Health Insurance News Roundup
A selection of recent news stories on the healthcare cover industry.
GLASGOW, SCOTLAND, December 15, 2011 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Welcome to the monthly roundup of health insurance industry news from The Health Insurance Group. Each month we'll be taking a look at the stories making the headlines in the industry. If you've got any questions or would like to find out more about private medical insurance, please contact us and we'll be happy to help.
The UK health insurance industry includes a wide range of companies and there's a great deal of offers with competitive terms available. Our news roundup aims to help you find more information on the subject of health insurance generally.
PMI insurers improve cover for cancer treatments
Insurance company Aviva has announced a new 'unique cancer pledge' to customers, offering enhanced cancer cover that it believes is among the most extensive on the market -with targeted therapy drugs covered in full, and more benefits being made available for additional care items.
Aviva's cancer pledge recognises "the importance for customers to have extensive cover and support at every stage of their cancer treatment'. The company's enhanced cover includes 'chemotherapy, radiotherapy and targeted therapies such as Herceptin and Avastin, as well as cover for unlicensed drugs not readily available from the NHS'. Aviva also say they 'will now fund bisphosphonates (drugs to keep bones strong during cancer treatment) and bone scans in full. Stem cell and bone marrow transplants used in the treatment of cancer are also covered in full."
Also improving the cover for such drugs is AXA-PPP, who have historically offered modular plans that offered 12 months cover as standard for targeted therapies, with an upgrade option that extended cover to 36 months for such treatments. These modular plans, including The Health Insurance Group's exclusive Flexicare plan, have now been upgraded so that the extended cancer option provides unlimited cover for such treatments.
Brett Hill of The Health Insurance Group comments: "We're very encouraged to see comprehensive cancer cover now becoming readily available from all the major insurers - it adds real value for the consumer at a reasonable price, and demonstrates again how private insurance can work alongside and complement what the NHS can provide."
Exeter Family Friendly launches Health Cover for Me
Health insurance company Exeter Family Friendly is now offering cancer cover with no time limit placed on cancer care, and without penalties for claiming. With its Health Cover For Me range, the company aims to provide an easy to understand insurance brand. Exeter Family Friendly's Mike O'Brien said that the policies offered "are designed to be used by our customers, without them having to worry about being penalised for having done so."
Anaesthetist loses GBP1700 claim for 'excessive' fees shortfall
In what's been described by BUPA as an 'extreme example', a London anaesthetist has lost a legal claim for GBP1700 in fees after a court found that no estimate was provided to the patient or quote given for the cost of the treatment.
The patient, Kevin Smither, who was undergoing treatment for bowel cancer, said that "insurance companies such as Bupa make it very clear ... that people sometimes charge outside what you are prepared to pay", but that in his experience of private medical care, "if anyone is likely to charge more they tell you upfront".
Managing director of Bupa Health & Wellbeing, Dr Natalie-Jane Macdonald said that the case was 'an extreme example' of the difficulties faced by patients in obtaining transparent treatment costs.
BUPA removes 12 hospitals from its list of providers
Healthcare organisation BUPA has removed 12 BMI Hospitals from its Hospital List network of providers, pointing to high fixed costs and over-capacity in the private hospital sector, which it believes result in higher than necessary hospital charges that in turn lead to higher premiums for its members. BUPA say they are "committed to keeping Private Healthcare affordable for our members for the long term", and believe this change will support that goal. The hospitals will be removed from Bupa's Hospital List in January next year when their contracts expire.
And that's our health insurance news roundup for this month. If you'd like more information on any of these topics or to find out more about what's available, please click the link to contact us.
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