I have a Health Insurance plan through work and it says it has a 6 week wait option. What does this actually mean?
- Tom Conner
- Director
The 6 week wait option is one of a number of ways you can reduce your health insurance premiums.
Opting for the 6 week wait simply means that should you require inpatient treatment and the NHS waiting list for that treatment is less than 6 weeks you would use the NHS to receive your treatment.
Should the NHS inpatient waiting list for treatment you require be longer than 6 weeks you are eligible to receive your treatment privately straight away.
The 6 week NHS wait only impacts inpatient treatment — if you have outpatient cover on your policy, you’ll be seen privately as soon as possible regardless of the waiting list for NHS outpatient diagnostic care.
The 6 week wait option reduces the risk of a claim occurring for the insurer and reduces your premiums accordingly — in some cases premiums can be reduced by as much as a third.
