People have different kinds of health needs. That is why health insurance is provided in most countries, depending on the individuals. This applies to the United Kingdom (UK) as well.
Health insurance is not necessarily supplied by government. These days, there are many private associations and organizations that offer health insurance services. In the UK, other than the public healthcare system National Health Service (NHS) that provides coverage to the residents, there are also private healthcare companies namely Bupa, AXA, PruHealth, and Groupama Healthcare. However, these private companies do not cover many treatments compared to NHS.
There are restricting clauses attached to the insurance from a private sector. For example, it may or may not cover on pregnancy and childbirth, AIDS or HIV, dental treatment, cosmetic, and many more. Their exclusions are similar, depending on which policy is bought. Therefore, one must be informed on which covers them better; a public healthcare system or a private one.
The British Medical Association (BMA) is concerned about this matter. The health insurance market is developing in the UK. That is why in 2009, a main representative body of physicians of British Medical selected a policy statement and brought this issue to the Senior physicians of the Consultants Policy Group during BMA Annual Representative Meeting. The BMA was troubled that some private companies provide policies that prevent patients to have choices on many aspects such as about the consultants, the hospital, and the payments. They came to a solution, and that is the BMA must make this information public to the residents of the UK.
As a result, private healthcare now is used by less people. Eight percent of the population use it only as add-ons to the NHS. However, private companies still run on the same level as the NHS, earning funds from the coverage that the NHS does not provide.
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