Question 1

What is health insurance?

Accepted Answer

Health insurance, often called Private Medical Insurance (PMI), is designed to cover some of, or all, the costs of private treatment. This very much depends on the type of insurance policy you buy, the benefits it offers and if there are any monetary limits applied. It's important to understand that health insurance is bought to cover unforeseen and unexpected health problems that you don't already have. It's not designed to provide cover for pre-existing conditions or symptoms that exist before you take out a policy. For more information visit Understanding health insurance.

Question 2

How much is health insurance in the UK?

Accepted Answer

The cost of health insurance in the UK varies depending on several factors. These include your age, location, chosen benefit options, lifestyle choices (such as smoking), and any co-payment options selected. We encourage you to shop around and compare quotes from different insurers before deciding on a policy. Business health insurance can also be affected by the number of employees on cover, any family members included and previous claim experience amongst others. For more information visit Understanding health insurance.

Question 3

Is it worth having health insurance in the UK?

Accepted Answer

This is a personal decision for you to decide after weighing up the benefits and cost of having health insurance. In the UK, we benefit from the National Health Service (NHS), but sometimes you want to be more in control, like avoiding long waiting lists for surgery or getting access to cancer treatment not available on the NHS. For more information visit Why have private health insurance in the UK.

Question 4

What's the best health insurance in the UK?

Accepted Answer

Most health insurance policies tend to offer a similar range of benefits. Some policies have a core set of benefits with the ability to add on others, depending on your requirements. After shopping around for the cover that best suits your needs, we encourage you to research the health insurance provider and read reviews of their service. A key consideration when buying health insurance, is that you want your health insurer to be there for you when you need them the most. At WPA, we pride ourselves on our award-winning customer service excellence and we believe it's what sets us aside from our competitors. For more information visit Understanding health insurance.

Question 5

How does health insurance work?

Accepted Answer

If you experience symptoms, you should visit a GP. If necessary, the GP may refer you to a Specialist for tests and investigations. You should get this authorised in advance by your health insurer so that they can confirm you are covered. Once you have confirmation from your health insurer, you should attend the appointment. The Specialist will invoice your insurer and you may need to pay towards this if you have a form of co-payment on your policy or a limited benefit. It is important to keep your health insurer informed at each step of the way, especially if further treatment is suggested. For more information visit How do I make a claim?

Question 6

How do I choose a health insurance policy?

Accepted Answer

We encourage you to spend some time researching the different health insurance providers. You should look at the benefits their policies offer, any applicable limits, and any qualifying periods or deferment periods applied. You should also review the service the provider offers and their values to make sure they align with your own. For more information visit Understanding health insurance.

Question 7

What does health insurance cover?

Accepted Answer

The key elements to a health insurance policy are out-patient treatment, day-patient treatment, and in-patient treatment. Within the out-patient treatment section you can expect to see benefit for specialist consultations, diagnostic tests, scans, and therapy. Essentially, anything that's needed without being admitted to hospital. The day-patient and in-patient treatment section provides benefit for hospital treatment that is needed where you need to occupy a bed. There is often also a range of health and wellbeing benefits included and limited further benefits to enhance the cover. Specific benefit information will depend on the health insurance policy you choose. Find out more about Complete Health, WPA's individual and family health insurance policy.

Question 8

How do I compare health insurance cover?

Accepted Answer

It's not always easy to compare cover as every policy will be different. The best way is to look at the Insurance Product Information Document (IPID) that each health insurer is required to supply you with. An IPID is designed to provide information in a standardised format to help customers when comparing insurance products. Specialist intermediaries, available across the UK, can also help you choose a health insurance provider and policy. For more information visit Why have private health insurance in the UK.

Question 9

Why should I buy health insurance from WPA?

Accepted Answer

As a not-for-profit company, WPA isn't hampered by the demands of shareholders motivated to make a profit. We focus on the service we provide to our members. Some health insurers limit where, when and who can treat you - we believe that's wrong. It's your health, so you should be in control. View our awards to see how we've been recognised.

Question 10

How can I reduce my premiums?

Accepted Answer

Depending on the policy you choose, you may have the option of an Excess or Shared Responsibility. Both are a form of co-payment which means you share the cost of your treatment with us, up to a limit that you choose. Many of our policies have a range of optional extras that can be added to your core cover. Choosing not to include these, or to remove them if you've already included them, will affect your premium. We are always here to help you make any decisions that will affect your policy. For more information visit How can I reduce my premium?

Question 11

Can I switch my current health insurance to WPA?

Accepted Answer

Yes, you can, although it is important to realise the impact this will have before you decide. We offer a variety of switch terms, depending on the product you are buying. For more information visit Switching health insurance providers.

Question 12

What is underwriting?

Accepted Answer

When you apply for health insurance with WPA, as part of the application process, you will need to answer questions about you and anyone else you wish to be covered. We will consider the answers and determine the risk being presented to us. The application will guide you through the information we require, as this differs depending on the underwriting term selected. We will then decide whether we are able to offer insurance terms and upon what basis. This is known as underwriting. For more information visit What is underwriting?

Question 13

Do you offer company paid health insurance?

Accepted Answer

Yes, we do. Depending on the size of your business and the number of employees you want to provide health insurance for, we have a range of products to choose from. View our business insurance pages for more information.

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