When you are considering buying Health Insurance in the UK there are a number of avenues you can go to get the right policy to suit you. The main three choices open to you are as follows:

1. Go direct to the Insurer 2. Seek the advise of an Independent Health Advisor or Broker online or offline 3. Insurance Agents ( Banks, Building Societies, Retail Outlets)

You can acquire quotes either over the phone, post, internet or face to face should you be happy to either visit or receive a visit from and a Health Insurance Specialist.

Once you have decided what the best policy is for you the Insurer on receiving your application will process it and then send out your certification of membership. From the moment you receive this you are into what is termed "a cooling off period". From the moment you receive your documentation you will normally have 14 days in which to change your mind if you so wish. If you do, any premiums that would have been taken will be returned and your policy cancelled.

Some Insurers may arrange cover differently from above like over the phone. However cover will normally be provisional until they receive a completed application form.

With the increased waiting times for treatment on the NHS, more people are turning to Private Health Insurance as a means to getting fast treatment privately.

Health insurance in the UK is there to treat short term acute treatable illness. You can mostly choose as and when you receive treatment and where. The insurer will pay all or part of your treatment depending on the benefit level of you policy.

Private health insurance can ease some of the worries that frequently occur with people who have fallen ill. Common concerns include:
•  that you may have to wait to find out what is wrong with you
•  that you’ll go on a waiting list for surgery when you are in pain or discomfort
•  that your condition might worsen while you wait for NHS treatment
•  that you’ll be called for treatment when family or work need you most

It is important to choose the level of cover that best suits your requirements and also the excess level and hospital list that is most suitable to your needs.

Health insurance policies vary in terms of benefit and you can choose from a policy that offers Inpatient and day care only to policies with limited outpatient cover to fully comprehensive outpatient cover.

Some insurers will ask you for a detailed medical history and will then confirm in writing any pre-existing conditions that will be excluded from cover. This is called “Full Medical Underwriting” or FMU. Other insurers don’t ask about your medical history and will only consider whether a condition (again, such as a pre-existing condition) is excluded when you make a claim. This is called a Moratorium policy. Be sure that this is fully explained to you and how FMU and Moratorium underwriting works.

There are a series of conditions that you will not be able to get cover for. For example, long term or chronic conditions. You should ask for a full detail on the conditions that would not be covered on a health insurance policy. No matter where you take out a policy be sure that you have had your questions fully answered and you are happy before you proceed.