How do I purchase private health insurance?

a. through a broker or intermediary

b. through an insurance company such as Standard Life or
    Norwich Union

c. through a medical insurance company, for example,
    BUPA or WPA

Health insurance can be purchased via the telephone, face to face contact, online and through the post.

In all of these cases, you discuss your requirements with the provider, who will record your personal details and/or your medical history.  You need to be frank and honest about this as this has a direct bearing upon the type of cover and cost that is suitable for you.

You will find that there are two bases of cover: ‘moratorium’ and full medical history. A moratorium may sound complicated but in fact, it means you do not have to provide your medical history.  You complete a form or talk to an insurance underwriter over the telephone, who will ask any extra questions if needed.  He/she may contact your GP for further information.  Once that is done, he/she will give you a quote which will exclude all pre-existing and chronic conditions. 

They must also inform you that some or all conditions and illnesses will become eligible for cover as long as they have not required treatment, tests or medication in a period of 2 years or more prior to the start of your policy.  What you must not do is to forgo any medical treatment in order to achieve this as this would be injurious to your health.  Your insurance provider must not suggest otherwise.

This delayed health insurance rules out pre-existing or chronic conditions due to the requirement that you must not need treatment or medication in this 2 year or more period; whereas, chronic or pre-existing conditions require continuous monitoring and treatment.     

It is important to note with a moratorium that you do not need to provide details of your medical history and that only basic information about you and your family is required.  However, you need to understand that if you have any medical conditions these will not be covered by the policy.           

The other type of cover, the full medical history underwriting will still require you to fill in a form or talk to an insurance provider over the telephone.  You will then have to provide details of your medical history.  As with the moratorium, the provider will ask more questions if need be and may contact your GP for further information.  He/she will quote you a price and will also mention about what is covered and what isn’t such as chronic and pre-existing conditions.  With other exclusions, he/she will advise as to whether this is a permanent exclusion or for the first few years of the policy (1, 2 or more years). 

This will take more than time than a moratorium but it does mean that you will be clear about what your policy covers and what it excludes.  This will be explained in your policy documentation.