The following glossary of terms may prove to be
of some assistance when completing the Halcyon HealthCare Needs Analysis
Questionnaires.

When such terms are used in private medical insurers’ policy
documents, the insurers’ definitions should be referred to,
rather than those given below, which have been provided only for
initial guidance prior to completing the questionnaires. The ABI
Guide, “Are you buying Private Medical Insurance” should
also be consulted.
You can download a copy here (just click on the
image). It is a 15-page PDF file that you can print
out or read on screen.
| Acute Conditions |
Curable, short-term illness or injury |
| Alternative Therapies |
May include physiotherapy, osteopathy,
chiropractic, homeopathy and chiropody |
| Cash Benefit for Treatment by the NHS |
Money back payment from
the insurer for electing to have treatment by the NHS instead
of exercising the right to private treatment |
| Cash Plan |
Partial cash reimbursement of insured’s costs
of optical, dental, alternative therapies, and
chiropody, etc. and cash benefits for admission to hospital and
maternity benefit etc. |
| Chronic Conditions |
Long-term illnesses that cannot be cured |
| Claims procedures |
Increasingly, leading insurers agree claims
by telephone, whenever possible, rather than by
claim form |
| Consequences of non-disclosure |
When making a medical history
declaration, it is essential that a full disclosure is made,
otherwise the insurance provider may reject any subsequent claims |
| Day-patient |
Admission to hospital for a day without the need
to stay overnight. |
| Dentistry |
Routine dental treatment not involving oral surgery |
| Excess |
The amount the insured agrees to pay towards his/her
treatment in order to reduce the cost of
cover. (Usually paid only once on the initial claim per person
per policy year) |
| Full Medical Underwriting |
Requires the proposer to provide
details of his/her previous medical history and to give the
insurer permission to seek further information from the proposer’s
GP. Pre-existing conditions that occurred prior to the commencement
of cover, will normally be excluded from cover |
| Inflation of Medical costs |
The increasing cost of medical treatment
year on year resulting partly from the increasing
sophistication of treatments and diagnostic tests |
| In-patient |
A person who is admitted to hospital for treatment and for medical reasons has
to stay for
one or more nights. |
| Medical History Disregarded |
For groups of 20/25 or more directors
and employees and for an additional cost, any pre-
existing medical conditions suffered by members of the scheme
will be covered, provided they fall within the terms and conditions
of the scheme. |
| Moratorium |
The proposer is not required to declare his/her
medical history on application, but any condition suffered in
(usually) the previous five years will eventually be covered
if no symptoms, treatment, medication, tests or advice is received
for that condition for a further period of (usually) two years |
| Out-patient |
A person treated in a hospital, consulting room
or clinic, but not as a day-patient or in-patient |
| Overseas Cover |
Cover for treatment and if necessary, repatriation
if you are ill or injured overseas |
| Parent accompanying a child |
The cost of accommodation in hospital
for a parent accompanying a child under the age of 9
(for some policies under the age of 14) |
| PMI |
Private Medical Insurance |
| Pre-existing Conditions |
Any conditions (disease, illness or
injury) for which the applicant has received medication, advice
or treatment or has experienced symptoms, whether diagnosed or
not, before insurance cover commenced |
| Private Hospital |
A hospital that charges fees for all its services |
| Private Wing of an NHS hospital |
Private fee-paying wards within
NHS hospitals |
| Related Conditions |
A medical condition, (symptom, illness,
disease pre-existing conditions or injury) arising from or associated
with a pre-existing condition |
| Switching Insurers |
Group Scheme Administrator’s may often
be able to switch their scheme to another insurer
without loss of cover for pre-existing conditions on Continuing
Medical Exclusion (CME) terms.
Such terms are not so readily available forindividual and family
schemes. Advice should be sought before cancelling cover with
your present insurer and switching to a new provider |
Choices? Decisions? ..... It's a complicated
world.
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help you make the right choice.
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