Neil, 48, is presently a freelance consultant, having recently been made redundant from his job at a...
Neil, 48, is presently a freelance consultant, having recently been made redundant from his job at a large investment bank. He is divorced and has a 17-year-old daughter who lives with him. Neither have pre-existing medical conditions. However, both enjoy winter sports, including off-piste skiing and ski-touring. What private medical insurance policy would you recommend for him?
HILARY MUNUBE, HEALTH INSURANCE CONSULTANT, PMI PARTNERS
In order to ensure the maximum medical cover for Neil and his dependant, it would be a good start to find out if he had an existing company health insurance policy in place and whether it would be possible to continue underwriting from this policy. Although neither he nor his daughter have any pre-existing medical conditions, it is unknown if either have symptoms relating to a condition that would then not be covered on moratorium underwriting.
Assuming a continuation of an older policy is not possible, and both Neil and his daughter are fit and well, I would recommend moratorium underwriting for both of them. As they take part in winter sports, a policy with overseas cover would be beneficial for them and would suit their needs. One product, in particular, could be the Standard Life Primecare Plus policy which includes cover for winter sports for up to 17 days at £182.33. Alternatively, if a lower premium is required because of Neil's new position as a freelance consultant, Axa PPP offers overseas benefits as an add-on to their small to medium-sized enterprise policy Business Choice Gold at £127.58. But for a more economical policy, Norwich Union offers full cover for emergency inpatient treatment while overseas for up to 90 days at £89.99. Any of these products would have the ability to reduce the premium with either a voluntary excess or a restricted choice of hospital.
JACK BRIGGS, SALES AND MARKETING DIRECTOR, BCWA
Having been just made redundant and starting a new career as a freelance consultant Neil is making big changes in his life. As neither Neil nor his daughter have any pre-existing medical conditions, it may be fair to assume that they can make their decisions against a background of continuing good health.
BCWA's Personal Health scheme would provide Neil and his daughter with a range of choices to explore. As keen winter sports enthusiasts they will want the complementary cover option of the scheme. This includes benefit for physiotherapy, chiropractics and osteopathy and is good value at £4.99 a month for Neil and just £1.69 for his daughter. This can be purchased as a stand-alone option.
By choosing the other options of the scheme they can build a more or less comprehensive scheme depending on their needs. Neil can add outpatient tests and consultations for £13.16 and cover for acute surgery for £17.94. The package of these three options is £36.09 a month. The cost of cover for outpatient tests for Neil's daughter is £3.39 and £4.24 for the acute surgery option. These options do not include cover for heart and cancer conditions. Personal Health has a £50,000 lifetime value for these benefits and is available to Neil for an additional £17.94 a month, making a total cost for the package of £54.03 a month. The heart and cancer cover is available to Neil's daughter for £4.24 a month bringing the total cost for her cover to £13.56 a month.
JASON PETTIT, HEAD OF PERSONAL SALES, BUPA UK HEALTH INSURANCE
As Neil has recently become self-employed, he qualifies for special rates on Bupa's Heartbeat health insurance range. Neither he nor his daughter, both of whom are being assessed as non-smokers living in south-west London, have any pre-existing conditions so any option they choose will provide cover for consultant recommended treatment at all Bupa accredited private hospitals around the UK, with tests and treatment being carried out at a convenient time.
Both options Bupa recommends will cover for treatment arising from sporting accidents, although the treatment would need to be received in a UK hospital. So if regular skiing trips are taken outside the UK, we would suggest a Bupa Travel Services annual travel policy is also taken out alongside the original plan.
Health care select two is the more comprehensive option, providing cover for pre and post-operative therapies and consultations, diagnostic tests, day-case and inpatient treatment. The cost of this policy covering Neil and his daughter would be £105.69 a month with a £100 excess, or £116.11 without.
Alternatively, health care select three provides a saving on monthly premiums and continues to cover the major costs of treatment such as diagnostic tests, day-case and inpatient treatment, and post-operative therapies and consultations. With this option Neil would pay for any pre-operative therapies and consultations for them both. This policy would cost £67.17 a month with a £100 excess, or £75.92 without.
