Frequently Asked Questions

The private health insurance policies offered by General & Medical aim to fund private medical treatment of acute conditions. The policies will cover the costs of eligible treatment within the UK, up to the limits of your chosen cover, by our recognised consultants, medical practitioners or therapists. The benefits can include cover for initial private consultations, in-patient, out-patient and day-patient investigations and treatment up to the limits of your chosen cover.

Our private health insurance policies provide cover for eligible treatment at any of the Participating Hospitals within the choice you make. These are ‘First Choice’, ‘Freedom’ and ‘Premium’ (or 'Generation' for Child Health Insurance policies). The Participating Hospitals within any level may change from time to time.

12 months unless specified otherwise. You will be sent your renewal documents before your scheme continues for another year. You should review the renewal documents to make sure the cover and policy remain suitable for your needs.

You may join a General & Medical scheme as an individual from the age of 16 up to your 75th birthday. Once covered there is no upper age limit.

Children under the age of 16 must be added to an adults policy. Children are classed as a child up to their 21st birthday, or their 25th birthday if they remain in full time education. Proof of full time education must be provided.

We also offer a range of Child Health Insurance schemes. You may join a General & Medical Child Health Insurance scheme as an individual from the age of 90 days, up to your 18th birthday.

You have a choice of payment method

• Monthly by direct debit which is secure and an easy way to spread the cost over the year
• Annually by direct debit, debit/credit card, BACS or cheque

No. Unlike some other insurance companies General & Medical do not charge their clients extra, or any form of interest, to pay their premiums monthly. This is one more reason to choose General & Medical.

Yes, unlike most other health insurers in the UK, at General & Medical our health insurance can include cover for pre-existing conditions. We have a list of pre-defined conditions that you can include in your policy for an additional premium. Cover is subject to an annual limit of £1,000, and the annual limit will roll up £1,000 each year, to a maximum of £10,000 after ten years, providing there have been no claims made related to the pre-existing condition and cover has been continuously provided.

We review your premiums annually to reflect the overall cost of claims and medical inflation. Our schemes are priced using age bands, reflecting that people are more likely to claim as they get older. This means that you could see an age-related increase in your premium in addition to our general review. Your premium can be influenced by other factors such as the availability of new treatments, medical technologies and any claims made on your scheme.

We make switching simple.

When switching, if you wish to continue any existing underwriting terms established with your existing insurer, all you have to do is submit a copy of your current policy certificate of cover showing your underwriting terms from your existing insurer with your application.

If you or anyone on the policy will be undergoing treatment at the time of switching it is best to complete your course of treatment before switching, however if you let us know the details of your treatment, we may be able to facilitate continuation of your treatment* without interruption.

*Subject to the treatment plan being eligible under your chosen cover with us.

To avoid misunderstandings, you must read the information supplied when taking out your cover. If you are unsure about any aspect of cover, you should contact your personal Health & Care Support Specialist. We’re here to help. We are committed to providing a high level of service to all our clients but occasionally things can go wrong. If this happens, we will do what we can to put things right.

For further information, please read our complaints policy.

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