Frequently Asked Questions

Yes. Private health insurance works alongside the NHS rather than replacing it. You’ll still use your NHS GP in most cases, and A&E and emergency care remain with the NHS. Your policy gives you an additional route to private treatment for eligible conditions, with more choice about how your care is arranged.

You’ll usually need a GP referral before you claim. Contact your insurer before any tests or treatment start, so they can confirm whether your claim is eligible and what they’ll pay for.

When a claim is accepted, you may have more say over where and when you’re treated, and which specialist you see, within the terms and limits of your plan.

The main choices are your excess, your hospital list and your benefit levels. Depending on the plan, your excess may apply per claim or per policy year.

Your age, where you live and your medical history also affect the price, and premiums are usually reviewed each year at renewal.

Outpatient cover helps with specialist consultations, tests and scans that don’t need a hospital bed. Some plans cover these in full; others set a yearly limit or leave them out.

Therapies such as physiotherapy, osteopathy or chiropractic care usually come with a set number of sessions or a financial limit. Mental health support ranges from limited outpatient help to wider cover, and is often an optional add-on. What’s available depends on the insurer and plan.

Conditions you’ve had symptoms of, or treatment or advice for, before your cover starts are usually excluded. Depending on how your policy is underwritten, some may become eligible later.

The long-term management of chronic conditions isn’t normally covered, although some policies may help with an initial diagnosis or a short-term flare-up. Routine maternity is generally excluded too, though some policies may cover certain complications.

Underwriting is how an insurer takes your medical history into account when you apply. You may share your full medical history up front, or take a policy that excludes recent conditions automatically, with some becoming eligible later if you remain symptom- and treatment-free. We’ll explain which approach may suit you.

It may be possible, but switching isn’t always the right move. Before any change, we’ll check your eligibility and whether your existing cover can carry over, so you understand whether conditions you’ve claimed for or had symptoms of could be affected.

A parent or legal guardian takes out and pays for the policy on the child’s behalf. The adult arranging it doesn’t need to be insured themselves.

Age limits vary between insurers, including the youngest age a policy can start and the age at which a child stops being eligible. We’ll check the rules for each option we discuss with you.

Depending on the insurer, you may be able to cover more than one child. Just enter each child’s age in the quote form and we’ll explain the options available.

Neither is better in every situation. A child only policy can suit parents who already have their own cover, while family cover keeps everyone on one plan. We’ll help you weigh up the options for your family.

Yes. Private health insurance works alongside the NHS rather than replacing it. Your child will still use their NHS GP in most cases, and A&E for emergencies.

Conditions your child has had symptoms of, or treatment or advice for, before cover starts are usually excluded, at least for a period. You may share their full medical history up front, or take a policy that excludes recent conditions automatically, with some becoming eligible later if they stay symptom- and treatment-free. We’ll explain which approach may suit.

Premiums are usually reviewed each year at renewal. When a child reaches an insurer’s upper age limit, they may need a policy of their own. Some insurers offer ways to continue cover, so it’s worth asking what’s available.

It depends on what you’d want the payout to cover, such as your mortgage, debts and your family’s living costs, minus any savings or existing cover. We can help you work it through.

Not necessarily. The cover reduces in a set way that may not match your mortgage balance exactly, for example if interest rates or repayments change. It’s worth reviewing your cover if your mortgage changes.

A typical joint first-death policy pays out once, when the first person dies, and then ends. The surviving partner would need to arrange new cover if they wanted it.

No. Terminal illness benefit may pay your life cover early if you’re diagnosed with a terminal illness that meets the policy definition. Critical illness cover is a separate or added benefit for specified serious illnesses.

Your cover usually ends, and term life insurance has no cash value, so you wouldn’t normally get anything back.

Writing a policy in trust can help the payout reach the right people and may help it be paid more quickly. Whether it’s right for you depends on your circumstances, and you may want legal advice.

Insurers limit the benefit to a proportion of your earnings, and the limit varies. Other income you receive while unable to work may also be taken into account.

It’s the time you must be unable to work before payments begin. You choose it when you take out the policy, and a longer period usually means a lower premium.

Ordinary income protection generally doesn’t cover redundancy or unemployment. It’s designed for when illness or injury stops you working.

Yes, many insurers offer income protection to self-employed people. How your earnings are assessed can differ, so we’ll explain what each insurer needs.

Limited cover pays for a set maximum period for each claim. Longer-term cover can keep paying until you return to work or the policy ends. Limited cover usually costs less.

Income protection pays regular amounts while you can’t work. Critical illness cover usually pays one lump sum for a qualifying diagnosis.

Business policies are arranged for the business or its employees, while personal life insurance supports your own family. Many business owners need both.

Group life pays a benefit for an insured employee’s loved ones, while key man insurance pays the business to help it cope with losing someone essential. Read about group life insurance.

Anyone whose death or serious illness would cause the business a real financial loss, such as a founder, director, top salesperson or specialist. Read about key man insurance.

Shareholder protection normally works alongside an agreement between the owners that sets out how shares will be bought. A solicitor can help put this in place. Read about shareholder protection.

There’s no single formula. It depends on what you’re protecting, such as profits, the value of shares or the benefits you’d like to provide for employees. We can help you work through it.

Many policies offer it as an option. It only pays for specified conditions that meet the policy’s definitions, and it increases the cost of cover.

It depends on the type of policy, how it’s arranged and your business’s circumstances. Your accountant can advise on the tax treatment of premiums and any payout.