Private medical insurance is there for the treatment of acute medical conditions which in effect are “curable”. By definition, chronic conditions such as diabetes and asthma would not fall into this bracket. If you are looking for insurance for diabetics then please be careful.

Even if you have a policy in place with no “exclusions”, once a condition is deemed as chronic there would be no cover for continued monitoring of this condition. Routine medication and monitoring is dealt with by the NHS.

This rule excludes cancer which is handled as a separate entity.

If you have a company private medical insurance there is a policy you could consider. It allows an annual benefit of £1000 which you could use towards the monitoring of a chronic condition.

Flare-ups of a chronic condition such as diabetes

Most policies would provide cover for “flare ups” of a chronic condition if the condition such as diabetes was diagnosed after the inception of your policy. Once you to get back to a stable condition, there would be no cover available from your private medical insurance and treatment would revert back to the NHS.

Diabetes prior to the start of your policy?

If you are new to private medical insurance and suffer from a chronic condition such as diabetes prior to the inception date, it is essential you confirm your condition at the point of quotation. In most cases, your condition would be excluded from cover if there is no known medical cure. If diabetes has been diagnosed prior to the start date of your cover, you must make your broker or insurer aware.

Is health insurance for diabetics really available?

At SMP Healthcare our experts are happy to give you guidance as to what cover is available and from which providers. We talk to you about your own specific medical conditions and then speak to the underwriters for you. Please do not hesitate in calling to make the most of our knowledge and expertise in relation to any aspect of your healthcare cover and policy benefits.

If you are covered by a company cash plan, you can use some of the benefits towards treatment of symptoms that occur due to your diabetes. There are many different providers of cash plans. They all offer different levels of benefits. As a rule, these include dental, optical, chiropody and physiotherapy with holistic therapies such as reiki and naturopathy. The level of benefits you received depends on the monthly premium you pay.

A company cash plan does not tend to exclude cover for pre-existing conditions. Individual cash plans, however, do exclude cover for pre-existing conditions, in many cases. Please ensure you check what would be excluded before taking out any type of policy. This applies if you have diabetes or any type of chronic condition. There is no point taking out a policy you will be unable to claim on.

The NHS offers excellent levels of cover for people with chronic conditions. If you are at the end of a very long waiting list, then you do have the option to self-fund your treatment in a private hospital or facility. Costs and appointment times do vary by consultant and treatment type.  We would recommend you contact your local private hospital for clarification of any charges and appointment waiting times. If you cannot access insurance for diabetics, then self-funding your treatment is an option.