Child health insurance

There are various kinds of child health insurance - it’s quite a complex area. When you compare with us, you’ll talk with a specialist who can help you understand what’s on offer. Here are a few of the options you might have:

• Inpatient-only plans. These only cover your child for treatment within a hospital.
• Plans that include outpatient treatment. These more comprehensive plans will also cover private care for your child as an outpatient.
• Child health cash plans. If your child visits a dentist or other medical professional, you can get a cash sum towards the cost of the visit or treatment

With all plans, the care your child is covered for will have conditions and limits. Be sure to consider carefully before you buy and check the T&Cs. 

Because policies vary so much in terms of what they cover, it’s hard to give an exact figure. Policies don’t have to be expensive. Using our comparison service will help you find deals from a range of providers, allowing you to compare prices and features to find the right deal.

You can often reduce the monthly payment by agreeing to pay a higher excess. Just make sure you can afford to pay the excess should you need to make a claim.

Here are some of the key things to be aware of when choosing a policy.

• You can’t go private for everything. For example, accident and emergency treatments aren’t covered – though of course the NHS will still provide the care your child needs.  
• Pre-existing conditions are usually excluded. For example, if your child has asthma when you buy the policy, asthma treatments won’t usually be covered.
• Your child can usually only use certain hospitals and treatment centres. When you buy a policy, you will typically choose a list of hospitals and treatment centres where your child will be covered. The broader the selection, the higher your premium will be.
• Insurance providers set maximum amounts for procedures. If you choose a specialist whose charges are higher than the limit for that particular procedure, you’ll have to cover the difference in cost.
• Your child might not always be treated in a private hospital.  Depending on the policy you choose, your child may be put in a private patient unit within an NHS hospital, or end up on an NHS ward rather than in a private room.
• You could buy a family health insurance policy instead. This is another option to get health insurance cover for your child. You can buy a family policy and add your children on, so everyone is covered. Find out more about family health insurance.

When you compare child health insurance quotes with us we take a few details from you and get a company called Family Insurance Services to give you a call. Their expertise can help you decide which one of the various child health insurance plans will be right for your family.

They can get you some quotes based on your exact circumstances, and you can ask questions to find out whether child health insurance would suit you. It’s fast and easy – and most importantly, talking with an expert reassures you that you’re getting the cover your child needs.