Cheap Health Insurance (Chapter-1)

While Britain's National Health Service is fairly unique compared to some other countries in that it offers free health care, more and more people have been turning to some form of private health insurance either to replace or to supplement the publicly provided services.

The way numbers have grown, various levels of cover have been developed so that there is a medical insurance plan to suit most pockets and this, of course, includes cheap health insurance. In the past, the major barrier to a greater take-up of private health provision lay in its relatively high cost. Because demand continued to grow apace, however, insurers have developed alternatives to traditionally quite expensive comprehensive private medical insurance plans, that sought to provide cover for the whole range of acute conditions, treatments, surgery and hospitalization.

The alternatives today, therefore, provide access to private health insurance for a much wider section of the population, from fully comprehensive cover to relatively cheap cover. The different levels of cover available now, therefore, include "mid range" schemes and budget plans that offer cheaper types of health insurance.

Hospital cash plans are a form of medical insurance that takes care of everyday medical costs. Many will pay for dental or optical treatment up to a set limit every year; physiotherapy; specialist consultations etc. Many now also will cover the cost of so-called 'alternative' treatments such as acupuncture. These types of plans are often known as ‘budget’ plans.