A health cash plan is a type of health cover that pays you a cash sum towards the cost of a number of 'everyday' medical treatments such as dental care or optician appointments. Health cash plans will also cover the costs of hospital visits, seeing a specialist or giving birth. You can usually also claim for costs associated with alternative therapy, such as acupuncture or homeopathy. A health cash plan is typically cheaper than a private medical insurance (PMI) policy, and unlike a PMI policy enables you to reclaim the costs of treatment you receive on the National Health Service (NHS) as well as private treatment. For this reason, a health cash plan complements a PMI policy and the two are often taken out together.
If you have children, their medical costs can usually be claimed (up to a set limit) for on your health cash plan at no additional cost. Levels of cover are usually set for each of type of treatment, although some plans to let you claim unlimited costs for one or more treatment types. When you want to make a claim on your health cash plan, the procedure is simple – you just need to fill out a claim form and send it to your provider within a certain period of time of you receiving the treatment. Premiums are usually paid monthly, and the cost of a health cash plan policy does not vary according to age or gender and does not increase with age - although some providers do stipulate an age limit for new policyholders.
Protecting our Pets
David Brooks, Veterinary Surgeon