News

Cancer patients denied treatment

Between 16,000 and 20,000 cancer sufferers have been denied the use of ten drugs commonly used in Europe and the USA, and often acceptable to health insurers, simply to save money.

This comes, not as you would expect from a politician trying to make a pre-election point, but from an independent campaign group.

According to a report by the Rarer Cancers Forum, delays by NICE – taking 21 months to develop guidance on cancer treatments, although the Government target is within six months of a drug being licensed – and refusal to approve new cancer drugs – has cost thousands of lives of people who could have been treated.

In theory, the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) has a main aim of approving or otherwise new drugs that the NHS can use. In practice, says RCF?s Andrew Wilson-Webb, “The cancer community is of the opinion that NICE now is nothing more than a rationing body for the NHS, which is not what it was set up for. It is unacceptable that many thousands of patients are still missing out on the treatment they need, and which their doctors want to give them, because NICE has decided that their treatment does not meet some arbitrary criteria.”

Some private medical insurers allow access to drugs not approved for use on the NHS as a benefit of taking out insurance.

Private medical insurance: News update: 16 March 2010

PruHealth adds online hospital finder

PruHealth has a new interactive hospital finder tool so you can see a list of your nearest hospitals based on postcode.

It provides information about the distance of the hospital and which lists the hospital is on (local, national, London and premier).

AXA PPP Healthcare, Bupa and Standard Life have similar tools.

Private medical insurance: News update: 29 March 2010

Aviva launches MyHealthCounts for Business

Aviva UK Health has launched MyHealthCounts for Business, for companies with 250 or more.

It helps companies gain a clearer understanding of the health of their employees and offers a range of tools to help them tackle their company’s key health risk areas and encourage their employees to take pro-active steps to lead a healthier lifestyle.

Employers can receive up to 100% discount off the cost in the following year depending on the proportion of their employees who complete the online health questionnaire and the average health score achieved. Employees receive health and leisure discounts as well as points that can be redeemed against health management tools.

Employers can purchase a core package of benefits that includes online health risk assessment, health reporting and a choice of internal communications materials. There are options to add other covers.

Employees complete an online health and lifestyle questionnaire to discover how healthy they are compared to 100 other people of the same age and gender. Their Q Score is based on personal health information including BMI, resting heart rate, cholesterol level, blood pressure and lifestyle factors such as smoking, drinking and exercise.

An online health coach then helps them set realistic goals and offers them personalised advice and support on the steps they can take to improve and maintain their health. Employees can monitor their Q Score to see how Exeter Friendly launches Health & Stuff

Exeter Friendly has launched Health & Stuff, a new private medical insurance policy.

It allows you to choose the amount of cover you require from an annual pot of £2500, £5000, £10,000 or £20,000. There is a 10% co-insurance where you pay 10% of any treatment costs.

The plan is a model of how to write a simple policy and prospectus in the same document using plain English, that makes it very clear to a non-expert what is and what is not covered.

Private medical insurance: News update: 23 March 2010

their efforts are improving their health and contributing to their points.

Standard Life considering selling its health insurance business?

According to numerous press reports, the insurance group is considering the sale of its health insurance subsidiary as part of a wider restructure.

Fenchurch Advisory Partners has been appointed to consider the options for the insurance firm.

The company is neither commenting on nor denying the story.

Private medical insurance: News update: 18 March 2010

Source ? insurancedaily.co.uk

Bupa launches employees’ Dental Plan

by Gill Montia

Story link: Bupa launches employees? Dental Plan

Bupa is providing up to £15,000 of cover for oral cancer under its new Dental Plan, which will be available from April and can be paid for either by employers, or offered as an employee-paid voluntary benefit.

The health care specialist claims this level of cover is the highest in the market and points out that the policy features some other attractive benefits, such as full reimbursement for NHS treatment, routine treatment overseas, anaesthetist benefit and up to £1,000 a year for hospital stays.

Five levels of cover are available, with premiums starting at £3.51 a month.

Benefits range from a full refund for NHS treatment, through to orthodontic care for child dependants and emergency dental treatment overseas.

The firm’s head of dental, Ivan Kennedy, comments: ‘We have listened to employers, employees and intermediaries and designed our new plan to include a range of benefits they say they value the most.’

He adds: ‘Dental insurance is a highly-valued employee benefit because it is one that most employees can use at least twice a year.’

Last week, Bupa announced that it is offering group critical illness claimants (and their families) access to independent and confidential advice, guidance and medical information, at no extra cost.

The group’s Best Doctors service is backed by 50,000 medical professionals.