The waiting time for a National Health Service appointment in the UK varies tremendously, but in general can be anything up to 18 weeks. No wonder that some people are taking the alternative route and opting for some form of private medical insurance to assure their treatment. The knowledge and reassurance that medical care is available whenever they fall ill or receive an injury is invaluable.

Even those with completely comprehensive health cover do, in fact, make use of the National Health Service from time to time. When it comes to an emergency situation, the vast majority of private hospitals are not set up to deal with casualty situations. The great thing about the private health system is that you will get the care you need more speedily, when and where you choose to receive it.

One of the most common concerns regarding health care is in relation to the length of time it's necessary to wait until the condition is diagnosed. This can be kept to the minimum and the added advantage is that there is no delay in getting onto the waiting list if it is necessary.

When it comes to the cost, the type of plan, the insurer you pick and the classification (individual or family) has to be considered. If you choose to be treated at the very top private hospitals, you're going to be looking at the very top prices too.

Apart from the comprehensive policies, there are many other ways of keeping the cost more reasonable. You could limit the choice of hospitals, for instance, or choose to partially pay for your claims. With some insurers you can get a no-claims bonus, which would surely help, even if only to reduce the seemingly unavoidable annual rise in the premium.

It's not unusual for your employer to offer some help in this direction. Companies offering private medical insurance as a “tempter” can gain both for themselves and their employers. Problems can be dealt with more quickly and employees spend less time off work overall

When arranging medical insurance, it is not unusual for you to be asked by the insurer for your medical history before they give you the quotation. It's also possible that you may be asked for your GP's name and address, in order that the insurer may contact them for additional information. It is absolutely vital that any forms which you fill in should contain detailed information of all your health history and it should be totally accurate. If you suffer from a specific medical condition, it doesn't mean that the insurer won't cover you, in fact they probably will, but may include a special exclusion clause for that particular condition in your policy.

We can't stress enough the importance of disclosing all illnesses and treatments at this stage. If you make a claim on the policy, the first thing the insurers will do is to send for details of your medical history. If there's anything on there that you haven't disclosed, whether it's directly linked to your current condition or not, they could throw out your claim.