IT is being reported that, last year, the private medical insurance industry saved the National Health Service an estimated £2.4 billion.
Begins a spokesperson: “Say figures, in 2010, private health insurers paid out a total £2.8 billion in claims on diagnosis, treatment and aftercare. By our estimate – at health insurance comparison site, ActiveQuote.com – 82 per cent of these claims would otherwise have had to be funded by the NHS.”
Dr Richard Theo of health insurance comparison site, ActiveQuote.com, commented that the findings demonstrated that the well-being of the NHS and that of the PMI industry are not mutually exclusive.
He said: “If just five per cent more people took out a health insurance policy over the next twelve months, the NHS could save an additional £2.5 billion on last year from its decreasing budget. This extra money could pay for over two million hip replacements or 25 million MRI scans.
“With nursing salaries starting at around £21,000, just five more people taking out a health insurance policy could pay the wages of over 118,000 NHS nurses.
“The extra £2.5 billion could also be put towards the cost of cancer drugs which the NHS currently cannot afford.
“More than 2,000 people die from malignant melanomas each year. Newly licensed drug Yervoy could dramatically increase their life expectancy. But at £75,000 per patient, it may be deemed too expensive for use on the NHS.
“Just five per cent more people taking out health insurance could save enough to treat 33,000 skin cancer sufferers.”
Dr Theo added: “A lot of people are under the misapprehension that the NHS and the private medical insurance industry are working in competition with each other.
“On the contrary, the NHS and the PMI sector increasingly work hand in hand to serve the UK’s health needs. When choosing a health insurance policy you should make sure it complements the service you already receive from the NHS.”
About ActiveQuote:
ActiveQuote Health Ltd is a health insurance broker, fully authorised and regulated by the Financial Services Authority (FSA) number 501109 as a health insurance intermediary.
ActiveQuote offer free advice on private medical cover in the UK.
Contact Details:
ActiveQuote Health Ltd
1st Floor
Cambrian Buildings
Mount Stuart Square
Cardiff Bay
CF10 5FL
enquiry@health.activeqoute.com
Tel: 0800 862 0373
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