My client received treatment under his employee scheme, then left that employment without submitting a claim. Will the policy still pay out even though he is no longer a member of that scheme?
Most private medical insurance companies would cover your client for the treatment, but the key factor to note is that only invoices dated up to the final date of their employment under the scheme will be covered.
For your client to be covered for ongoing treatment, they should ask the insurer if they can take out an individual policy with them on the same underwriting terms that they had with their company scheme.
Most insurers offer this 'continuation option' providing it is pursued as soon as a person leaves their company scheme. Usually a decision to continue must be made within 30 days and cover will then begin from the date immediately following their departure from their employer.
A point you might want to bear in mind for your client, is that if they had claimed under a company scheme, left this employment and then chosen to take out an individual policy which had an excess attached to it, your client would be required to pay that excess.
Mike Hall
