FAQ’s
- Do all Universal Provident
private medical insurance policies cover out-patient treatment?
- Do Universal Provident policies
have a cooling-off period?
- How long will my private medical insurance policy
run for?
- Will I receive new documentation each year?
- What is the difference between co-insurance
and an excess?
- I currently suffer from a medical condition.
If I buy a Universal Provident private medical insurance policy
will I be covered for treatment of this condition?
- Why do I need to select a hospital list
for my private medical insurance policy?
- Who can be covered on my policy?
- Do I need to be married to take out
joint cover?
- When can I add new dependants to my
policy?
- When can I change the level of cover
under my policy?
- Can I extend my private medical insurance policy to include
any other types of insurance such as travel or dental insurance?
- On Traveller’s Care will
my children be covered if they travel independently?
- How do I make a claim?
- Is health screening covered by any Universal Provident policies?
- My GP has referred me for a CT/MRI scan – will
I be covered?
- Will Universal Provident pay if my GP charges me for completing
a claim form for private medical insurance?
- How will I know which physiotherapists or other therapists
I am authorised to use?
- If I have an excess or co-insurance on my private medical insurance
policy, how will I know who and how much I need to pay?
- Will I be advised when payments have been made under my claim?
- I work full-time and find it difficult to get to the phone
during the day. What should I do if I have any queries?
- Can I submit my claim on-line?
Do all Universal Provident private medical insurance policies
cover out-patient treatment?
No. Universal Provident offers a range of products to suit your
needs. For our individual customers we offer:
Total Care – provides cover for in-patient, day-patient
and out-patient treatment (including physiotherapy and complementary
medicine), together with dental benefits and disability care
insurance (Living Care).
Premier Care – provides cover for in-patient, day-patient
and out-patient treatment (including physiotherapy and complementary
medicine).
In-Care – provides cover for in-patient and day-patient
treatment. The only out-patient treatment covered is for chemotherapy/oncology.
NHS Plus – provides cover for in-patient treatment either
in an amenity room in an NHS hospital or for private treatment
if the treatment is not available under the NHS within six
months of your specialist stating that it is necessary. There
is no cover for day-patient or out-patient treatment.
For our corporate clients we offer group versions of all of the
above products (Group Total Care, Corporate Care, Group In Care
and Group NHS Plus respectively).
GoBack
Do Universal Provident policies have a cooling-off period?
Yes. Under the terms of the Financial Services Authority all insurers must provide a cooling-off period for their personal customers. Therefore under all of our policies we include a 14 day cooling-off period during which you are free to cancel your new policy and receive a refund of premium.
GoBack
How long will my private medical insurance policy run for?
All of Universal Provident’s private medical insurance policies
provide cover for two years. Therefore, when you take out your
policy you are committing to paying your premiums for this two
year period. Your premium for the second year of cover will be
guaranteed when you take out your policy.
GoBack
Will I receive new documentation each year?
No. Because your policy has a two year contract period, it is
renewable every other year and the terms of your policy will not
therefore change during the two year period. If we make changes
to your policy at renewal we will provide you with a new policy
or clearly explain what changes have been made.
GoBack
What is the difference between co-insurance and an excess?
If you have an excess on your policy of, say £100, you must pay the first £100 of each claim. This is all you will have to pay. If your claim is less than £100 you will not be able to claim anything. You may choose to have an excess on Total Care, Premier Care and In Care.
If you have co-insurance you will be responsible to pay a percentage of each invoice until you have made the maximum contribution for each claim (£250 per claim). There is no minimum amount that you must pay, so all invoices may be subject to co-insurance, irrespective of the amount involved. Co-insurance is available under Premier Care and applies to out-patient treatment only.
For further information please refer to the Policy Summary for
the relevant product in the Products section
of this site.
GoBack
I currently suffer from a medical condition.
If I buy a Universal Provident private medical insurance policy
will I be covered for treatment of this condition?
Under all of the various private medical insurance policies offered
by Universal Provident, there is an exclusion of pre-existing medical
conditions. The exact nature of this exclusion will depend on the
type of application submitted. For a full explanation of this exclusion
and its implications please refer to Pre-existing
Medical Conditions.
GoBack
Why do I need to select a hospital list for my private medical
insurance policy?
A large proportion of the cost of private medical treatment is
represented by hospital charges. These charges vary a great deal
from hospital to hospital. We therefore allocate hospitals to one
of three, based on their charges, not on the standard of care you
can expect at the hospital. Therefore when you are considering
buying private medical insurance you need to consider the type
of hospital you wish to use and how far you are willing to travel
for medical treatment.
A full explanation of how the hospital scales work is included
on the Hospital List.
You can also use the Hospital Search facility
to locate hospitals within your area.
GoBack
Who can be covered on my policy?
Under most Universal Provident policies you can include cover
for yourself, your spouse/partner (see also next question) and
your dependent children (aged under 21 years, or 25 if still in
full-time education).
The exceptions to this are:
Mortgage Care and Mortgage Care Plus – these are only
available as either individual cover or joint cover (if you have
a joint mortgage)
Income Care and Income Care Plus – these
products are only available for individual cover.
GoBack
Do I need to be married to take out joint cover?
No. For those products that allow joint cover, we do not insist
that cover is restricted to married couples. Cover can therefore
include a partner, including same-sex partners.
GoBack
When can I add new dependants to my policy?
You may add a new dependant to your policy at any time. If you
are adding a newly born child, provided that we are advised of
this within three months of the birth, the child will be added
form their date of birth and will not be subject to the exclusion
of pre-existing medical conditions. All other new dependants will
be subject to this exclusion and will need to submit the appropriate
application form – see Pre-existing
Medical Conditions.
Cover for such new dependants will be from the date we receive
the application form.
GoBack
When can I change the level of cover under my policy?
Changes to the level of your cover (type of policy, such as Premier
Care or In Care, the Hospital Scale, the level of excess etc) can
only be carried out at the renewal (or anniversary) of your policy.
You should always call the Customer Care team on
0870 873 4395 to discuss the implications of any changes you wish to make.
GoBack
Can I extend my private medical insurance policy to include any
other types of insurance such as travel or dental insurance?
Yes. If you hold a private medical insurance policy with Universal
Provident, you may extend this to include Travellers Care and Dental
Care at any time. Please note however that the additional policies
will run concurrently with your private medical policy and your
first period of cover under the additional policy may not therefore
be for the full two years.
If you wish to take out any other types of insurance we will need
the appropriate application form to be completed and new policies
will be set up.
GoBack
On Traveller’s Care will my children be covered if they
travel independently?
Yes, your dependant children are covered provided they are traveling:
a) with an adult known to you or your spouse/partner
b) with a teacher on an organized school trip or
c) as an unaccompanied minor on a scheduled air service
Independent travel by your children in any other circumstances will not be covered. GoBack
How do I make a claim?
The procedure you will need to follow will vary with the type
of policy you have. Please refer to the How to Claim page
for the relevant policy for a full breakdown of the claims procedure.
GoBack
Is health screening covered by any Universal Provident policies?
No. In common with many other private medical insurance products,
Universal Provident’s policies provide cover for the diagnosis,
relief or curing of medical conditions and do not include preventative
medicine or procedures, such as screening.
GoBack
My GP has referred me for a CT/MRI scan – will I be covered?
Tests and investigations are only covered if they are required
by a specialist. Tests for which a GP has referred you are not
therefore covered under any of our policies.
GoBack
Will Universal Provident pay if my GP charges me for completing
a claim form for private medical insurance?
Whenever you submit a claim under a private medical insurance
policy we will need a claim form to be completed by your GP, for
which the GP is entitled to make a charge as it falls outside of
the terms of his contract with the NHS. Under the terms of all
of our private medical insurance policies (other than NHS Plus)
we will pay a reasonable fee in this respect (up to £20).
GoBack
How will I know which physiotherapists or other therapists I am
authorised to use?
Physiotherapists and other therapists (such as chiropractors,
homeopathists and osteopathists) will be acceptable to us provided
that they hold the relevant qualifications and belong to specified
regulatory bodies. Full details of these are included within the
definitions section of the appropriate policies.
GoBack
If I have an excess or co-insurance on my private medical insurance
policy, how will I know who and how much I need to pay?
Whenever we pay an invoice that is subject to either co-insurance
or an excess we will advise you clearly of exactly how much you
need to pay to each provider of services. Wherever possible we
will simplify matters by deducting the excess or co-insurance from
as few invoices as possible. Please refer to the How
to Claim page for the relevant policy for
a full breakdown of the claims procedure.
GoBack
Will I be advised when payments have been made under my claim?
Each time we make a payment on a claim we will send you a statement
of claim which will tell you to whom the payment has been made
and the amount of the payment involved. We will also tell you if
we have not been able to pay the invoice in full, the reason why,
and who and how much you will need to pay. Please refer to the How
to Claim page for the relevant policy for a full breakdown
of the claims procedure.
We will keep you informed of all developments on your claim. If
you have any queries you may call our helpline (open 9.00 a.m.
to 5.15 p.m. Monday to Friday) or contact us using a fax or e-mail – please
refer to Contact Us for
details.
GoBack
I work full-time and find it difficult to get to the phone during
the day. What should I do if I have any queries?
Our helpline is open from 9.00 a.m. to 5.15 p.m. Monday to Friday.
We can also handle your queries by fax or e-mail. If you prefer,
we are happy to communicate with a family member or friend, provided
that we have received your consent to do so prior to any communication.
GoBack
Can I submit my claim on-line?
There is currently no facility to advise us of claims on-line.
Please refer to the How
to Claim page
for the relevant policy for a full breakdown of the claims procedure.
GoBack
|
