Review: General and Medical Health Insurance
By
David Woodfield
In Summary
General and Medical has two flagship private medical insurance ranges – Equs and Altus – both of which offer several cover options at varying budgets. Both ranges score well with industry bodies, and on the whole, customer feedback is very positive.
You can get a quote for General and Medical's policies and others at activequote.com.
Background to General and Medical health insurance
Established in the 1980s, General & Medical has evolved from an insurance provider for the medical profession into a general private healthcare provider – with a particularly strong customer base within the expat community. The company underwrites its own policies, using a separate company called General and Medical Limited.
Overview of health insurance cover provided by General and Medical
General and Medical is a private health insurance provider, offering healthcare cover for individuals and families, companies and groups, and sportspeople and teams.
Its personal health insurance is available at two levels: Equs and Altus, with several options to choose from within each range.
The Equs range is designed to provide affordable cover up to a maximum limit of £50,000 per person. Its most basic level of cover is Equs Key; this includes access to diagnostic tests and initial consultations, and surgical treatment cover for acute conditions.
However, policyholders can choose to upgrade their cover to the next level of cover called Equs, which includes some level of cancer treatment cover, along with protection for several types of outpatient treatment.
Equs Plus offers the same level of cover as all the other Equs products, along with greater outpatient benefits, and in-patient cover for cardiovascular conditions.
Equs Elite is the most comprehensive policy in this range, featuring the highest level of outpatient and cancer treatment cover, along with protection in the event of needing dental, optical and private GP consultations.
General and Medical also has a more comprehensive collection of policies, the Altus range. Although not as cost-effective as Equs, these are ideal for customers who want protection for in-patient and outpatient care.
One of the main differentiators is that the range’s most basic policy – Altus Key – includes radiotherapy and chemotherapy treatments for cancer. Meanwhile its Plus product includes life cash benefit, and cash benefits for critical illness, temporary disablement and personal accidents.
The most comprehensive insurance cover – Altus Elite – provides private maternity services among other exclusive benefits.
You can get a quote and compare General and Medical versus other insurers at activequote.com.
How much does General and Medical health insurance cost?
Although the website promises private medical cover from 20p per day, the exact price you are quoted will depend on the state of your health and your personal circumstances. For example, smokers will be subject to a higher premium, whilst age and lifestyle will also impact the price you are given – so it’s best to contact General and Medical for an accurate quote.
The product you choose will also affect cost, however, you may feel more comfortable opting for a higher price premium that offers greater levels of protection, in the event that you need to make a claim.
You can get a quote for General and Medical via activequote.com.
What do General and Medical health insurance customers say?
Whilst General and Medical are one of the largest independent health insurance companies in the UK, they are still far smaller than the big four that control 90% of the UK market (AXA, Aviva, BUPA and Vitality).
As such, there are few customer reviews for General and Medical - just one on reviewcentre.com, 3 on Google reviews and 2 on Facebook. They offer a range of opinions but are generally positive.
What do the experts say?
General and Medical’s Altus Elite and Altus Plus products have been rated 4/5 stars by industry organisation, Defaqto. Its Altus, Altus Key, Equs Elite and Equs Plus products have been rated 3/5 stars, while Equs and Equs Key have been rated 2/5 stars.
