Exeter Friendly Society is launching a private medical insurance brokerage and a treatment sourcing ...
Exeter Friendly Society is launching a private medical insurance brokerage and a treatment sourcing service for customers wishing to self-pay.
Go Private offers customers access to self-pay private hospital treatment, an independent PMI service and a 24-hour helpline staffed by nurses. Exeter Friendly Society offers PMI through Exeter Healthcare.
So far key players such as BUPA, Standard Life Healthcare and BCWA have offered the company brokerage for the PMI service, but Royal & SunAlliance has refused.
While Royal & SunAlliance declined to comment on why it had refused brokerage, Wendy Evans, project manager at Go Private, said: "It says that we have a conflict of interest, but we are independent. Go Private is an entirely separate company to Exeter Healthcare."
"On the Exeter Healthcare plan the average age of the customer is 64, which tells us that the product does not appeal to the younger market. But it is this market we want to advise. We will look for the best plan for our client - even though RSA refused us brokerage if it is suitable we will still recommend it, even though we cannot sell it."
Customers wishing to self-pay are asked a series of questions, including details of the condition, how quickly they want to be treated and how far they are prepared to travel to receive that treatment.
After completing a brief medical questionnaire over the telephone, Go Private will provide a list of hospitals taking into account price, location and timing. A copy of the fact find is then sent to the client and the chosen hospital. The company will also provide credit facilities if assistance in funding is required.
Customers wanting to insure will also be able to access independent guidance on plans suited to their needs and budget. Go Private will not receive any commission from the providers, but to subscribe customers will have to pay £12 a year or £18 per family.
Evans said: "Last year around 160,000 people paid directly for surgery in private hospitals, which represents 17% of the total private medical market.
"With increasing concerns over NHS waiting lists and the number of people using self-pay rising, in setting up Go Private our primary aim is to offer people a flexible cost-effective alternative to private healthcare, whether they require specific treatment direct or wish to take out a medical insurance plan."
