an important factor in a different area of a person’s decision to purchase private medical insurance or not. The availability of private medical facilities to a person’s home was found to be more important than even the number of private healthcare centres in a certain region. The benefit of having private health insurance, particularly one which has no hospital lists like the policies offered by Freedom Healthnet, is that the most convenient hospital can be chosen. This could even be the facility closest to a person’s work, or a family member who can offer some care after an operation for example.

Getting a quote for private medical insurance is now a very easy process, heightened greatly by the internet. But if you are not entirely sure what you are looking for, you could end up with a policy that is not as suited to your needs as another one might be. Increasing numbers of people in the UK are now taking out private medical insurance but there are still a large number of people for whom it is a new idea that has now become accessible to them through cheaper versions of private health cover like cash plan policies. For others, they may have been covered by one company for a number of years and have only just considered swapping to another provider. It is no wonder that people make mistakes and end up taking out a policy that is not completely relevant or costs them more than necessary.


Some of the most common mistakes people make are because they don’t really know what they want from private medical insurance and what their main priorities are. It is best to research the different types of cover that a company offers before you even think about taking out a quote, and one of the easiest ways to do this is on the providers website and decide whether you want to cover just yourself, you and your partner, or your whole family. There are a number of levels of cover available as well, so decide whether you would like to be covered for inpatient or outpatient treatment or both. If physiotherapy and other alternative treatments are something which you would like to be covered for, make sure that these are included. People can also make mistakes with their excesses. Even though they can often bring down the premiums for some policies, you may be paying more excess than the cost of the actual treatment. Opting for cash plan private medical insurance like the policies offered by Freedom Healthnet can be a better way of lowering the cost of premiums.

Long waiting times have traditionally been one of the main reasons that people in the UK opt for private medical insurance to be seen in a much shorter time at a private healthcare clinic. In the past few years however, the NHS has made significant improvements in cutting their average waiting times but it seems that this news has not affected some people’s attitudes towards the health service. According to one of the latest surveys, less than one in five people (18 percent) were satisfied with the waiting times for operations in the UK. The research, carried out by The Economist Intelligence Unit found that this lack of contentment was much higher in the UK than in the United States where 30 percent of people were satisfied with the waiting times.


Illness is not something you want to drag out for a long time. Once diagnosed, you want to be treated in the shortest time possible and get back to work or your normal daily activities. Even though NHS waiting times have been reduced, you may still have to wait for up to 18 weeks and this is too long for some people. One quarter of the British people who took part in this study said that they would be willing to pay to reduce these waiting times. Three quarters also said that they would like the option to choose where they want to be treated and which doctor they would like to see but over half said that they weren’t encouraged to do so. Freedom Healthnet highly values this choice and has no hospital lists unlike some private health insurance providers which means that there are even more options available.

NHS patients have had the option to upgrade their treatment since last year, meaning that they can have access to expensive drugs if they wish to pay extra. This has been extremely popular with revolutionary cancer drugs like Herceptin, but now it seems that the huge cost of these treatments are bumping up the cost of some private medical insurance policies. PMI is a highly attractive option to help pay towards the cost of upgrading NHS care, but if premiums are becoming more expensive some people may start to look for an alternative. Cash plan private health insurance, like the policies offered by Freedom Healthnet is extremely affordable, and although it doesn’t cover the cost of cancer treatment, it is ideal for topping up other forms of NHS treatment. This way, premiums are less likely to increase from their already low cost because they will not be affected by this.


More than four in ten people (42 percent) would pay for drugs that are currently not available on the NHS according to the 2008 Health of the Nation survey, which was carried out by Bupa. These often new and expensive treatments can be more effective in treating certain conditions and are undoubtedly highly sought after by sufferers. But the NHS is inevitably limited by its budget that is looking likely to be cut in the next few years as the government makes to look savings to help pay back the record amount of debt the UK is now in. The number of people who are taking out a quote for private medical insurance to enable them to upgrade their medical care in the most affordable way may increase as a result.

Private healthcare companies are now caring for four times the amount of NHS patients than it was less than two years ago. Figures from the Department of Health released this week show that a total of 8,400 NHS treatments were carried out by a private healthcare centre in August this year, compared to 2,100 procedures eighteen months previously. While some private health insurance customers are concerned that private hospitals should be differentiating between the level of care that a NHS patient receives compared to a paying customer, it means that the importance of patient choice is now being recognised by the government as well as some existing private health insurance providers like Freedom Healthnet. In fact, these cash plan policy holders have the benefit of choosing where and when they wish to be treated already, included in that is the choice to be treated in an NHS hospital if they wish. So cash plan health insurance customers like those with Freedom now have an even wider choice.

Some private hospitals have started to offer a premium service to those people who have paid, either through private health cover or by paying directly for their treatment. NHS patients now have the option to be treated in one of 149 private hospitals which provide healthcare at a quality standard ‘at a price acceptable to the NHS’. This number has almost doubled in the last year, as there was only 88 private hospitals to choose from in October 2008. Those cash plan private health insurance policy holders who choose to be treated one of these private facilities may then use the money they would have put towards the cost of the treatment on covering travel, money lost from taking time off work or other expenses that come as a result of their illness.

Nearly a quarter of people in the UK have cancelled their contents insurance. That’s according to the Association of British Insurers who have seen a number of people looking to cut their expenses by stopping a variety of different insurance payments. Life insurance is another cover which has suffered during the recession, as people look to make priorities in every area of their daily costs. But while some types of insurance, like contents and life cover, may have taken a backseat, others like private health insurance may still be important for those people who want to give themselves added peace of mind that they will be treated in a high quality hospital within a short space of time should they become ill. Swapping a private health cover for a lower cost policy like from a cash plan private health insurance provider like Freedom Healthnet could be a more attractive option than cancelling altogether.


There are a number of types of insurance that people cannot cancel, including third party motor insurance and building insurance if you have a mortgage. If you are looking to save money on your expenditure however, contents insurance, flood damage cover and critical illness insurance are some types of policy that you may wish to look at cutting back on. Health is one area in which a lot of people draw a line when it comes to compromises, which could be one of the reasons why the number of people taking out private health insurance in 2008 actually increased despite the country heading into recession. If you choose to cancel your policy, you could end up paying higher premiums than you did previously if you decide to take it up again in the future. Cash plans offered by Freedom Healthnet can cut your monthly premiums by more than half of some other providers and could save you more money in the long term by switching rather than cancelling altogether.

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.

The Liberal Democrat party leader Nick Clegg has joined the many people in the UK who opt for private healthcare for their families. This was a controversial announcement by the politician last month, who admitted paying for his son to see a private specialist to avoid NHS waiting lists. While this is becoming increasingly common in the UK, with the numbers of people who have private health insurance increasing in 2008 despite the country heading into recession, other politicians have criticised Clegg for not supporting the National Health Service. Liberal Democrat policy even allows the public to look for private healthcare if they are not treated on the NHS within a reasonable time. It is this sort of lack of confidence in the NHS, made even more in the public eye through these high profile figures that have encouraged people to take out a quote for private health insurance.


Mr Clegg himself does not have a private health insurance policy, and has paid for individual appointments himself. Self pay is one option if you wish to be treated in an alternative to the NHS but this can be costly and if can eliminate people if they do not have savings and could also lead people to get into debt they would rather avoid. Private medical insurance, particularly cash plan private health cover is an affordable way to gain access to private healthcare and avoiding the NHS waiting lists that are off putting to so many people. Illness is not something that one can predict, so while we may have savings now and could afford to pay for private healthcare, in the future when we need treatment, often as an emergency we may not be able to afford it. This is why private health insurance policies can provide a good peace of mind.

Nearly a third of the British public believe that private medical insurance will be a popular option for people willing to top up their NHS treatment. The figure came as part of a AXA PPP survey of 2,000 people in the UK of their views of the NHS. The main results of the poll found that despite many aspects of the NHS improving, such as waiting times for treatment and cleanliness of wards, the perception of the public is much more negative view. Only 23 percent of the people who took part in the study thought that the health service is on top of cleanliness in hospitals. This is despite the fact that 95 percent of adults who have stayed in hospital recently actually said their rooms or wards were “fairly” or “very” clean. This could mean that people are getting quotes for private medical insurance to ensure that their facilities are up to the standards they expect from their hospital stay.


Over one in five people (22 percent) also believe that there will be an increase in the number of people travelling abroad for their treatment. Private medical insurance is one way that people can have access to hospitals abroad, and at a more affordable cost. Private health cover, like the policies offered by Freedom Healthnet give the patient the option as to whether they would like to be treated in an NHS hospital, where waiting times and cleanliness have improved recently, in a private hospital, where waiting times and cleanliness are guaranteed to be of high standard for those people who still doubt the health service, or in a private clinic abroad.

Over 100 women in the past year have had to turn to private medical insurance because the NHS hasn’t provided drugs that could significantly improve their health. Cancer drug, Herceptin, is a very expensive treatment, costing up to £20,000 for a year’s worth and cash strapped NHS trusts in certain parts of the country haven’t been able to provide it for patients with early stages of cancer. There have also been at least two high profile cases where women have gone to the High Court to fight for the right to be treated with the drug on the NHS. Although the majority of private health insurance policies do not include the treatment of cancer among the illnesses and conditions which they will pay out for the treatment of, Herceptin is just one drug which the health service won’t readily provide for patients, mainly due to the cost.


Top-ups are just one way in which more expensive treatments are now available, partly on the NHS. Until last year, if patients wanted to be treated with a drug not provided by the NHS, they would have to foot the whole cost. Since then the law has changed and patients can now pay the extra cost on top of what the NHS will pay towards medication. Cash plan private medical insurance, like the policies offered by Freedom Healthnet are ideal for paying for NHS top-ups. At a very low monthly premium, they are an affordable way of having access to more expensive, but often faster acting and innovative treatments.

Services provided by cash plan private medical insurance will see a surge in demand over the next ten years. That’s just one of the predictions made by the SMF Health Project, a group which has been looking at the NHS over the past two years and making recommendations to help keep the service sustainable in the future. This expected rise in demand for private medical health insurance surrounds the move by the government to allow patients to pay to top up the level of care they receive on the NHS. This was forbidden until about a year ago, when instead patients would have to foot the full cost of treatment if they wanted to upgrade their level of care. Cash plan private health cover, like the policies offered by Freedom Healthnet are perfectly suited for people who want to pay a bit extra for their health care on the NHS. They offer a very low cost monthly premium as well as making it a lot easier for those people who wish to pay extra for their treatment. Illness is unpredictable, so while we may have enough spare income to afford such treatments at the minute, private medical insurance is a good back up in case a person’s financial situation is not the same when illness arises.

The Social Market Foundation, which has compiled the report on the NHS, has said that a lot of changes must be made. They say that whilst the NHS must remain free to access and paid for by taxation, important financial savings must be made by changing from a primarily central government controlled service to one which varies locally. This will inevitable mean that some areas will end up with more efficiently run services than others and some people may find that they wish to look into getting a private health insurance policy to guarantee them access to top quality healthcare no matter where they live or work.

The bigger the better – the well-known phrase that many of us live by, either consciously or subconsciously when making decisions every day of our lives whether that’s choosing between the 8oz or 16oz steak or which level of private medical cover to opt for. Before the recession took hold last year, people may have decided that a fully comprehensive policy was best for them with every possible situation covered. But since then, people have begun to opt out of certain aspects of their policy such as extra alternative therapies or physiotherapy, especially as premiums have begun to rise. But Stuart Scullion, spokesman for The Private Health Partnership told Health Insurance and Protection Magazine that the public’s attitude has changed to prefer cheaper, more flexible policies. ““Most consumers automatically initially think that they want a comprehensive full refund inpatient and outpatient contract but when you delve a bit deeper they quite often prefer budget policies.”

Freedom Healthnet has always offered private medical insurance policies at an extremely competitive price, with opt-outs on all levels of policies. This is something that some insurers are only just beginning to introduce as they realise that their customers are looking to cut costs in all areas of their finances, including their private health insurance. Hospital lists are one way in which costs can be cut by many health insurance providers but Freedom Healthnet has no selective lists on any of its policies. This means that no matter how much their customers pay each month, they will still have access to the same number of treatment centres across the UK. This increases the chance that a person will be able to be cared for in a place and time that is most convenient to them.

Nurses could soon be feeling the effects of the recession, with thousands predicted to lose their jobs in the next five years. According to a new report published by Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development, up to 350,000 public sector workers including nurses could face the tough job cuts between 2010/2011 and 2014/2015. It’s all because of the government’s plans to tighten budgets across the board including the NHS. Chief Economist for the Institute, John Philpott, told the Nursing Times, “The public sector has yet to feel the full impact of the recession, and the resultant bloodbath in the public finances.” But the thought of even further restrictions on healthcare budgets could mean that increasing numbers of people decide to get a quote for private medical insurance.


Budget cuts for many are something that happen on paper, maybe affecting people in their own pay packets but with services like the NHS may only be noticeable if they have to experience healthcare treatment themselves. If nurses are likely to lose their jobs in the high numbers predicted, front line services will no doubt be affected. A lot of people will want to ensure that if they unfortunately become ill, especially in the next five years, that they will be able to be treated in the best healthcare facilities available and an increasingly stretched NHS is becoming less attractive. Private medical insurance offers a good alternative by allowing policy holders access to the best medical facilities available .A low monthly premium from providers like Freedom Healthnet give many people the peace of mind they are looking for.

Private health insurance providers should be more flexible according to a top comparison company. Insurancewide say that measures should be taken to ensure that private medical insurance policies are accessible and relevant to all members of the public – whether that be young or old, male or female or for a family or a single person. They suggest that different tiers of policies should be made available. Freedom Healthnet has offered four levels of private health cover ever since it began meaning that it already offers a flexible range of policies varying from the basic essential gold level of insurance to the diamond plus comprehensive policy.


The comparison company also recommended that health insurance providers should be more flexible within their own policies to allow customers to tailor them to suit their personal needs. This is something that is again already available with Freedom Healthnet, who have optional add ons even on the most basic policy. If you choose to pay a small extra premium, specialist consultation and treatment fees, X-rays, and physiotherapy are just some of the facilities you can have access to. On the top level of private health cover, alternative therapies, rehabilitation and psychiatric treatment are also available for those people that feel that these options suit them. Patients also have the chance to choose whether they would like to be treated in an NHS hospital, in a private healthcare centre or in a clinic abroad giving Freedom Healthnet’s policies even more flexibility than it’s nearest competitors.

The number of people who are paying for their own private medical treatment within private hospitals is decreasing, according to the company who own BMI Healthcare which run over 50 private health care centres in the UK. More people are taking out private medical insurance to cover to cost of surgical procedures in private hospitals, such as BMI. This number increased last year despite a recession, and it clearly demonstrates that that this is the most popular option to cover private healthcare costs. Asking the hospital for a self pay package is a way to have access to top quality private treatment on a pay-as-you-go basis. You get a self-pay price from the hospital (which you can then often negotiate down) and then you can compare private hospital services and costs. A self-pay arrangement is useful because of the unpredictable nature of falling ill, but at the same time could end up costing huge amounts of money if a major operation is needed. Private medical insurance, whether traditional or bespoke, is a way to avoid this huge cost, by just paying a small monthly premium.

Search engine Google has also started to report an increase in the number of people searching for private medical insurance on the internet after a decline in 2008 and the beginning of this year. This could be for a number of reasons:

• Firstly it could be people who are looking for a cheaper alternative to their existing private medical insurance policies. Freedom Healthnet could offer a solution to this problem as its cash plan style health insurance is one of the lowest cost ways of having access to this top quality level of medical care.
• Secondly, it could be people who are looking for a quote for private medical insurance. Quotes can be gained quickly on easily online on company websites such as Freedom Healthnet.

Private medical insurance has many benefits, giving the British public more than one reason to enquire into a quote for private medical cover. The number of people who took out private health insurance rose in 2008 by 3.7 percent, astonishing considering the country entered into a recession, just going to show that the advantages of having a private medical insurance policy has become more prominent to people than ever. Freedom Healthnet takes a look at the top five reasons for taking out PMI, according to Bupa.


1. Clean Hospitals
The NHS is notoriously under pressure, mainly because it has a limited budget and has suffered from cleanliness in the past few years. Despite the number of cases of MRSA and other superbugs like C.Difficile falling recently, Bupa found that 8 percent more people stated this as their main reason for taking out private health insurance than the year before.

2. Faster access to specialists
Four percent more people stated this as their reason for choosing private medical insurance.

3. No waiting lists
This is a very attractive benefit for many people who enquire into private health cover. NHS waiting lists have improved significantly recently, with the government achieving it’s 18 week target. But this is still too long for some people and the thought of being able to be treated in as quick a time as possible, as well as in a medical centre that is most convenient to them is a big factor.

4. Faster recovery
Private hospitals have some of the best medical facilities in the country, and this along with the fact that people can be treated before their conditions get any worse by waiting for longer on the NHS are just some of the reasons why two percent more people took out private medical insurance than last year.

5. Ability to see the same consultant
A lot of people build up trust between the doctor that is to be helping them overcome their illness and return to a good state of health. But on the NHS, this is something that has become increasingly difficult, especially if someone wants to be treated in the shortest time available.

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.

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. 

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.

Cash plan private medical insurance providers like Freedom Healthnet are helping to address criticisms that have been levelled at other health insurance companies.

Recently there have been complaints that some private health insurance providers make their policies unclear and confusing for their customers, and that companies offering this unique type of private health insurance do not offer enough information on the levels of benefits that are available. Freedom Healthnet has a wide range of information sources, including leaflets and an easy to follow and simple website, where existing and prospective customers can find all the information they need.

Concern has been expressed that the range of benefits offered by private health insurance policies is being reduced in order to offer access to services such as optical and dental treatments. Freedom Healthnet has decided not to offer these treatments to ensure that their policy holders have access to the widest range of treatments and benefits available, and especially to make sure that both inpatient and outpatient care can be provided.

One marketing director, Stephen Duff, told Health Insurance and Protection Magazine, “People’s expectations might be diminished when they find out that hospital benefits are not covered.” Freedom Healthnet’s customers will not suffer this disappointment because most hospital treatments are included, up to the cost of £30,000, even on the most basic of policies. He also added that customers should get all the benefits and exclusions explained to them, which Freedom clearly spells out in a leaflet which is also available on its website.

One size fits all rarely works in practice. Things that benefit one person do not always have the same advantages for someone else. With some private medical insurance policies, because of the way that they are structured, people can occasionally end up paying extra premiums to have access to one particular benefit, when other benefits offered on that higher level of cover are not needed, irrelevant and a waste of money. Freedom Healthnet, like other health insurers such as Norwich Union and Health Online, allows you to tailor your private medical insurance policy to suit your needs.

Freedom Healthnet allows its customers to choose whether they would like inpatient only cover, both inpatient and outpatient or fully comprehensive cover. Inpatient care includes accommodation charges, drugs and dressings, theatre charges, specialists’ fees, diagnostic tests, oncology treatments, including radiotherapy and chemotherapy as well as MRI and CT scans. Outpatient treatments are then optional and customers can choose whether to include them in their policy or not. These treatments include specialist consultation and treatment fees, x-rays, pathology, diagnostic tests and procedures, MRI and CT scans, radiotherapy, chemotherapy and physiotherapy. By giving customers the option as to whether they would like to be covered for outpatient care or not, Freedom Healthnet allows people to make savings on their private health insurance quote if these services are not needed.

It is also possible to personalise your policy even further, when deciding on which level of cover you would like. An essential insurance policy such as Freedom Gold Health Insurance may be suitable for someone wishing to top up their NHS treatment with the new rules on supplementing the cost of drugs for example, by paying for up to £30,000 worth of inpatient care. However, someone who is looking for a policy that gives them more peace of mind by covering nearly every eventuality may prefer a fully comprehensive policy which covers unlimited amounts of both inpatient and outpatient treatment.

Many of us will need a physiotherapist at some point in our lives, for a variety of reasons, such as: following an illness, an accident or as a result of ageing. 

Given that illness and accidents can be, by their very nature, unpredictable, as are the effects of aging on the body, many people will feel safer in the knowledge that they can have access to physiotherapy treatment by getting a quote for private medical insurance. 

Access to physiotherapy is covered by most private medical insurance providers, however it is often thought of as a luxury and is an add-on in many cases. This is despite the fact that the treatment is a central part of the recovery process in many hospital departments such as outpatients, intensive care, mental health, paediatrics, occupational health and orthopaedics. 

In contrast to this, Freedom Healthnet gives access to physiotherapy treatments on its most basic of private medical insurance plans. Physiotherapy is classed as an outpatient treatment and is optional on all policies, but both inpatient and outpatient care can be accessed for as little as £20.29 per month on a Gold level of cover. By upgrading your essential health care policy to cover both inpatient and outpatient care, you will also gain access to other optional outpatient treatments and services such as specialist consulations, x-rays, pathology, diagnostic tests, MRI and CT scans, radiotherapy and chemotherapy. 

A brand new private medical practice is set to open in the Midlands, meaning that private medical insurance customers will have an even wider choice when it comes to deciding where to have their treatment. The centre will be run by The Independent General Practice (IGP), which already has three other successful clinics in Swansea, Cardiff and Newport. It will offer a range of services to patients, including general health check ups, vaccinations, and occupational healthcare, as well as GP facilities. 

The new surgery, which will be found at the Health Harmonie Centre in Edgbaston, will just be one of many private healthcare centres that are available more widely to Freedom Healthnet policy holders. In comparison to other private health insurance companies, Freedom does not have limited hospital lists of which you are expected to choose from. With the exception of some London clinics, Freedom customers are pretty much restriction-free when it comes to where they would like to receive their treatment. 

The Edgbaston healthcare centre will be based around the successful format of the IGP’s other facilities in Wales and will be headed by local practitioner Dr. Swallow. He told Wales Online, “The rapid growth of the IGP model has not gone unnoticed in professional circles and I’m pleased to have become a part of a practice which affords such a comprehensive range of both medical and cosmetic treatments.” People who live in the Midlands may find themselves enquiring into a quote for a private medical insurance policy to allow them to have an easier access to the top quality services the new centre will provide.

People in the UK are increasingly looking to switch their private medical insurance provider – and it’s all in the name of saving money. It is always best to shop around before you purchase anything, whether it's other types of cover, like car insurance, or whether you are investing in a new washing machine or television set, as savings can be found everywhere. No matter how small the amount is, it can make a big difference to your wallet, and with the current financial situation every penny counts especially in the run up to Christmas.

It is possible to make savings on private medical insurance in two ways: First, by taking another look at your existing policy, you may find areas that are not relevant to you, and that another policy with slightly less benefits and of a lower premium, might be more suited to your needs. Freedom Healthnet’s Gold Essential Insurance policy still covers up to £30,000 worth of in-patient care which may be more than enough for some people. Second, it is always worthwhile comparing quotes for health insurance from different providers even if you have been with one company for a long time. By doing this on the internet, you can get a quote in a very short time and reduce the hassle and often long process of calling various companies. 

Different health insurance providers offer varying types of policy, for example, Freedom Healthnet offers cash plan private health insurance policies which are renowned for being cheaper than conventional private medical cover. On average, Freedom’s policies are half the price of similar plans offered by their competitors. By switching, rather than cancelling a policy altogether you can save money in the long term. This is because no claims discounts and other similar benefits may be lost as a result, and you will have to start again as if you were a first time buyer of private medical insurance.  

Cash plan private medical insurance policies have a reputation for being the most competitive in the market. Freedom’s policies in particular, can be, on average, half the price of similar levels of cover offered by its rivals in the health insurance market. But have you ever wondered how it is possible to offer such a good level of cover, with benefits starting from £30,000 worth of treatment on the most basic of policies, for significantly less than other health insurance companies?

Freedom maintains its low premiums by paying cash directly to you instead of the hospital. If you can go to a private healthcare centre with a cash lump sum they will more often than not offer the treatment at a lower price than they would to someone who has a traditional private medical insurance policy where the company pays directly to the hospital for the cost of the healthcare. This allows Freedom to pass on the savings to you as customers with much lower monthly premiums.

Freedom as a company has not spent as much on marketing and advertising as its counterparts in the private health insurance market. Television advertising can be very costly to a company and Freedom has decided to stick with more cost effective forms of marketing like print advertising to allow it to pass on the savings again to its customers. Some people might argue that Freedom is not as well known as, for example, BUPA for this reason, but Freedom's customers can be satisfied by the fact that they have a robust private medical insurance policy, but for sufficiently less money.

With the announcement this month from the Department of Health, allowing us to top-up NHS treatment, private health insurance companies across the UK are looking for ways to address this new market. The move means that patients may now be able to put money towards the cost of their healthcare if the NHS refuses to pay for all of it, for example where a particularly expensive drug might be concerned, previously subject to approval by NICE. Before, if a patient wanted to contribute, they would have had to fork out for the cost of the entire treatment; something that would have been too expensive for most people. But, while the majority of insurers are working to develop a private medical insurance policy to help people out in this situation, Freedom has a ready made NHS top-up solution that you can access straight away.

As a health insurance provider that offers cash upon approval of inpatient claim, Freedom’s policies work slightly differently to traditional health insurance. Instead of paying directly to the private hospital or facility where you received your surgery, Freedom gives you a cash lump sum which then enables you to use the money as you see fit. So, if you wanted to be treated in a private clinic then you could, but you could also choose to be treated by the NHS and use the money to top up the treatment that you would have received on the NHS. Freedom’s Gold Essential health insurance policy would be ideal, if you just wanted to be covered for this eventuality. Premiums start at just £10.88 per month and give you access to up to £30,000 of in-patient cover.

More information about health insurance & NHS Tops Ups.

Freedom Healthnet appoints Sagicor and Gen Re as new health insurance policy reinsurers.

The Freedom Healthnet health insurance policies are now underwritten by Gen Re (a Berkshire Hathaway division) and Sagicor through Alpha Insurance. Gen Re is one of the largest reinsurers worldwide and receives the highest financial strength ratings possible of A++ by A.M. Best. As one of the leading life/health and property/casualty reinsurers in the world, Gen Re is represented globally in key reinsurance markets.

Sagicor is a regional financial services company established in 1840 and one of the oldest insurers in the Americas. With total group assets standing at US$3.4 billion, it is rated A (Excellent) by A.M. Best.

“We are delighted to be reinsured by such big names in the industry” says Chief Executive Officer Nahid Salehi. “I am very excited to be working with Gen Re and Sagicor to continue to expand the Freedom Healthnet portfolio, offering health and medical insurance products of a high standard at competitive prices. We are also looking forward to enhancing our product range to attract a widening customer base. I believe this move is very exciting for Freedom Healthnet, our clients, our brokers and our staff.”

For further information contact:

Robert Smith
Freedom Healthnet Ltd
Bourne Gate
25 Bourne Valley Road
Poole
Dorset
BH12 1DY
Tel: 08703 50 40 30
Email: r.smith@freedomhealthnet.com

www.freedomhealthnet.com