Private Medical Insurance is designed to give you a better, more immediate medical service when you are suffering from an 'acute condition'. An acute condition is defined as an unexpected disease, illness or injury which will quickly respond to treatment, returning you to your full state of health rapidly afterwards. It does not replace all the services offered by the NHS and you will first have to visit your GP to be referred through to a private specialist.

How does Private Medical Insurance work?

If you fall ill or suffer an injury, the first thing you will have to do is go to your GP. They will diagnose your problem and refer you to a specialist:

	Go to see your GP
	Your GP will arrange a private appointment with a consultant
	Contact your insurance company before you start treatment to check that you are covered*
	Ask your doctor and the specialist to sign your claim form**

*Do not start private treatment until you are sure that your insurer will pay
** Your GP may charge a small fee for this which will not be covered by your insurance.

Some insurers settle bills direct with the hospital rather than requiring you to pay and claim money back. Your insurer will tell you how to pay claims.

• Private medical insurance policies generally cover curable short-term illness or injuries they do not cover all illnesses and treatments. Chronic illnesses which cannot be cured are not usually included.
• If you have a pre-existing condition or illness (from before you took out your medical insurance), any treatment you need arising from this may not be covered. You will need to check this out with your insurer before taking on the policy.
• For accident and emergency services you will still use the NHS.
• All private medical treatments start with a referral from your GP or appropriate specialist.
• Be sure to make an accurate statement of your health as your insurer could refuse to pay your claim if they believe they have been misinformed.
• The younger you are, the lower the premiums. As you get older your premiums will increase because you will be more likely to make a claim.

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The general terms that private medical insurance companies use are detailed below. When you arrange your cover, you will need to specify how much cover you want.

In-patient Treatment	Day-patient Treatment	Out-patient Treatment
This kind of treatment means that you will need to stay at the hospital either overnight or for a longer stay	As a day patient you will need a period of clinically supervised recovery, but that won't involve an overnight stay	As an out-patient you will receive treatment at a hospital, consulting room or out-patient clinic

If you choose budget cover, the cheapest form of medical insurance, you will normally only be covered for in-patient treatment. With mid-range cover you will receive further benefits. For full cover you will pay the highest prices and receive cover in all situations for in-patient, day-patient and out-patient treatments.

Different schemes use different wording for their range of cover so be sure to read the details carefully to see which level of cover you would like.
Remember if you have chosen to pay an excess, you will have to make a payment in the same way as you would with car insurance.

Private Medical Insurance offers a wide range of benefits that make it an extremely worthwhile form of insurance.

Peace of mind: with private medical insurance you can be safe in the knowledge that you and your family will receive the best of private care

Avoid the waiting lists: while you could have to wait up to a year for a ‘non-urgent’ operation with the NHS, you can have it within a few days if you have private medical insurance

High quality care: you can assured that you will receive the highest quality of care

Choice: in many cases you will be able to choose the hospital that best suits you from a hospital list and have a choice of specialist too

Convenience: choose the time and date of your operation to fit in with your commitments

Speed: with no waiting lists you will be referred to a consultant within days to receive your specialist treatment

Excellent facilities: private hospitals are equipped with new, state of the art facilities

Quality advice: dealing with top specialists you will receive the best advice

Privacy: in most cases, you will receive an en-suite room complete with television and other home comforts

No restrictions: in nearly all cases, there are no set visiting hours so visitors can call when they like

No medical: there is no need for a medical to be accepted onto most private medical health schemes

No medical students: it will just be you and the doctor