Wednesday 13 July 2011

Individual Health Insurance

The National Health Service (NHS) delivers low-cost or often free medical care to residents in the UK. Eye tests, medical prescriptions, dental treatment and spectacles demand a fee, but youngsters, individuals receiving unemployment positive aspects and pregnant females are exempt from the charges. All UK residents can take advantage of the services of NHS general practitioners and consultation from medical facilities situated in several parts of the country. The rules, procedures and documentation required for access to UK hospitals and general info on healthcare are freely available from the NHS website. Private health cover is necessary for visitors and expatriates.
Individual health insurance is often purchased independently by a single individual, a parent, dependant children or a family. The regulations by which the insurance companies market and sell individual policies varies according to company policy. Individual health insurance can be bought from licensed health insurance salespeople. The alternative is contacting independent brokers who sell insurance plans from many companies and can help you find the most suitable health insurance for yourself. Agents also provide other services like helping clients to process claims. The agent receives a commission from the company on the individual health insurance plan that was sold to you. Hence, you do not have to pay a direct fee to the agent.
Individual health insurance is typically offered by an employer. Options like maternity coverage and substance-abuse treatment may not be included in individual plans. However, if you desire it, you can pay extra for the additional services.
Cost is one problem numerous individual health insurance consumers have an concern with; deductibles (the amount paid just before insurance positive aspects begin) and cost-sharing (the fees paid directly to medical providers at time of service) are normally greater. This will be the reason why advantages in individual policies are usually straightforward.
To buy medical insurance, applicants need to complete a medical questionnaire. In contrast to group health care insurance, a business can decide not to cover people with serious medical conditions like cancer. Insurance companies are permitted to look over a person’s medical history for pre-existing conditions and can choose not to cover specific conditions for an underlined period of time. This is known as ‘exclusionary waiting’.
An applicant must thoroughly read the terms and conditions of any policy he or she is thinking of taking out. It may be the case that money may be saved by taking out a policy for reduced cover if it is decided that it is not needed.
Looking to find the best deal on health insurance quotes, then visit www.healthquotes.co.uk to compare UK health providers such as Simplyhealth