UK Private Medical Insurance

UK Private Medical Insurance is very different to that which you would find in countries such as the US, in that it offers a complement rather than an alternative to state-run healthcare. Many of the services that are offered by the National Health Service (NHS) do not actually fall under the remit of UK private medical insurance providers, meaning that it is perfectly possible to have a private medical insurance policy whilst still benefiting from the healthcare provided by the NHS. The World Health Organisation in 2000 ranked UK healthcare as eighteenth best in the world, and this accolade encompasses the NHS and services provided by UK private medical insurance companies.

Although UK private medical insurance is on the increase, the UK private healthcare sector is still small compared to the NHS. Many people in the UK who do have a healthcare policy were actually offered the insurance through their employer, and these policies will usually a significant focus on ‘wellness’, or preventative care. This is a positive echo of medical care more typically seen in China, where UK private medical insurance is used as a way of keeping people healthy and fit, thus improving quality of life and in the employer’s eyes, lowering the rate of employee sick leave.

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A guide to UK Private Medical Insurance

• The Accident and Emergency service (known as A&E) is probably the best example of a service that would not be covered by a UK private medical insurance policy, because only NHS-run hospitals actually have accident and emergency service facilities.
• Your local GP (general practitioner) is also an NHS member of staff, and so everyday medical checkups are free and therefore would not normally be claimed for on a UK private medical insurance policy. The line between UK private medical insurance cover and NHS care is however blurred by the fact that many practicing NHS GPs often undertake part-time work as doctors in the private sector.
• Hospitals are usually divided into those that are run by the NHS and those that are run by private healthcare companies, although you also find some NHS hospitals with a private wing.
• UK private medical insurance policies will often contain optional ‘modules’ that allow the policyholder to receive alternative treatments such as acupuncture and homeopathy.  These sorts of treatment are less readily available through the NHS, mainly because it is harder to prove their success rate through traditionally scientific means.