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Ask the insurance expert

Medical insurance: Do I get to use a private hospital?

Monday, 18 Feb 2008 11:08
A reader from London wants to know if she always receives treatment in a private hospital with private health insurance.

Paul White, a consultant at Belgravia Insurance Consultants, and part of our team of Independent Financial Advisers (IFAs) from unbiased.co.uk, offers a helping hand.

Kate from London asks:

With medical insurance do you always get to go to a private hospital? I'm a bit confused about all the options.

Could you clear it up a bit, thanks!

Paul from Belgravia Insurance Consultants replies:

In the end you get what you pay for, so if you would only want to be treated in a private hospital, there is a plan out there for you.

Are you willing to travel to receive treatment? If you are, then you have to consult the hospital list of the insurer. They would generally offer medical care in a particular network of hospitals or give you the option to go to any private hospital.

The quality of the private medical insurance (PMI) falls into bands and you can choose the one closest to your requirements and budget.

As PMI is very modular in nature, that is, you can choose the elements which are most important to you, I recommend you consult a local insurance broker specialising in that field.

They would have intimate knowledge of all the nearby hospitals and their procedures, so they would also be at hand, should you make a claim. As you have found out for yourself, PMI has almost too many choices, so you should ask a professional.

If you have a personal finance question for our team of Independent Financial Advisers (IFAs) from unbiased.co.uk, go to the myfinances.co.uk Ask the Mortgage Expertsection.



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