Acupuncture & Homeopathy Increasingly Offered on Private Health Policies
Posted: Fri Aug 26, 2005 1:52 pm
>From: "Zeus"
http://business.timesonline.co.uk/artic ... _1,00.html
August 21, 2005
Don't get the needle - get insurance
Therapies such as acupuncture and homeopathy are
increasingly being offered on private health policies.
By David Budworth
DEMAND for alternative therapies such as acupuncture and homeopathy is
soaring, and people are increasingly using their medical insurance to pay
for it.
Not so long ago alternative therapy was sneered at. But the Foundation for
Integrated Health estimates that one in ten adults went to an alternative
practitioner last year.
Unorthodox medicine has become part of the mainstream, helped by the
support of figures such as Gwyneth Paltrow and Prince Charles and the
growing acceptance of the medical establishment. Saga reported last week
that it had seen a 58% increase in claims for chiropractic treatment, a 65%
rise in demand for homeopathy and 43% more claims for acupuncture treatment.
It’s an industry-wide trend. David Costain, medical director at Axa PPP
Healthcare, said: “There is a lot of interest in alternative therapies. It
has become a popular form of treatment.” As the acceptance of alternative
therapies has grown, more providers of private medical insurance (PMI) and
cash plans are including cover within their standard policies.
Penny O’Nions of the Onion Group, a specialist adviser, said: “Most will
pay for treatments that are accepted by the National Health Service, so
they cover acupuncture, chiropractic and osteopathy.”
Such policies may include homeopathy, where illnesses are treated with
preparations made from plant, mineral, metal and insect sources. But some
insurers steer clear because homeopathy is unregulated. That is one reason
why even more unorthodox treatments, such as hypnotherapy and colonic
irrigation, are generally not covered.
Lydia Aydon at Bupa said: “We cover treatments like acupuncture,
homeopathy, chiropractic and osteopathy. But we avoid the less well-known
ones, mainly because we want to ensure practitioners are registered with a
professional body.”
To make a claim for treatment, policy holders must be referred to a
practitioner by a GP or a consultant recognised by the provider. Most
insurers refuse cover for pre-existing conditions — ones that predate the
start of the policy.
There are annual limits on how much cash you will receive for alternative
therapies. So if you need a long course of treatment you may have to cover
some of the cost out of your own pocket.
Saga offers some of the most generous cover for complementary therapies,
but its policies are confined to the over-fifties. Its Super Cover private
medical insurance costs £109.42 a month for a couple in their fifties and
will pay up to £1,200 per person each year towards alternative treatments.
Bupa’s Health Care Select 1 plan would cost a 45-year-old couple £130.83 a
month, assuming no excess. It provides annual cover of £250 per person for
alternative therapies.
Standard Life Healthcare’s Primecare policy would cost £141.67 a month and
would pay out £1,000 a year.
At Axa PPP the couple would pay monthly premiums of £99.77 on its Key
policy and get annual cover of up to £300 each. Axa’s Premier policy costs
£162.69 a month, but it provides unlimited cover.
Most PMI policies are renewable annually, so terms and conditions may
change and premiums tend to rise with age. The yearly term also enables
insurers to escape having to pay for long-term conditions. You will be able
to claim if an illness crops up in year one, say, but when you renew you
will find that the illness is not covered.
You may be able to cut premiums by paying an excess — the amount you pay
towards the cost of a claim before the policy kicks in. A couple who opted
for a £250 excess on Bupa’s Health Care Select 1 deal would pay £103.35 a
month instead of £130.83.
But be aware that the excess normally applies to each person for each
policy year. If your treatment extends over two policy years you will have
to pay the excess twice.
Cash plans are a cheaper alternative to PMI but have limitations. They will
generally pay only a percentage of your bill.
Premiums for HSA’s Super Plan, covering chiropractic, osteopathy,
acupuncture and homeopathy, start at just £2.20 a week for a couple. Policy
holders may claim up to half the cost of alternative therapy treatments, up
to a maximum of £120 a year. Pay £17.60 a week and you get £960 annual cover.
Premiums at WPA, another cash-plan provider, start from £9.21 a month for a
45-year-old individual. It would therefore cost a couple £18.42 a month.
They would each be able to claim back half the cost of alternative
treatments, up to a maximum of £300 in the first year and £400 after that.
For most people alternative therapies will be viewed as an additional
benefit rather than the prime reason to take out a medical insurance policy
or cash plan. Make sure you fully check what a policy does and does not
include.
Some cash plans do not pay towards the cost of any inpatient care in a
private hospital. You may, however, be able to claim if you have to spend
time in an NHS hospital.
PMI policies normally cover only acute conditions that can be substantially
alleviated by treatment. Chronic illnesses that need long-term treatment
are usually excluded.
More people are doing away with PMI altogether and paying for private
treatment as and when they need it. You choose a practitioner or hospital,
agree a price and pay direct instead of claiming on your insurance. You
should expect to pay between £20 and £70 for an alternative therapy session.
forwarded by
Zeus Information Service
Alternative Views on Health
www.zeusinfoservice.com
All information, data and material contained, presented or provided herein
is for general information purposes only and is not to be construed as
reflecting the knowledge or opinion of Zeus Information Service.
Feel free to forward far and wide....
Subscribe Free/Unsubscribe: info@zeusinfoservice.com
All Donations gratefully received!
http://www.zeusinfoservice.com/Donations.html
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Sheri Nakken, R.N., MA, Classical Homeopath
Well Within & Earth Mysteries & Sacred Site Tours (worldwide)
Vaccination Information & Choice Network
http://www.nccn.net/~wwithin/vaccine.htm
http://www.nccn.net/~wwithin/homeo.htm
homeopathycures@tesco.net
ONLINE Introduction to Homeopathy Classes
ONLINE Introduction to Vaccine Dangers Classes
Voicemail US 530-740-0561 UK phone from US 011-44-1874-624-936
http://business.timesonline.co.uk/artic ... _1,00.html
August 21, 2005
Don't get the needle - get insurance
Therapies such as acupuncture and homeopathy are
increasingly being offered on private health policies.
By David Budworth
DEMAND for alternative therapies such as acupuncture and homeopathy is
soaring, and people are increasingly using their medical insurance to pay
for it.
Not so long ago alternative therapy was sneered at. But the Foundation for
Integrated Health estimates that one in ten adults went to an alternative
practitioner last year.
Unorthodox medicine has become part of the mainstream, helped by the
support of figures such as Gwyneth Paltrow and Prince Charles and the
growing acceptance of the medical establishment. Saga reported last week
that it had seen a 58% increase in claims for chiropractic treatment, a 65%
rise in demand for homeopathy and 43% more claims for acupuncture treatment.
It’s an industry-wide trend. David Costain, medical director at Axa PPP
Healthcare, said: “There is a lot of interest in alternative therapies. It
has become a popular form of treatment.” As the acceptance of alternative
therapies has grown, more providers of private medical insurance (PMI) and
cash plans are including cover within their standard policies.
Penny O’Nions of the Onion Group, a specialist adviser, said: “Most will
pay for treatments that are accepted by the National Health Service, so
they cover acupuncture, chiropractic and osteopathy.”
Such policies may include homeopathy, where illnesses are treated with
preparations made from plant, mineral, metal and insect sources. But some
insurers steer clear because homeopathy is unregulated. That is one reason
why even more unorthodox treatments, such as hypnotherapy and colonic
irrigation, are generally not covered.
Lydia Aydon at Bupa said: “We cover treatments like acupuncture,
homeopathy, chiropractic and osteopathy. But we avoid the less well-known
ones, mainly because we want to ensure practitioners are registered with a
professional body.”
To make a claim for treatment, policy holders must be referred to a
practitioner by a GP or a consultant recognised by the provider. Most
insurers refuse cover for pre-existing conditions — ones that predate the
start of the policy.
There are annual limits on how much cash you will receive for alternative
therapies. So if you need a long course of treatment you may have to cover
some of the cost out of your own pocket.
Saga offers some of the most generous cover for complementary therapies,
but its policies are confined to the over-fifties. Its Super Cover private
medical insurance costs £109.42 a month for a couple in their fifties and
will pay up to £1,200 per person each year towards alternative treatments.
Bupa’s Health Care Select 1 plan would cost a 45-year-old couple £130.83 a
month, assuming no excess. It provides annual cover of £250 per person for
alternative therapies.
Standard Life Healthcare’s Primecare policy would cost £141.67 a month and
would pay out £1,000 a year.
At Axa PPP the couple would pay monthly premiums of £99.77 on its Key
policy and get annual cover of up to £300 each. Axa’s Premier policy costs
£162.69 a month, but it provides unlimited cover.
Most PMI policies are renewable annually, so terms and conditions may
change and premiums tend to rise with age. The yearly term also enables
insurers to escape having to pay for long-term conditions. You will be able
to claim if an illness crops up in year one, say, but when you renew you
will find that the illness is not covered.
You may be able to cut premiums by paying an excess — the amount you pay
towards the cost of a claim before the policy kicks in. A couple who opted
for a £250 excess on Bupa’s Health Care Select 1 deal would pay £103.35 a
month instead of £130.83.
But be aware that the excess normally applies to each person for each
policy year. If your treatment extends over two policy years you will have
to pay the excess twice.
Cash plans are a cheaper alternative to PMI but have limitations. They will
generally pay only a percentage of your bill.
Premiums for HSA’s Super Plan, covering chiropractic, osteopathy,
acupuncture and homeopathy, start at just £2.20 a week for a couple. Policy
holders may claim up to half the cost of alternative therapy treatments, up
to a maximum of £120 a year. Pay £17.60 a week and you get £960 annual cover.
Premiums at WPA, another cash-plan provider, start from £9.21 a month for a
45-year-old individual. It would therefore cost a couple £18.42 a month.
They would each be able to claim back half the cost of alternative
treatments, up to a maximum of £300 in the first year and £400 after that.
For most people alternative therapies will be viewed as an additional
benefit rather than the prime reason to take out a medical insurance policy
or cash plan. Make sure you fully check what a policy does and does not
include.
Some cash plans do not pay towards the cost of any inpatient care in a
private hospital. You may, however, be able to claim if you have to spend
time in an NHS hospital.
PMI policies normally cover only acute conditions that can be substantially
alleviated by treatment. Chronic illnesses that need long-term treatment
are usually excluded.
More people are doing away with PMI altogether and paying for private
treatment as and when they need it. You choose a practitioner or hospital,
agree a price and pay direct instead of claiming on your insurance. You
should expect to pay between £20 and £70 for an alternative therapy session.
forwarded by
Zeus Information Service
Alternative Views on Health
www.zeusinfoservice.com
All information, data and material contained, presented or provided herein
is for general information purposes only and is not to be construed as
reflecting the knowledge or opinion of Zeus Information Service.
Feel free to forward far and wide....
Subscribe Free/Unsubscribe: info@zeusinfoservice.com
All Donations gratefully received!
http://www.zeusinfoservice.com/Donations.html
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Sheri Nakken, R.N., MA, Classical Homeopath
Well Within & Earth Mysteries & Sacred Site Tours (worldwide)
Vaccination Information & Choice Network
http://www.nccn.net/~wwithin/vaccine.htm
http://www.nccn.net/~wwithin/homeo.htm
homeopathycures@tesco.net
ONLINE Introduction to Homeopathy Classes
ONLINE Introduction to Vaccine Dangers Classes
Voicemail US 530-740-0561 UK phone from US 011-44-1874-624-936