Medical Cover Limitations

08-Jan-2008

Before you commit to any particular private medical insurance plan, be sure to know exactly what you're signing up for. There are quite a few catches and limitations that you may not be aware of concerning your medical cover.

If you have an illness that you have already been diagnosed with at the point of taking out a policy (known as a pre-existing condition) is rather a grey area in your medical cover. Many insurance plans make you wait from six months to a year before they will cover any treatment of a pre-exisiting condition such as allergies or diabetes. You may want to consider getting a personal health insurance policy if you are leaving one job and moving to another because there might be a time when you do not have medical cover at your new job.

A lot of medical cover still does not cover non-traditional treatments like massage, alternative birthing, or acupuncture. Medical cover plans with this type of coverage are more common now days than they used to be, but many plans still don't provide these types of options.

Mental health treatment and drug rehabilitation are not generally covered by most medical cover plans. However, you may be able to get coverage if your doctor refers you to a mental health professional or to a substance abuse program. If substance abuse occurs with mental illness, it is more likely that your medical cover will take care of these expenses.

The Association of British Insurers has compiled a list of treatments that will not be covered by the majority of medical cover options. These conditions and treatments are not covered: infertility, cosmetic surgery, self-afflicted injuries, drug abuse, kidney dialysis, preventative treatment, gender reassignment, HIV/AIDS, organ transplant, mobility aids, experimental treatment, war risks, and injuries incurred while doing dangerous hobbies.

When making a claim for an accident or injury that occurred due to the misuse of drugs or alcohol, your medical cover will most likely not provide compensation for those injuries. Check with your medical cover provider to see what their definition of the word misuse is. Different providers define the word differently.

These are just some of the most common limitations of medical cover. Be sure to carefully read even the fine print of any policy you are considering before you commit to anything. It is important to be well informed about what type of medical cover you'll be receiving so you'll know what type of treatment you're entitled to in the case that you should need to use it.

Once you have done your medical insurance research and you feel prepared to commit to a policy, SimplyFinance can assist you in finding the best medical cover policy for you. Simply fill out our short private medical insurance questionnaire, and we will introduce you to the best medical insurance provider for you based on your answers on the questionnaire.