The rising numbers of people suffering from obesity in the UK could lead to an increase in the number of people getting a quote for private medical insurance. That’s according to the website quoteboffin.co.uk, who believe that the pressure of obesity related illnesses on the NHS will cause waiting lists to grow and persuade more people to find an alternative to staying in lengthy queues. A spokesperson for quoteboffin.co.uk said, “With rising levels of obesity adding months, if not years, to already overcrowded waiting lists it’s no wonder that more consumers will begin turning their attention to private health cover in order to guarantee prompt and professional medical treatment.
Waiting lists can be especially frustrating for those who have strived to live a healthy lifestyle but could still find themselves at the end of a very long queue. Health insurance removes the unknown by guaranteeing peace of mind and first class medical care in equal measure.”


Obesity is already costing the health service £2.6 billion a year to treat the many illnesses that can come about as a result of being overweight, such as diabetes, heart disease and high blood pressure. Despite government campaigns to try and reduce the number of people affected by the condition, experts still predict that the proportion of the population who are classed as obese will continue to rise by as much as 10 percent every decade. The budget for the NHS is already somewhat restrictive and this could be stretched even further into the future, especially if the government cannot keep up with the increased funding that it has provided over the past few years. It is these sorts of figures that could encourage a person to look into private medical insurance as an affordable way of gaining access to private healthcare if the quality of treatment or the waiting times suffer as a result.

Consumer superbrands have the power to attract consumers to the private medical insurance market, a research paper by PA Consulting has identified. Companies such as Boots and Virgin can attract clients to their stores and offer healthcare to NHS funded patients, private patients covered by health insurance and self-pay patients.

This trend, currently offered in the US has led to an influx of “retail health clinics” offering simple medical treatments for walk-in patients.

This has already started in the UK. Earlier in the year supermarket Sainsbury’s opened a GP practice in one of its stores near Manchester. Virgin also plans to open its first primary care centre this year with a further 5 over the course of next year. GP services will be the central to what it offers. Boots is also looking to expand its walk-in centre in Poole, Dorset, and could also expand its other 150 walk-in centres.

Virgin, a company successful in diversification has recruited Netcare’s former Chief Executive Officer Mark Adams to run its new venture in healthcare provision. Netcare is the parent company of BMI Healthcare – Britain’s largest private hospital chain.

Other retailers have also expanded their product range by offering financial products. Tesco together with insurer AXA PPP Healthcare and Sainsbury’s have offered private medical insurance policies, although the results have been mixed.

Small businesses in parts of America are having to cut back or cancel their employee health insurance because of rising premiums. Many companies are struggling at the moment anyway because of the recession and are looking to cut costs in every area of their expenditure. Private health insurance for staff is just one area that is not vital for the running of the company has been under debate for businesses not just in America but in the UK as well. Small businesses have been affected more than larger corporate entities because they have less power to be able to negotiate prices with insurers but one thing which they can do is considering swapping their corporate health cover from a traditional style policy to the more cost effective cash plan style health insurance.


Employee private health cover may not be vital for the everyday running of a company, however it can be very important and make a difference when it comes to the performance of that business. It can help to reduce the large amount of money lost each year to staff sickness and therefore improve the efficiency of a workforce. Not only that, staff morale could be boosted as they feel more appreciated by their employers and may be more likely to want to work hard. On top of all these benefits, corporate private medical insurance can also help to attract a higher calibre of employee to an advertised position so that while in the first instance it can seem like an extra cost, in the long term the success and position of the company could be pushed forward.

The UK’s biggest private medical insurance provider, Bupa, has recorded profits for the first half of 2009 despite the fact that the number of people covered by one of their policies has fallen. The net PMI policies for the company had dropped by three percent from the beginning of the year, but profits in the UK and North America had grown by just over one percent. This pattern has occurred partly because of price increases to cover the loss of the number of people taking out private medical insurance (PMI). Increasing premiums may encourage more people to consider getting rid of their private health cover especially for those people who are struggling in the recession more than others, perhaps because of a redundancy or pay cut. For those people who do not wish to scrap their private medical insurance altogether however, comparing policies may be a better option.


Comparing prices is advisable no matter what you are investing in, whether that is a new washing machine or television or other types of insurance such as car or house insurance. Savings can often be made and private health insurance is no exception. By swapping to cash plan private medical insurance you may be able to avoid increasing premiums from other providers and even cut your monthly fee in half. Freedom’s premiums start from as little as £10.88 per month which means that you can still have the reassurance of PMI but with less of a worry of whether you can still afford it. The number of people who took out cash plan policies in 2008 actually increased despite the recession so this means that any increase in premium is much less likely than if you were insured by a company such as Bupa.

A private healthcare provider has said it will offer a premium service to private health insurance customers using it’s facilities. It comes after concerns over increasing numbers of NHS patients being admitted to private hospitals as part of a government programme to hire out a certain number of private hospital beds. The worries from paying customers, among many of those have accessed the clinics via a private medical insurance policy, was that they were receiving a very similar service to those people who were being treated at no cost to them. Now Ramsay Healthcare, has introduced a premium package for private patients using one of its 22 hospitals across England. Patients using this package will have access to many luxury benefits including a hotel style service with newspapers, gifts and a better choice of menu as well as other advantages expected with private healthcare – choice of when and where you wish to be treated and choice of consultant.


Although NHS patients will continue to be treated at the hospitals, there will be clear difference between paying and non-paying patients. While NHS patients are still likely to receive a high standard of care, they will be able to see first hand what extras are available and they are missing out on. Extra comforts can make a big difference especially when you are ill, and you may like to upgrade to a private treatment room rather than sharing with others on a ward. It may seem costly, but accessing private healthcare through private medical insurance rather than paying the fees yourself can be a very affordable way to have those little extras that make all the difference to your recovery.

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.

Less people are taking out private medical insurance with provider Bupa. Figures have dropped three percent in the past six months compared to the same time last year, and it is being put down to the increasing numbers of people in the UK who have become unemployed recently. Over two thirds of Bupa’s customers are covered by a company policy so with fewer employees, less people are being covered with private medical insurance. For the thirty percent of people who have an individual health insurance policy with Bupa, they may have decided to opt for a cheaper private health insurance policy when their renewal came around because of money becoming tighter within their household. Freedom Healthnet provides low cost cash plan health insurance policies that are much more affordable, especially during the recession.


Despite the fact that Bupa suffered a significant drop in the number of policy holders, the company’s profits still rose for the first half of this year. This is because the prices of premiums were raised to cover the potential losses from dropping custom. With the UK’s financial system not expected to improve until at least 2010, the British public will be looking to save money in every area so rising premiums may encourage people to consider switching their private medical cover to a cheaper option like a cash plan policy. Online quotes are a quick and easy way to find out if money can be saved, without getting rid of the peace of mind that comes alongside having access to top quality private healthcare facilities.

Increasing numbers of people are taking out private medical insurance policies – and it’s all because they are worried about the quality and condition of NHS hospitals. A survey carried out by Bupa found that cleanliness of hospitals was a major contributing factor, with 73 percent of people stating it as their reason for taking out private health cover. That is an increase of eight percent on the same survey carried out the year before, despite the number of people actually contracting hospital acquired infections like MRSA falling in a similar period of time. Two of the other main reasons that people stated for taking out private health insurance was the thought that the quality of treatment would be better in a private healthcare centre (59 percent), as well as shorter waiting lists for care (61 percent).


Private health insurance has long been thought of as a luxury, but with the price of premiums now becoming very affordable, especially with cash plan private medical insurance, it is now something that everyone can have access to. With the UK heading into recession last year, some people may have predicted that the number of people with private health insurance would have dropped but despite this, figures actually rose. This means that people are now starting to see private health cover as an important priority to themselves and their families. Bupa’s commercial director, Stephen Flanagan, told Expatriate Healthcare: "It's good to see that more people are seeing the benefits that private medical insurance offers."

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.

The largest provider of private healthcare in the UK could be getting even bigger. Bosses at General Healthcare Group (GHG) are looking this week at the possibility of acquiring Covenant Healthcare which was put on the market in March 2008 after suffering big losses of over £130 million. Talks are still in the early stages but if it goes ahead, GHG will expand it’s leading position in the private healthcare sector even further. Just some of the assets it will take over are the cosmetic surgery arm of the company, Transform, as well as five private hospitals. If the purchase goes through, it could be good news for private medical insurance policy holders who are some of the most frequent patients in private hospitals. The facilities owned by cash strapped Covenant will almost certainly benefit from some investment from the highly successful GHG.


GHG already owns 60 private healthcare centres in the UK through its two main operating arms – BMI which owns the majority of it’s private hospitals and has recently bought some Nuffield centres, and Netcare UK which is in control of major Independent Treatment Centre contracts with the NHS. The potential purchase of the struggling Covenant Healthcare will also be a relief on banks and could help the economy generally as Lloyds has been looking after the company’s debts after it took over HBOS last year. A GHG spokesman told Health Insurance and Protection Magazine, "We continually monitor and assess all opportunities in our marketplace. As opportunities arise, and Covenant is formally on the market, we evaluate that opportunity and the fit and value of it to our business. We will only enter into a transaction if it creates value for our stakeholders."

As costs of having a private medical insurance policy have risen across the majority of health insurance providers, new research has found that a third of companies who currently offer private medical cover for their staff are looking at reviewing their policies. Aon Consultancy, who carried out the study, found that 16 percent of those were considering cash plan private medical insurance as an alternative to their current policies. Cash plan policies are a much more cost effective way of providing health insurance for staff, and is considered one of the top employee benefits available.


Companies are still deciding to take out private medical insurance policies, despite the price increase which Aon Consultancy believe to be up to 9 percent in some cases. This is evidence of the importance that providing good employee benefits are to the running of a company, either big or small, through improving general staff morale for one. The main reasons that the study found for continuing to provide corporate private medical insurance throughout the recession were to make sure that employees returned to work quickly following a bout of illness (53 percent), to provide employee wellbeing as part of their corporate responsibilities (56 percent) and over two thirds of the 653 employers that took part in the study offered PMI as part of a competitive benefits package. As well as this, private medical insurance is one way of attracting a higher calibre of staff so overall productivity could increase and save costs for businesses in the long term.

The number of people claiming on private medical insurance policies has increased. The latest figures have been released in a report by employee benefits consultants Mercer. They found that 3 percent more people made a claim compared to 2007. They compared results from 250 of the largest companies in the UK to come up with the data. It’s thought that the increase came partly as a result of a rise in medical inflation. Not only this, but people are believed to have been taking advantage of their existing private medical cover as part of their job while they still had it, either because they feared losing their job or just their employee benefits.


Private medical insurance is available at a very low monthly premium, especially with cash plan private health cover. Freedom Healthnet offers a good basic policy costing as little as £10.44 per month so even if people are expecting to lose their health insurance as part of their job there is no need for them to lose the peace of mind that comes alongside it. A company may also want to consider switching their current corporate health insurance policy to cash plan private medical cover to save themselves much needed funds in this economic climate rather than cancelling the policy altogether. Employee health insurance is a good way to attract top quality staff to a vacancy, which could improve performance and efficiency. A better general state of health for a workforce also means that less money should be lost due to staff sickness, which is a major cost to most businesses.

The number of people covered by a private medical insurance policy in 2008 increased by 2.7 percent from the previous year, despite the UK heading into the recession. That means that the total number of people now covered by either a personal or corporate policy is now 7,335,000 according to the figures released by the Association of British Insurers. Nick Starling from the organisation told moneyhighstreet.com, “The continued rise in the number of people covered by PMI is good news. PMI gives people the peace of mind that they are able to get access to the treatment they need, at the time they need it, where they need it.”


The recession has meant that many people have had to cut back on the luxury items and activities that they once enjoyed before they may have lost their job, been laid off or had their hours cut down for example. Private medical insurance has long been thought of as a luxury and for some this may seem like an option to cut back on. But with cash plan private medical insurance, health cover is no longer the luxury that it used to be as it is now more affordable for the majority of people with premiums starting as little as £10.88 per month. Health is an area that many people consider a high priority and cutting back on healthcare is something that people don’t wish to do, and still want to have the option to be treated in a short space of time in a place that is convenient to them and where they are sure they can expect to receive top quality treatment that can come as a result of private medical insurance. These people might want to get a quote for cash plan private medical insurance to see how much money they can save and consider switching rather than cancelling altogether. These latest figures show that people are not looking to cancel anytime soon.

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.

Could advances in gene technology reduce health insurance costs?

With a huge step in medical research being made in the past two years, DNA testing is now offered to the public by many companies across the country. The new examinations are readily available for around £495 and scan the whole human genome thanks to new computer processors which can now be found at the fingertips of leading researchers. The test, which can identify the likelihood of developing diseases such as cancer, heart disease, diabetes, obesity and osteoporosis, is said to have increasing importance to medical insurance providers, and may reduce health insurance quotes if a person is less likely to develop a disease.

However some people are concerned that the opposite situation could also occur. A person who is found to have a higher chance of developing such a disease may be subject to a higher premium than they would do normally. Currently, the amount somebody pays for a private health insurance policy depends on factors such as age, sex and health but this could change with the possible integration of genetic information. Despite a possible increase in cost, people who find that they have a high probability of becoming ill may decide that they want to take out a health insurance policy to ensure they get the treatment they need if that day comes. Experts also have concerns about those who are told that they have a low risk of developing a disease as they may become complacent about their health.

Hereditary factors are not the only causes of getting illnesses such as cancer and heart disease meaning that people like Steve Jones, the genetics professor at London’s University College, are sceptical about the uses of such information for health insurance companies. He told the BBC, "The actual power of the individual gene to say anything about your own risk at the moment is actually very small."

ery year around 36,000 Britons develop bowel cancer – that's one every fifteen minutes - and nearly half that number die from the disease.
Although 90% of sufferers are over 55, with an average age of 70, a growing number of younger people are developing bowel cancer.
Our modern lifestyles may be increasing our risk of contracting the disease. Research has shown that a diet low in fatty food and caffeine but high in fibre and fresh fruit can reduce our chances of getting bowel cancer.
Fibre helps speed the passage of waste through the digestive system and fresh fruit and vegetables help the colon empty itself frequently. Increasing the amount of water you drink also helps to keep the motions soft and allows waste to pass more easily.
If you smoke, are overweight or take little exercise you are also more likely to develop the cancer. People with a family history of the disease also have an increased risk of becoming sufferers themselves.
Charities such as Bowel Cancer UK recommend we get to know our bowel pattern so we know what to look for if things do change. Symptoms of bowel cancer include; blood in or on the stools, unexplained weight loss, pain in the abdomen or changes in bowel habits such as constipation or diarrhoea that lasts longer than six weeks. However, in many cases these symptoms do not mean you have bowel cancer.
If you do notice anything unusual, it is important to see your doctor. If someone thinks they might have bowel cancer, their GP will perform an examination of the back passage and feel the abdomen. They may also ask for a stool sample so that it can be tested for blood. The patient might then be referred to a hospital specialist for a rectal examination.
If the disease is in its early stages the cancer can be completely removed by surgery and patients may not need any further treatment, although some need chemotherapy to reduce the risks of the cancer coming back.
However, if the cancer is in its advanced stage it may spread to the abdomen or liver and lungs. Advanced stage bowel cancer cannot usually be cured, but treatment, such as radiotherapy, may be able to control it.
Research shows that 84% of Britons would rather ignore their symptoms than talk to their doctor (UEGF 2003) but the longer it goes untreated, the less likely it is that the cancer can be cured.
As with other cancers, private medical insurance would cover this. If you or your family do fall ill with this disease and there is no prior medical history then you would be fully covered and able to have your treatement in a private medical facility to suit you. Many health insurance clients, if they do fall ill with cancer, research the best private hospital for their particular cancer and choose to be treated there. This is one key benefit for medical insurance policies by companies such as Freedom: you have the opportunity of selecting treatment in ANY hospital - in the UK or abroad. Get an instant online medical insurance quote for health insurance for your family. One client, for instance, chose treatment in America as she wanted to be treated by the best specialist in the world. She took the payout amount for her cancer claim and booked in for treatment with a top cancer specialist in the US. Because she had chosen an expensive venue for treatment, she made up the difference between the policy payout and the hospital quotation for treatment. Our client was delighted that she had that choice.
As with any service or product costs, the UK and abroad can vary immensely and treatment abroad can be substantially less than in the UK.

Despite recent headlines claiming that flu jabs are failing to save the elderly, if you are wise, you will still have your vaccination.
A recently published paper from the Health Protection Agency suggested that flu vaccinations for the elderly had no effect on the number of hospital admissions due to respiratory conditions such as bronchitis, emphysema and pneumonia, the telegraph reports.
Yet the World Health Organisation (WHO) estimates that the vaccinations reduce the risk of serious complications and/or death by up to 85 per cent.
The problem lies in the science of developing flu vaccines. The seasonal jabs protect against strains of the virus judged by the WHO to be the most likely strains to be in circulation that winter. However, this prediction is often made an entire year before, so if a strain changes, or a new one appears, the vaccine will not protect against them.
Another problem with the vaccine is that older people’s immune systems are less responsive than those in younger people, so the vaccine works in them less well. This is due to a phenomenon called immunosenescence, where the body’s immune system weakens with age.
But some people do respond to the vaccines very well. A spokesman for the Department of Health told the Telegraph: “Although vaccination may not protect all elderly people, experts advise that the majority of them benefit by at least having a less severe illness.”
The Health Protection Agency researchers are in fact insisting that ministers should not abandon vaccination, yet they are urging them to consider public health measures such as improved housing, smoking clinics and research into other illnesses associated with winter colds and flu.
More research is also being done into vaccines that protect, even if a flu strain has changed a little. Meanwhile, if you’re aged over 65, or in one of the groups most at risk from flu, a flu jab could still save your life this winter.
It is important to note that acute conditions such as Bronchitis and Pneumonia are covered by private medical insurance, subject to whether these are pre-existing conditions, and that you can claim on your health insurance policy for treatment in a private hospital, in your own room.

Private health insurance company, Freedom Healthnet Ltd, is delighted to announce its move to larger offices within the prestigious commercial development of Bourne Gate in Poole. Nestled with the DVLA, Virgin Media and other quality businesses, the growth into new offices demonstrate how successful the Freedom health insurance policies are with both corporates and individuals.

The Freedom Medical Insurance Policies were introduced 4 years ago as the company identified a significant gap in the market. There were either hospital plans - which paid out a fixed amount per day when you had to spend time in a hospital - or there was medical insurance which tied you to a hospital, such as BUPA or BMI. Freedom Medical Cover offered something completely different. Upon approval of an inpatient claim, the health policies would pay out cash, directly into the bank accounts of the claimant, before the treatment took place. This would then enable the patient to do one of 3 things:

1. pay for their treatment in the private hospital of their choice


2. wait for treatment on the NHS and keep the money


3. find a quality hospital abroad and get treatment there.

All of these options gave the possibility of excess cash for the customer to keep - perhaps to pay towards a holiday to help recovery or to support time off work, for instance.

Many people do not realise that operation costs can vary substantially from one private hospital to the next. The Freedom health policy allows the client to shop around and find the best deal OR they can use the money towards getting the best consultant in the country (or in Europe, or in the US) and paying the difference themselves. The whole purpose of medical insurance from Freedom was to give the policyholder choice.

Freedom's employee medical insurance has been increasingly taken up by companies wanting to reduce the amount of time their workers have off sick and also to offer them an extra incentive to stay at the company.

The expansion of the health insurance provider into its new offices is indicative of the unique offering and quality service that Freedom Healthnet provides to its clients.

Following on from the Employee Health Benefits Exhibition, the ABI discussed the ideas around employee medical insurance at their Health Conference earlier this month.

Health and Safety has ensured that the number of workplace injuries continues to fall, year on year, which is excellent news for both employees and employers. However, one issue which continues to affect employers is absenteeism due to illness. With 28 million days per year lost due to illness and 7 million days still lost due to injury, this is a serious problem for businessess. Absence from work costs employers a staggering £13 billion per year and an additional £13 billion paid in incapacity benefits by the government / the taxpayer.

The government is endeavouring to address these issues from their end, including advising small and medium sized businesses, but the medical insurance industry has a vital role to play in alleviating the above situation. 10 million workers in the UK are currently being covered through helath insurance and income protection insurance and every year more than £3 billion is paid out to meet healthcare needs and to replace lost income.

Medical and Health Insurance is increasingly offered by companies who wish to reduce the amount of time taken off work by their employees due to sickness or injury. It is seen as a perk or benefit by the employees who appreciate the fact that their employers are investing in their health. Additionally, employee medical insurance can be extended to include family cover - offering peace of mind as their loved ones will receive prompt treatment in the unfortunate event of illness, without having to suffer the delays of the NHS.

With so much going on within the private health insurance industry at the moment, we wanted to ensure that we were keeping a record of interesting developments that affect us all. An information blog was the most appropriate medium for our team to reflect on, comment upon and generally digest the latest health insurance news.

Utilising our talented and dedicated staff, we will endeavour to bring you stories, news and PMI facts plus latest information, videos and images associated with the medical insurance industry.

Please note: the views expressed within this information blog are those of individuals and are not representative of the company.