A groundbreaking product from Passport2Health, a new entrant to the private healthcare insurance market, combines private UK diagnostics with private treatment abroad. This new medical tourism based plan offers rapid access to private hospitals overseas, including door-to-door, concierge-managed return travel and accommodation for the patient and a companion, plus after-care and travel insurance.
Customers have access to hospitals in Belgium, Cyprus, France, Germany, Gran Canaria, Israel, Malta, Portugal, Spain, and Turkey. Every hospital is selected for its English language capabilities, service quality and patient comfort. All hospitals in the network have been carefully selected and visited personally by members of the team
Pricing reflects the lower cost of European healthcare and efficiencies achieved through its international provider network and outsourced business model. The company operates a small core team with low fixed costs, supported by expert service providers for sales administration, customer service and claims handling, including clinical case management. With typical savings of up to 50% on conventional private medical insurance packages and from as little as £19 per month, the scheme combines high quality private diagnostics in the UK with private treatment overseas. One way savings have been made is to exclude cancer cover, partly because the insurer argues that long-term treatment for cancer is best done at hospitals near to home. It promises greater choice and faster access to affordable private healthcare for the majority of Brits financially excluded from mainstream PMI products.
Passport2Health founder Frank Levene says “For years, millions of people in this country have gone without health insurance for themselves and their families, but with Passport2Health they can now afford to take advantage of the same high quality healthcare enjoyed by our European neighbors.”
Insurance is underwritten in UK at Lloyd’s by Advent Solutions Management on behalf of Sirius Lloyd’s Syndicate 1945. Europ Assistance handles claims and clinical case management. Concierge services are run by Ten Group.UK scans are done by Alliance Medical and post treatment rehabilitation in the UK by Nuffield Health.
Passport2Health has developed its pricing structure to provide an affordable alternative to increasingly expensive personal policies, or a replacement for employee benefits that have been downgraded or withdrawn.
The product is aimed at small and medium sized businesses, the self-employed and individual clients. It is sold through selected health insurance specialists and insurance brokers, as well as direct online.
While the NHS is highly valued for emergency and urgent surgery, elective treatments such as angioplasty, hernias, hip replacements or cataracts can now be treated overseas without joining a long waiting list. Passport2Health says that procedures are scheduled as fast as possible, to suit the patient – normally within two to four weeks of diagnosis.
Customers initially contact their GP, followed by private specialist consultations and diagnostics in the UK. With the exception of cancer, patients are covered for the same types of surgical procedures as many other UK PMI schemes, including a wide variety of treatments in specialisms such as orthopaedics, ENT, cardiology and ophthalmology.
In the UK, there are some health insurances that allow customers to get treatment overseas, but it us totally up to the customer to arrange travel and treatment. All the insurer does is pay a very small fixed cash sum all subject to detailed receipts.
The mainstream UK health insurance market has set its head firmly against allowing non-emergency treatment abroad. There are international health insurances that allow treatment in multiple countries but these are very expensive compared to normal health insurance and are not aimed at the domestic customer, but people who effectively live in several countries over a year. There are insurances in Europe that allow some out of country treatment for specific policy sections-but none that allows full cover to apply across the EU.There are cross-border schemes but these are limited to 2 countries such as USA and Mexico, or USA and Canada.
