Freedom Elite
Freedom Health Insurance has looked at its Elite plan for the start of a programme of product improvements planned for 2017. Elite is a menu based PMI plan, available to both individuals and groups, offering comprehensive cover, and a selection of additional benefits offering a choice of limits, two hospital bands and a range of excess options. The policy is underwritten by Advent Insurance. The changes now introduced include:
Reducing the number of policy exclusions.
Moving pregnancy complications and maternity cash benefit to core cover.
Enhancing the Freedom Elite cancer cover.
Allowing outpatient diagnostic tests on GP referral.
Removing the previous six-month waiting period for dental, optical and private GP benefit.
In addition to the above, Freedom has improved its documentation around:
A simplified style and layout.
Using easy to understand language throughout.
Offering new information booklets to explain aspects of cover in more detail.
Freedom Elite is built around mandatory core cover for inpatient and daypatient treatment together with full cancer cover, and the plan also covers certain pregnancy complications and dental surgical procedures, MRI, CT and PET scans, home nursing, private road ambulance and NHS cash benefit. A range of optional benefit packages include outpatient cover, alternative therapies, psychiatric care and dental, optical and private GP cover.
Freedom says someone age 25 with full in-patient cover, access to the Elite Hospital List and a £250 excess would pay a monthly premium of £32.95 for Elite cover.
Comment: Freedom says it has listened to brokers’ views in coming up with these improvements. It also adds that it is working on changes to its other products during 2017, so is clearly targeting raising its profile further in the challenging PMI space.
Elite is a menu plan that already included some interesting cover options and it has now further widened what can be covered. Improving communications is also important, even though most people probably won’t read the full 56 page policy document.
Plus points: A raft of changes further improves cover; communicating the product’s benefits better has also been treated as a priority; Existing plan already offered good options and a robust menu base on which to build; Updates to other plans planned for 2017 too.
Not so plus points: The changes are relatively minor, albeit still welcome improvements in cover; Some cover limits; Adding all options can get expensive.
Website: www freedomhealthinsurance.co.uk.
Rating (max 10): Innovation: 7.5. Overall: 8. Gold
Tags: PMI; Freedom