Personal Health Insurance
Family medical cover explained

If you and our family are in good health then private family medical cover may not be something you have give too much thought to. Like all other forms of insurance though, not having it when you actually need it may be too late to take action.

For many of us who have relied on the NHS as a matter of course, paying for treatment that the NHS can provide for nothing may not seem like good economic sense, especially when budgets are tight. The key factor though when considering private family medical cover is choice and flexibility.

It is generally acknowledged that if you are in need of treatment that is not categorised as urgent, getting diagnosed and - if necessary - treated within the NHS, may be a lengthy process.

For some conditions (emergency, long term or critical treatment), it may offer a rapid service. For others conditions though, private medical treatment may offer an alternative to the long delays that may be experienced in the NHS. That is why private medical insurance (PMI) may be something you want to consider.

Your choice

Private family medical insurance cover offers advantages such as:

• who you see – following on from a visit to your GP if you are referred to a consultant you can typically choose who to see;
  
  
• appointments that tend to be available faster meaning you may typically be able to choose a time that suits you to fit in with family or work commitments;
  
  
• once diagnosed there are lists of hospitals where you may opt for treatment – some cover may even allow treatment outside of the UK;
  
  
• certain policies may offer cash sums paid directly to you to fund your own treatment and make your own arrangements;
  
  
• some - but not all - policies may cover alternative treatments like acupuncture and complementary medicine.

Levels of cover

A typical family policy may cover both parent and all of the children (often with no limit as to how many children are covered). Single parent families are not forgotten and there are policies which cover one parent and again, their children.

Many PMI providers typically offer a wide range of mix and match features to suit individual family needs and importantly, budgets. So if you’re looking for affordable family medical cover at prices then finding out more may not be a bad idea.