When you have been referred to a specialist for treatment your health insurance provider may require a GP report. This may be needed before you can go ahead with your treatment.

The insurer is not being difficult or trying to avoid honouring your claim. They just need more details in relation to your condition and a reason why the referral has been made. Your insurance provider may need clarification as to the first time you had symptoms of the condition too.

Did you realise that more often than not, your GP will charge for this service?

You can choose to a private GP or you see your own NHS GP.  A GP report confirming details of your medical condition is rarely free of charge.

Having researched online, an NHS surgery in Essex lists fees for an insurance claim form at £25.50, one in Suffolk £30 and yet one in London for a simple “statement of fact” would be £30 but this could increase to over £100 if a more detailed report it required.

Can you claim for the cost of a GP report on your private medical insurance?

There are a few policies in the UK health insurance market that allow you to add-on a benefit for claiming private GP costs for consultations. This does not include paying for the cost of a GP report. Some Health cash plans will allow you to claim for inoculation, flu jab and private prescription charges, sadly not the cost of a GP report.

If you have to request a written report from your GP, ask how much they charge so you know the cost from the start. The cost of a GP medical report will be your responsibility to pay.

What if you don’t want to pay for the report?

When your health insurance provider asks for more information, it is likely that they will not pre-authorise your claim without having the details requested. If you want to claim for your treatment on your health insurance policy you will need to provide the report as requested. Alternatively you can revert to the NHS for your treatment or opt to self-fund privately.

The cost of the GP report therefore, may be well worth paying.

For more information on why NHS GP’s charge fees for some services please click on the following link:

https://www.bma.org.uk/advice/employment/fees/why-gps-charge-fees

SMP Healthcare Ltd are a truly independent health insurance broker based in Chelmsford, Essex. Our experienced staff would be more than happy to help you with any health insurance issues that you may have.

We would be delighted to help you find the right policy if you are new to private medical insurance. We are also completely confident in helping people who already have a policy in place and need to look at their renewal options.

If you would like to contact us please use the following:

Email: lianne@smphealthcare.com

Telephone: 01245 929129