Private Medical Insurance (PMI)

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PMI is similar to any other insurance. You can pay monthly or annual premiums, and your provider pays out for some or all of the cost of the private medical treatment you receive.

You can have a single policy for yourself, or a joint policy to cover you and your partner. This makes things easier as you’ll only have one provider, one policy, and one point of contact to deal with. 

• Broader choice of options for treatment 
• You can bypass long waiting times 
• Better hospital accommodation

The cost of PMI varies depending on the provider. You can normally expect your premiums to be affected by: 

• Your age
• Location of where you live
• The policy you take out (a more comprehensive policy with extras will raise your premiums)
• Smoker status (this does include e-cigarettes)

Some examples you will not be able to claim for treatment costs are: 

• Cosmetic treatment
• Pre-existing conditions (This usually includes any conditions you were diagnosed with over five years ago).
• Self-inflicted injuries
• Substance abuse
• Mobility aids

You will more than likely need to be over the age of 18 to take a policy out for yourself, however, under-18's can normally be added to their parent / guardian’s policy. 

You can generally expect to pay more for a PMI policy the older you are when you take out a policy. 

Some providers may have upper age limits.