What are the benefits of health insurance for seniors aged over 60?

Even if you’ve never considered private health insurance before, being older may cause you to reconsider your alternatives. All the leading health insurers provide greater benefits for seniors over the age of 60. You can even make a private health insurance comparison in the UK to see which policy best suits you. The benefits of medical insurance include prompt referrals, instant diagnosis, and hospitalization, as well as coverage for surgery, accidents, pre-existing diseases, and therapies. However, there are additional values to having medical insurance coverage:

• You will receive private healthcare treatment using private facilities at the hospital of your choice from leading UK specialists at the time of your choosing.

• You’ll have access to brand-new drugs and experimental drugs that aren’t available through the NHS.

• You will be admitted into a private room with en-suite amenities, a television, and a phone next to your bed for your private treatment.

• Your loved ones can visit you whenever they want since most private hospitals in the UK have no restrictions on patient visitors.

However, the main benefit of having a health insurance policy at the age of 60-65 is that you are not dependent on NHS waiting times and are not concerned about your doctor’s appointment being rescheduled, even in cases of life-threatening conditions.

How much does private health insurance cost for seniors over the age of 60-65?

The price of your insurance will depend on a number of factors, but you can choose the level of protection you want. You should carefully review the scope of the policy’s coverage. Each policy covers a different set of medical conditions and procedures. Check the coverage offered by the policy you are thinking about.

Consider which conditions, perhaps those that run in the family, you want to be covered as you age. Thoroughly research your options and compare their premiums. Choose the best policy at the lowest cost after taking into account any excess charges you would have to pay towards your claim.

Presuming you are in good health and have £100 excess to put towards your claim, our preliminary estimations are as follows:

How can people over 60 find cheap health insurance?  

Choosing the right insurance is more important than finding a cheap health insurance plan. Once you’ve decided what kind of cover you need, start looking for the most affordable plan that meets your requirements. By taking the following steps, you can cut health insurance costs and reduce your monthly premium:

• Consider the six-week option with your plan. Some health insurance plans only cover benefits if the wait for the NHS is greater than six weeks. You might be able to save a lot of money with such a policy

• Cover only conditions for which you’d like to receive private medical care: Don’t pay more for a procedure if you’d be happy to have it done on the NHS. 

• Avoid adding too many extras because they raise the cost of your monthly premium. Never spend money on items you don’t think you’ll use.

• Reduce the number of hospitals on your list. Less private hospital options may result in lower premium costs.

• Maintain a healthy lifestyle to qualify for discounts from some insurers. Non-smokers, non-vapers, active people, or those with lower body mass indices (BMI) are likely to have access to the best prices.

What is excluded from health insurance coverage?

While private medical insurance covers many things, like physiotherapy, diagnostic tests, and hospitalisation, some exclusions are unlikely to be covered, including:

Chronic Conditions

Most health insurers in the UK will certainly not cover chronic conditions that are classed as ongoing and require long-term treatment, have no cure or are likely to come back. Conditions classed as chronic are:

• Asthma
• Arthritis 
• Chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases
• Diabetes
• Heart, liver and kidney disease
• Crohn’s disease
• Some types of Cancer
• Other diseases which cannot be cured.

However, depending on the circumstances, insurers may consider treating a chronic condition that has suddenly worsened and can be treated to return you to your previous state of health.

Pre-existing conditions

A pre-existing medical condition is one that you have had symptoms, medication, or treatment for before starting your health insurance policy. Also, if you still have ongoing treatments for any conditions, they are considered pre-existing conditions. Health Insurance for Over 50s in the UK is designed to cover any acute conditions that occur after your policy start date.

Cosmetic Surgeries

Usually, outpatient prescriptions for drugs will not be covered under your health insurance policy. However, prescriptions for inpatient and day treatments may be covered. It’s worth checking your policy wording.

Prescriptions

Cancer becomes more common as people age. By having cancer care in your private medical insurance policy, you can be confident that you will receive the treatment you require promptly rather than having to wait for it on the NHS. You will also have access to treatments and therapies that the NHS may not provide due to high costs.

Other general exclusions

There are other general exclusions with your health insurance policy, these can be:

We strongly advise you to check with your health insurance provider or speak to one of our health insurance advisors to get more information on what is included in your health insurance for senior citizens in the UK plan and which conditions are excluded.