Private health insurance – demand rises

There’s no doubt that, whilst private health insurance has always been available, the demand for policies is growing. Health insurance providers are offering a range of products to both individuals and companies and the competition for customers is fierce.

What drives the demand?

What is driving the demand for private health insurance?

• Waiting lists – although great efforts are being made within the NHS to control waiting lists, patients still do not want to wait for a lengthy period before they have their operation. Having private health insurance allows people to take the option of private healthcare if they want to; using NHS services where the waiting lists are shorter.
• General dissatisfaction – it would be easy to believe that the NHS is falling apart. Press articles, television reports and undercover journalism can all combine to produce a pretty grim picture. The fact is, however, that most NHS services are good and that the majority of staff are both competent and caring. All it takes is one bad experience for a patient to be put off the NHS and decide to invest in private health insurance instead.
• Income – although we are now in a period of financial instability, the preceding years have seen many people have a higher disposable income before. Things that weren’t previously available to them, such as private health insurance, have become far more affordable. As people see the costs of basic expenditure, such as food and fuel, rise it will be interesting to see whether they drop their private health insurance plans to save money.

The good news is that there are still a lot of private health insurance products on the market, and many of these offer good coverage for an affordable premium. With some NHS hospitals facing down-sizing or closure, or even offering private facilities themselves, it’s likely that the market will continue to expand and more people choose private health insurance for at least some of their healthcare provision.

Right to Health is a leading UK health insurance intermediary, helping individuals and corporations find the best private health insurance cover. With access to the UK’s top health insurance companies, Right to Health has advised thousands of clients and can help you to get great health coverage for a competitive premium. Right to Health is authorised and regulated by the Financial Services Authority, which means that you can be confident that the recommendations you are given really are in your best interests. To find out more or to get a review of your current health insurance, call 08000 753 999 or click the Free Online Quote button at the top of the page.

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