Group private medical insurance

Every organisation depends on key people. It may be a small ‘inner circle’, or several dozen highly skilled technicians – or even the whole workforce.

While a few days’ absence on sick leave has an impact, it’s manageable. But when one of your key staff becomes seriously ill, business may be badly disrupted.

The National Health Service will provide all that’s needed. But it’s a national service – not a personal one – so it can’t easily cater for individual demands. Nor can it provide convalescent care, except in exceptional cases.

Putting aside any personal sympathy for the sufferer, and looking at illness as a business issue only, you need -

An early date for hospital treatment and any necessary surgery – the employee can’t perform at his or her best when feeling ‘under par’.
Perhaps a date that fits in with the employee’s commitments – s/he may be fit enough and willing to defer treatment during a busy period.
An appointment that won’t suddenly change – you’ve rearranged work on the assumption that the employee will be away between certain dates.
A level of personal attention and comfort to speed the employee’s recovery
Post operative care, at home or in a convalescent home, if her or his own doctor thinks it necessary – you need your employee to be fully fit for return to work.

All this is outside the budget and purpose of the NHS, but Group Private Medical Insurance gives you all these benefits and lets you factor them into your operating budget. The premiums are a deductable business expense, and can usually be paid monthly or annually at your option.

And wouldn’t a group PMI scheme show your staff how much you value them – especially if you choose a policy that also lets them include their families!

We can advise you on the features and benefits of Group PMI from the leading providers in the field. Why not consult us – you could be meeting a business need and providing a valuable employee benefit at the same time!

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More information on group private medical insurance >

More information on group private medical insurance

Private Medical Insurance can meet some or all of the cost of consultant’s, surgeon’s and anaesthetist’s fees, together with accommodation and other charges for in-patient treatment in a private hospital or the private facility of an NHS hospital.

Out-patient treatment, dentistry, ‘alternative medicine’ and psychiatric treatment are usually excluded from the basic contract, but may be available as options.

Payments for the included treatments are usually settled directly by the insurer, up to the maximum stipulated in the policy – your employees won’t pay expensive fees personally and then have to reclaim.

If they opt for NHS in-patient treatment rather than private facilities, most policies would make the employee a cash payment, to use as the family wishes.

Premiums depend on age and lifestyle, and on the extent to which pre-existing medical conditions are included in the cover. Some policies offer a choice of Full Medical Underwriting (FMU) or Moratorium (MORI). The FMU option involves consideration of each insured person’s full medical history. The provider may then exclude certain conditions from cover – but anything not specifically excluded is included. MORI allows cover to be offered more rapidly, but all pre-existing conditions are excluded for a specified initial period.

Most policies offer several bands for choice of hospital – typically Regional; Regional & London; and Regional & Extended London (including the nine ‘prime’ London hospitals). So you needn’t pay higher premiums to include London Hospitals when your employees live in the Midlands, Wales or the North of England. (The Regional band will include most of the leading private hospitals and NHS hospitals with private facilities)

It is important to remember that policies are intended to meet the cost of short-term treatment leading to a cure. Chronic illnesses and long-term hospitalisation are normally excluded.
The aim of PMI is to supplement NHS provision by giving –

Access to more comfortable and less public hospital accommodation.
Choice of surgeon (Most surgeons who practice privately also practice within the NHS).
Greater choice of appointment times.
Enhanced post operative care – at-home nursing, convalescent home, home help (subject to the particular provider’s terms and conditions).

Why not ask us for more detailed information and quotations? Discuss your priorities with us: we’ll suggest a suitable policy to match your company budget.

We can’t make your employees healthier or make illness less likely to strike within their families – but we can help make serious illness or accident much less harrowing and hasten their return to full fitness!

Money Made Clear
Please use the link below to the Moneymadeclear website provided by the Consumer Financial Education Body (CFEB).

http://www.moneymadeclear.org.uk/products/insurance/health.html#pmi

The Moneymadeclear service gives you impartial information and guidance about your money to help you work out what’s right for you. They won’t sell you anything and also don’t recommend specific products or providers.

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