Personal health care insurance

What options are available for your personal health care?

For personal health care insurance is just one option: you might prefer a cash plan for routine bills and use the NHS for more serious treatment, or you could keep your cash in the bank and pay for any major operation if and when you need it.

If you're planning your own personal health care insurance is just one option. The NHS is, of course, there for every eventuality but waiting lists can be long; you might find personal health care insurance too expensive and opt for a cash plan instead, claiming money back when you go to the optician or the dentist; or you might decide that your money is better off in the bank.

Each option has its pros and cons. NHS care won't exclude you from any treatment, but getting quick treatment can be something of a lottery; insurance gets rid of waiting times and lets you book treatment in much the same way that you'd book a service for your car, but there are lots of exclusions; cash plans are cheap but don't cover much, and in many cases expect you to pay a proportion of the bill. One-off private treatment can be extremely expensive, and it's something of a gamble that you'll be able to foot the bill should you need the treatment.