The answer to the question, ‘do I need a health plan?’ lies very much in a second question – ‘do you need to be healthy?’ For example, are you needed at work or at home in a way that leaves little time for illness?
The answer to the question, ‘do I need a health plan?’ lies very much in a second question – ‘do you need to be healthy?’ For example, are you needed at work or at home in a way that leaves little time for illness? Is there anyone who could cover your duties if you were absent for a long period? Is there anyone who could take care of your children, or care for your elderly relatives if you were not up to it?
For most of us, the answer to the above questions are no. We are all vital in our own way, fulfilling crucial roles that require us to be fit and healthy, reliable, and responsible. Prolonged illness, while we wait for treatment on the NHS, is simply not an option.
Even if you do not have an important role to play at home or work, you don’t want to be sidelined by illness for any longer than you absolutely have to be. You may not need to be healthy, but you would much prefer to be. Moreover, in times of recession or financial hardship it’s more important than ever to stay healthy and stay working.
That’s why, for most people, the answer to the very first question is yes: you do need a health plan.
This article on private medical / health insurance UK is written by Jackie Griffiths, a freelance journalist who writes health, medical, biological, and pharmaceutical articles for national and international journals, newsletters and web sites.
Of course, no one plans to be ill but you can plan to have the support in place when it happens to help minimise the effects and inconvenience. What’s more, you can tailor those plans to match your own medical history, your family history, and your personal concerns.
It is perhaps not a question of whether you need a private medical insurance health plan but of what kind of health plan you need. We each have our own concerns about our health and the treatment we might receive, and there is a range of health plans available to cover these concerns.
For example, if you’re worried about cancer or heart disease – the two biggest killers in the Western World – some providers allow you to take out affordable cover for just these conditions. If you have a family history of bowel cancer, for example, your premium may be higher, but this is a small price to pay for the reassurance that you will be treated swiftly should you follow the trend.
If you’re concerned about seeing a specialist quickly then you can choose a private health insurance plan that covers this, putting your mind at ease before continuing your treatment on the NHS. Alternatively, if you’re concerned about infection rates in NHS hospitals and want to remain in private hands throughout your treatment, you can take out a health plan that provides comprehensive cover from initial consultation to recovery and rehabilitation.
Strictly speaking, with a National Health Service that’s free at the point of access for whatever is wrong with you, you have no actual need for a private health plan in the UK. But equally, you could argue that since we have trains and buses and other forms of public transport you have no actual need for a car. Yet many people have one because it makes life so much easier: it’s more dependable and reliable and it’s part of the higher standard of living that you work hard to maintain.
You don’t strictly need a health plan, but then you don’t need the stress of worrying and waiting either. You need the reassurance that you will receive prompt treatment, in quality facilities, at a time and place of your choosing. You need the confidence that your health is in good hands.
Good health is certainly not a luxury, nor is high-quality care when you’re ill. And since the over-stretched and under-funded NHS cannot be relied upon to provide this, a private health plan is often the only option to bridge the gap.
There are few things in life more important than our health so there are few better investments than a good private medical insurance health plan that’s designed to maintain it.
Select a suggestion below...