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Acupuncture & Homeopathy Increasingly Offered on Private

Health Policies

Thu, 25 Aug 2005 14:56:56 +0100

 

 

Compare differences in U.K. vs. US health plans. This is available in

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http://business.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,9557-1743033_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.

 

 

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