Everyday healthcare
It is also common for healthcare cash plans to include children within a parent’s policy. Many of the traditional not-for-profit providers include cover for children automatically. For example, Simplyhealth’s plan includes free cover for up to four children under the age of 18, while WPA Health Insurance’s plan allows for five child family members at no additional cost. Others, for example Bupa, prefer to offer both individual and family options.
Whether automatically included or incurring an additional fee, Mr Heffer says it is important to know what cover they get. “Some policies give cover for each child, while others will share the benefit across all children, which can work out to be less generous if you have a large family,” he explains.
As an example, on Westfield Health’s Good4you cash plan, child cover is included at no additional cost, but the benefit for optical, dental and dental trauma is shared between all the dependent children. However, with children entitled to free NHS dental treatment and eye tests, this is less of an issue.
Freebie care
As well as taking out a product that includes cover for children, parental concerns are also addressed via the added-value extras insurers include on their protection policies. Helplines are commonplace, allowing parents to speak to medical professionals about any concerns they might have with their offspring.
And many have gone further. For example, Aviva includes second-opinion service Best Doctors on its protection plans and also allows policyholders to take out optional cover for global treatment. This provides policyholders with access to £1m of treatment anywhere in the world if it is not offered through the NHS.
Paul Dalgliesh, head of protection propositions at Aviva, explains: “These benefits are not dependent on a claim and, as they apply to all family members, can provide peace of mind to parents if a child is unwell.”
With their children’s health a major concern for parents, being able to extend cover to them is important. And while their health might not be the primary reason for taking out a policy, just knowing that these extras are included can bring considerable reassurance.
