Passport2Health: pioneering private medical cover: UK diagnostics with private treatment abroad

18-Jun-2012

A ground-breaking product from Passport2Health, a new entrant to the private healthcare insurance market, is set to change the shape of UK health cover and challenge the high cost of traditional PMI.

With typical savings of up to 50 percent(i), and from as little as £19 per month(i), the scheme combines high quality private diagnostics in the UK with private treatment overseas. It promises greater choice and faster access to affordable private healthcare for the majority of Britons financially excluded from mainstream PMI products.

The UK’s first fully packaged cover for treatment abroad, Passport2Health, provides rapid access to some of the finest private medical facilities internationally, including door-to-door, concierge-managed travel and accommodation for the patient and a companion.

Passport2Health CEO and founder Frank Levene, a former BUPA director, says that the escalating price of UK health insurance, combined with continuing pressure on household spending, has left many people unable to afford cover for private treatment – leaving them faced with lengthy waits with the NHS.

This lack of choice for UK patients inspired Frank to provide a more innovative PMI solution, focused on providing fast access to excellent treatment at more affordable prices. He said: “For years, millions of people in this country have gone without health insurance for themselves and their families, but with Passport2Health they can now afford to take advantage of the same high quality healthcare enjoyed by our European neighbours.”

Customers have access to some of the finest hospitals internationally, including those in France, Germany and Spain as well as Belgium, Cyprus, Portugal, Gran Canaria and Malta and soon to be added Israel and Turkey. Every hospital is hand-picked by Passport2Health’s expert team for its exemplary clinical standards, and each is carefully selected for its English language capabilities, service quality and patient comfort.

‘Medical tourism’ is a growth area, with approximately 60,000 people(ii) believed to travel from the UK each year for treatment abroad. Until now however, patients have had to put together their own package and pay the full price in one go. With Passport2Health, everything is fully covered and all arrangements taken care of, including return travel, treatment, accommodation and after-care, plus integration into the UK health service on return.

Customers have the same access to their usual GP, plus a generous allowance for private specialist consultations and diagnostics in the UK. With the exception of cancer, patients are covered for the same types of surgical procedures as many other UK PMI schemes, including a wide variety of treatments in specialisms such as orthopaedics, ENT, cardiology, ophthalmology, urology and gynaecology.

[i] For a 30-year-old. Prices as at 27/02/12 shown on both comparison and insurer’s websites

[ii] Figures according to Treatment Abroad