PMI Cover: How Does Private Health Insurance Work?

Private medical insurance is tailored to your health needs. Making it easier to manage the costs of receiving private treatment by making affordable monthly payments. This provides you with quick access to expert care covered by your policy, eliminating the long waiting periods often associated with the NHS. 

You may be wondering just how does health insurance work. We can see how the subject of insurance can seem confusing, but we’re here to help provide some clarity to the matter. Basically, private health insurance is like any other form of insurance. You choose a plan and make monthly payments to help with fees that would otherwise be a major expense. It provides you with access to specialists, advanced treatment, shorter wait times and other features you wouldn’t normally get from the NHS. 

A group such as The Private Healthcare Company, takes the stress out of finding a policy by comparing rates and presenting you with the best options for PMI cover. They’ll provide you with competitive quotes, so you can decide which plan best suits your needs and your budget. The plan you choose will determine your monthly payments, along with a choice of private hospitals and clinics to choose from. 

This will greatly depend on which policy you choose, so it’s important to do your research. Most policies in general will cover: 

• Cancer care
• Major surgery
• Mental health support
• Physiotherapy 

Keep in mind every policy is different, so when choosing a policy, we recommend prioritising the healthcare services that would be most beneficial to you. Usually, comprehensive PMI cover is more expensive, as it provides broader coverage including more treatments, services and access to specialists. 

Private health insurance policies will often vary across the board, but the majority won’t cover the following: 

• Cosmetic surgery
• Chronic illnesses
• Emergency care
• Fertility treatment
• Long term conditions

Every provider is different, your PMI cover will depend on the provider and plan you choose. 

Claims should be submitted by speaking directly with your insurer or through the insurer's mobile app/website. After your claim has been authorised, then you are free to schedule any treatment that is necessary. 

There are no restrictions on the number of claims you can make on a policy, but there is usually a monetary limit for each year of your policy, such as an outpatient limit set at £1000 per policy year. You can make as many claims as you’d like until you hit this monetary limit. The only instance of a lifetime limit would be if you have a medical condition that is deemed chronic, then the insurance company would no longer cover regular consultations or check-ups.