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Over 50s health insurance
Being over 50 doesn’t mean you have to accept an expensive private health insurance policy or stay with your existing provider.
At Switch Health, we help people in their 50s compare private medical insurance from a wide range of leading insurers. Whether you’re buying over 50s health insurance for the first time or looking to switch from your current provider, we can help you review your cover, understand your options and find a policy that fits your needs and budget.
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Health insurance for over 50s: what’s covered?
Private health insurance can give you access to eligible private medical treatment, helping you avoid long NHS waiting lists and providing greater choice over where you receive treatment.
Depending on your policy, your private medical cover may include inpatient treatment, day patient treatment and outpatient treatment. You may also have access to private hospitals, specialist consultations and diagnostic tests.
Inpatient and day patient treatment
Inpatient and day patient cover can help towards the cost of eligible treatment received in a private hospital, whether you need to stay overnight or are treated without an overnight stay.
Depending on your policy, this can include hospital fees, specialist fees, diagnostic tests, surgery and other eligible treatment.
Outpatient cover
Outpatient cover can provide benefits towards eligible consultations, diagnostic tests and investigations that do not require you to stay in hospital.
The level of outpatient cover can vary considerably between policies, so it is important to consider how much cover you actually need rather than simply choosing the cheapest health insurance policy.
Cancer cover
Cancer cover is an important consideration when comparing over 50s health insurance.
Many private medical insurance policies provide some level of cancer cover, which can include eligible cancer treatment, consultations and diagnostic tests. More comprehensive plans may provide broader cancer care and treatment benefits.
If cancer cover is a priority for you, Switch Health can help you compare policies and understand the differences between the options available.
Mental health cover
Mental health cover can also form part of private health insurance, although the level of mental health coverage varies between insurance providers.
Depending on the policy, benefits may include consultations, counselling, psychiatric treatment and other eligible mental health support.
Why does health insurance cost more over 50?
Age is one of several factors insurance providers consider when calculating your health insurance premiums. As you get older, the likelihood of needing medical treatment can increase, which can result in higher health insurance costs.
However, age is only one part of the picture. Your health insurance cost can also be affected by where you live, your chosen level of cover, excess, hospital list, outpatient cover and the underwriting method used by the insurer.
This means that if your health insurance premium has increased significantly, it does not necessarily mean you have to accept the renewal price.
Comparing your options can help you understand whether another health insurance provider could offer a more suitable level of private health insurance cover for your circumstances.
Pre-existing conditions and medical underwriting
Your medical history can play an important role when buying health insurance in your 50s.
Pre-existing conditions may not automatically be covered by private health insurance. The way your policy deals with previous medical conditions will depend on the insurer and the underwriting method you choose.
Full medical underwriting
With full medical underwriting, you provide details of your full medical history when applying for cover. The insurer then assesses this information and determines whether any exclusions or special terms will apply.
This approach can provide greater clarity about your cover before your policy begins because you know which conditions are excluded at the outset.
Moratorium underwriting
Moratorium underwriting works differently. Rather than reviewing your full medical history upfront, the insurer applies specific rules to determine whether a previous medical condition can be covered if you later need to make a claim.
The exact terms vary between insurance providers.
Switching with existing cover
If you already have private medical insurance, switching health insurance provider requires particular care.
Moving to a new insurer can mean that medical conditions you are currently covered for become subject to exclusions or different terms. In some circumstances, it may be possible to switch while maintaining continued personal medical exclusions, depending on the insurer and policy.
This is why comparing policies should not be based solely on the monthly premium. You also need to consider what you could lose or gain by changing provider.
At Switch Health, our advisers can review your existing cover and explain the implications of switching before you make a decision.
Testimonials
This is my second year with switch health and I can’t recommend them enough. Always polite and helpful, I know I can ask to many questions but they are always answered , it seems nothing is too much trouble. I don’t like recommending, but in this case I will make an exception. On another plus side I seem to get a good price for my health care.
When I looked to change my families Health Insurance cover in July 2018, I started to look online and get quotes. I became hounded by a few different companies but Jacob from Switch Health was able to assist. He was really helpful and informative and was able to understand exactly what my family needed. I was with a large heath care provider with a quote of over £2,000 for the year. After discussing my options with Jacob I realised he could save £800. I would happily recommend Switch Health to all.
Why use Switch Health?
Choosing private health insurance in your 50s is about more than finding a cheap policy. Your medical history, existing cover and future healthcare requirements all need to be considered.
Switch Health is an FCA-regulated broker providing impartial private health insurance advice and access to a wide range of UK insurers and policies. We take the time to understand what matters to you before comparing the options that are relevant to your circumstances.
Our advisers can help whether you are buying health insurance for the first time or reviewing an existing policy.
If you need to make a health insurance claim, our support does not stop once your policy begins. We can help you understand the claims process and provide ongoing support when you need it.
We can also review your cover before renewal, helping you compare your existing policy against alternative options. This means you do not have to spend hours contacting different insurance providers, researching health insurance prices or trying to work out which level of cover is right for you.
Think your health insurance premium is too high? Let Switch Health review your cover.
