When you buy a new private medical insurance policy or renew an existing policy, your insurance provider will issue a revised certificate. This will show your personal details, the plan details and any exclusions that apply to your cover. It is important that you check your policy documents to make sure there are no errors. You need to make sure that there are no mistakes because this could affect your cover.

Can your broker check your policy documents for you?

Policy documents and membership certificates are no longer sent to brokers. Your insurer will only send them directly to you as the member. This is to ensure your personal data is safe. In years gone by, many brokers would include this as part of their service. Sadly, they are no longer to gain access to membership certificates. If you want your broker to check your certificate for you, ask them if they will do so if you send them a copy. Your certificate may be sent either by post or email. Depending on your provider, you may also be able to download the certificate from a membership portal. If you are unsure, ask your broker to advise you how the documents can be accessed.

When you are notified that your policy is live or has renewed it is essential that you check the following information on the certificate:

• Your personal details; make sure your name address and date of birth is correct
• Your dependents details; if you have dependents covered on your policy, ensure their names and dates of birth are correct.
  • If you have over-age dependents covered on your membership, ensure that they are still eligible for cover under the terms of the policy and have not been removed from cover
• Look at your benefits levels and make sure the cover that is listed is exactly as per the original quotation
• Make sure that your excess is at the level you expect it to be.
• Check your underwriting type because there are different types of underwriting for health insurance. You need to ensure that your certificate denotes the correct underwriting type for your policy.
  • If you are insured on a full medical underwriting basis, ensure that any exclusions correspond with your medical history.
• Check the hospital list where applicable

Notify your provider of any errors or changes that need to be made. This will save you valuable time should you ever need to make a claim.

SMP Healthcare Ltd are an independent health insurance intermediary. As such we are able to help you resolve any issues when it comes to updating or amending your membership details.

If you would like us to help you with your private medical insurance or any other health insurance policies you can contact us on 01245 929129 or by email enquiries@smphealthcare.com