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

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

Breaking the Mould - Why Not Try Health Insurance?

Research into the health insurance market has revealed that certain characteristics make a person more likely to be covered by a private medical insurance policy than others. The study, carried out by Besley, Hall and Preston, found that the typical policy holder is approximately middle aged, reasonably wealthy and a supporter of the Conservative party. But with cash plan medical insurance policies dropping traditional premiums by a significant amount, more people across the UK population should consider taking out a quote.

Many different factors were taken into account in the study including age, gender, occupational status, educational level and area of residence. The research found noticeable differences across the age spectrum. In 2001, only 2.7 per cent of the UK’s 16 to 24 year olds had private medical insurance in comparison to nearly eight per cent of 55 to 64 year olds – over triple the amount. Very competitive student health insurance is available for as little as £9.87 per month so this trend could easily change. Men are almost three times as likely to buy a health insurance policy than women, and double the amount of men than women are covered by employee health insurance as revealed in a study of BHPS statistics between 1996 and 2002. Despite this, women made up three quarters of those family members covered by an extended policy.

Other studies found that over four in ten of the richest members of society had private health cover compared to only 3.7 per cent of the poorest people. Education also made a difference. Those who had been through further education such as university were more likely to be policy-holders than those who had left school at sixteen. The percentage of the population with PMI also varied across the UK, with one in five of people in the south-east of the country having some sort of cover compared with only 6 per cent living in the north-east.

When is the best time to take out a health insurance policy? That is one of the many questions that often go through the mind of someone who is enquiring into a quote for private health cover but now one expert thinks she has the answer. Vanessa Bourne, a spokeswoman for the Patients Association, thinks the earlier the better. Many young people, particularly students, believe that a private health insurance is irrelevant while they are less likely to suffer from severe health conditions, but Ms. Bourne says, "Our advice would be that if you want private coverage, get it early in life when it should be cheaper, and try and keep it if you change jobs." She also described how the “meter starts again” every time somebody embarks on a new policy and each time the cost of premiums can be increased by factors such as age and health changes.

By taking out a student medical insurance policy, it is possible to get access to a wide range of top quality medical services, such as general health checks and treatment at a convenient time and place, whether these services are required at home while at university. In the long term, it can mean a better state of health than for someone who does not have access to these facilities, and could lower insurance premiums later in life. Many students may be put off taking out private health cover, because of a lack of funding, but with policies starting from only £9.99 a month, private health insurance for students can be very affordable, and money well spent.

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.